Supercars 2023: Call for end to rule barring two full-time drivers pairing up for Bathurst 1000

A former key Supercars figure says it’s time for a change to the Bathurst 1000 rulebook to go to help boost the sport’s international profile.

Former Triple Eight owner Roland Dane has called for the rule barring the pairing of two full-time drivers for the Bathurst 1000 to be binned, arguing Supercars is “missing a trick” to enhance its international profile.

As the spotlight gets set to descend on Supercars’ stars and their co-drivers for the biggest race of the year at Mount Panorama, Dane said teams should have the freedom to decide who they wanted to pair in the car, which would help open the door for more international drivers.

Supercars teams previously had the choice if they wanted to pair two full-time championship drivers together for the series’ endurance races before a rule change in 2010.

The change came in the wake of Triple Eight’s Bathurst 1000 three-peat when V8 greats Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup triumphed between 2006-2008.

Since then, championship drivers have had to share their car with a nominated co-driver.

Dane said Supercars teams should have the right to choose who they wanted to pair in the car to suit their own race ambitions and sponsorship or financial arrangements.

The Triple Eight founder said allowing two full-time drivers to pair up would give teams more scope to run internationals in their other car to help build the sport’s overseas appeal.

“It would give some teams the ability – or would be more able to run – call it higher risk combinations in their other car,” Dane said.

“That could include young drivers, it could include international drivers, it could include drivers who may bring funding with them, sponsorship with them to do the race as well, which might enhance the idea for some teams.

“Supercars is missing a trick completely at the moment in not trying to give the championship any international profile.

Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup celebrate the first of their three consecutive Bathurst 1000 crowns together in 2006.

“You can see that IndyCar and NASCAR are both....trying to give themselves more of an international profile as a national category and Supercars are just not even trying to do that at the moment, which is a bit of a shame.

“Among other things, that should be part of an overall strategy, having some interesting internationals, and by internationals they could be Australians or internationals based overseas.”

Aside from the Kiwi starters, this year’s Bathurst 1000 will feature two international co-drivers – Swiss star Simona De Silvestro in a Dick Johnson Racing wildcard with young gun Kai Allen and French Porsche factory driver Kevin Estