Supercars has new owner as Archer Capital confirms it has sold its majority shareholding
A new ownership group led by entrepreneur Barclay Nettlefold has become the majority shareholder in Supercars, and may even take the remaining part of the business held by the team owners.
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Supercars have a new owner with Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises announced as the new majority shareholder of the sport.
Known as “RACE”, the consortium led by Melbourne entrepreneur Barclay Nettlefold paid an undisclosed sum to buy a 65 per cent majority shareholding in Australia’s most popular racing category.
The shares were sold by Archer Capital, who paid $190m to become the majority shareholder in the sport in 2011.
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“We set out to find a new majority shareholder that would be able to build on the work that Archer and the management team have done over the past five years,” said Archer chairman Peter Wigg.
“The expertise that RACE has in sport, media, marketing and digital will enable just that.”
The transition of shares is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
“Supercars, with the support of Archer, has done an amazing job navigating the past two years,” said RACE spokesman Nettleford.
“The RACE Board and I look forward to combining our collective resources, heralding an exciting new era in the growth of a sport that all Australians love.”
Supercars team owners currently own the remaining 35 per cent of the business but it is understood those shares could also be obtained by the RACE consortium.
The RACE consortium was created when TLA worldwide and the Australian Racing Group combined a bid to take control of Supercars.
Whincup’s last-ditch shot at Supercars history
Jamie Whincup has vowed to keep fighting teammate Shane van Gisbergen for this year’s Supercars title until it is “mathematically out of reach” in his final quest to add to his record seven V8 crowns.
As Supercars prepare to roar back to life after a three-month hiatus with the first of four consecutive rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park this week, Whincup declared he would do everything he could to keep runaway title leader van Gisbergen “honest” in the run home.
Third-placed Tickford Racing rival Cameron Waters (412 points behind), Chaz Mostert (420) and Will Davison (421) are the only other drivers within any sort of range of the Triple Eight star, who is prime position to claim a second crown.
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Van Gisbergen can have the championship sewn up after the four rounds at Sydney leading into the season finale at Bathurst if he is more than 300 points in front.
But Whincup, who will retire from full-time driving at the end of the year to step into the role of Triple Eight team boss, said he had not conceded defeat yet and would keep hunting van Gisbergen for the title as long as he still had a chance.
“I will keep pushing for the title until it is mathematically out of reach,” Whincup said.
“While it’s still mathematically possible, for sure, I will keep my head down.
“The least I can do is keep the other side of the garage honest.
“We’ll do what we always do, work together and grind it out until the last lap of the last race.”
A seven-time Supercars champion, Whincup holds more V8 crowns than any other driver in history, two clear of Mark Skaife, Dick Johnson and Ian Geoghegan.
The 38-year-old won the last of his seven championships in 2017, finishing third twice and fourth since then.
Whincup wasn’t letting himself think about what it would be like to go out on a high with an eighth title, but was focused on keeping the championship fight alive.
“We might talk about that (winning title) later if there is an opportunity,” Whincup said.
“But we will do everything we can at SMSP to be in title contention come Bathurst.
“I’m just focusing on making sure I finish my full-time career on as much of a high as possible.”
Van Gisbergen is chasing his second V8 championship after claiming his maiden title in 2016.
“For sure, SVG has been doing a good job. The cars have been quick at the same time, the whole team have given us two of the best cars on the grid,” Whincup said.
“So we like to think as drivers we have maximised.”
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Whincup has not won in Sydney since 2017, and van Gisbergen since 2018.
“We have had mixed results there in the past, we have had some great results but we have had some not so as well,” Whincup said.
“We are going to make sure we concentrate this weekend, certainly in the practice sessions to ensure the cars are dialled in and we are competitive.”
Bathurst-winning ace creates dream team
Nick Percat is targeting a move up the Supercars grid when he teams with Chaz Mostert at Walkinshaw Andretti United next year in a return to the squad where he won a Bathurst 1000 crown on debut.
As he celebrates the 10th anniversary of his Mount Panorama victory with Garth Tander as a 23-year-old for the then Holden Racing Team — now Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) — Percat will make a homecoming to the squad he first raced for in Supercars on a multi-year deal.
In a Supercars seat swap, Percat takes the place of Bryce Fullwood at WAU after spending the past five years at Brad Jones Racing. Fullwood has joined BJR for 2022.
The 33-year-old will drive the No. 2 Commodore from next year with Mostert as his teammate in a switch he hopes will help elevate him up the Supercars standings.
“I’ve been watching what the WAU guys have been up to the last couple of years, especially now that Chaz is there,” Percat said.
“I guess I could see the way that it is trending and I wanted to get involved.
“I am trying to put myself in the best position to win races and championships and I thought that going to WAU was the place to do it.
“It would be awesome to be able to fight for championships and race wins with the team that got me through the junior categories and into the series.”
Percat became a Bathurst 1000 champion in 2011 as a co-driver alongside Tander for WAU — formerly HRT — in his first attempt at the Great Race.
He last raced for Walkinshaw Racing in 2014 when he made his debut in the main game as a full-time driver but has a relationship with the team dating back to 2007 as a junior.
“The Walkinshaw family helped me get through Australian Formula Ford, Super 2, Porsche Carrera Cup and then into the main series,” Percat said.
“So there is a lot of history with the team which is pretty special.”
Percat said he was “pumped” to be teaming up with Mostert, who he predicted would help spur on his results.
“To team up with Chaz and try and get good results with him, that was a big drawcard for me as well,” Percat said.
“I want a teammate who is known to be at the front winning races.
“We’ve known each other for a long time and raced each other really hard from back when we were in our early 20s through to now so it’s very cool to be teaming up with him.
“People looking from the outside in are expecting it to be interesting but I think we are just diehard racers and want to go well so it will be a good relationship.”
Percat sits eighth in the Supercars standings this year as the series prepares to make its long-awaited return to the track at Sydney Motorsport Park this week. He finished a career-high seventh in the championship last year.
Percat is now focused on a strong finish with BJR this season.
“Hopefully we can finish up on a high at Sydney Motorsport Park where we won last year,” he said. “It would be awesome to have a good strong result at Bathurst with the team. I feel like that’s one track that has not gone in our favour the last four or five years.
“I just really want to leave there with a good solid result there.”
Supercars is back - and there is plenty on the line
It has been three months since Supercars last turned a lap in anger and now the series faces a frenetic finish to the season.
The final five rounds of the championship will be crammed into six weekends, capped with a blockbuster finale with the sport’s biggest event of the year.
This year’s Supercars champion will be crowned after four consecutive rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park before the series moves to Mount Panorama for the season-ending Bathurst 1000.
Triple Eight star Shane van Gisbergen holds a commanding 276-point lead in the Supercars championship over his teammate – and soon-to-be team boss – Jamie Whincup after dominating in the first half of the season.
Tickford Racing star Cameron Waters is the top-placed Ford but trails van Gisbergen by 412 points.
Here is everything you need to know about the Supercars restart.
THE SEASON SO FAR
Van Gisbergen has dominated to win 11 of the 19 races held so far, including clean sweeps at the Bathurst 500, Sandown and the first of two rounds at Townsville.
Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters is next best with three race wins.
MOUNT PANORAMA 500
Race 1: Shane van Gisbergen
Race 2: Shane van Gisbergen
SANDOWN SUPERSPRINT
Race 3: Shane van Gisbergen
Race 4: Shane van Gisbergen
Race 5: Shane van Gisbergen
TASMANIA SUPERSPRINT
Race 6: Shane van Gisbergen
Race 7: Jamie Whincup
Race 8: Chaz Mostert
TAILEM BEND
Race 9: Andre Heimgartner
Race 10: Anton De Pasquale
Race 11: Cameron Waters
DARWIN TRIPLE CROWN
Race 12: Chaz Mostert
Race 13: Shane van Gisbergen
Race 14: Shane van Gisbergen
TOWNSVILLE 500
Race 15: Shane van Gisbergen
Race 16: Shane van Gisbergen
TOWNSVILLE SUPERSPRINT
Race 17: Cameron Waters
Race 18: Shane van Gisbergen
Race 19: Cameron Waters
THE RUN HOME
BUNNINGS TRADE SYDNEY SUPERNIGHT
October 29-31, Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek.
Format:
Friday – two 30-minute practice sessions (second at night)
Saturday – Knockout qualifying, top-10 shootout, one 125km race (night)
Sunday – Two single qualifying sessions, 2 x 125km races
Tyres: Single tyre compound – five sets of softs
Track: Gardner Grand Prix circuit configuration
SYDNEY SUPERNIGHT
November 6-7, Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek
Format:
Saturday – Two 30-minute practice sessions, one knockout qualifying session, one 125km race (night)
Sunday – Two single qualifying sessions, two 125km races (second one at night)
Tyres: Mixed tyre compound – five sets of softs and three sets of hards.
Track: Gardner Grand Prix circuit configuration
SYDNEY SUPERSPRINT
November 13-14, Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek
Format:
Saturday – Two 30-minute practice sessions, one knockout qualifying session, one 125km race.
Sunday – Two single qualifying sessions, two 125km races.
Tyres: Single tyre compound – fives sets of softs
Track: Gardner Grand Prix circuit configuration
BEAUREPAIRES SYDNEY SUPERNIGHT
November 19-21, Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek
Format:
Friday – One 40-minute additional drivers (co-drivers) practice session, one 30-minute practice session (night)
Saturday – One 30-minute practice session, one single qualifying session, top-10 shootout, one 250km race
Sunday – One single qualifying session, top-10 shootout, one 250km race
Tyres: Mixed tyre compound – seven sets of hards and two super soft sets. The super soft tyres cannot be used in any other session other than the two races.
Track: Gardner Grand Prix circuit configuration
SYDNEY CUP
The driver who accumulates the most points across the four rounds of the Sydney quadruple header will be awarded the Sydney Cup and a $25,000 cash prize.
BATHURST 1000
November 30 – December 5, Mount Panorama
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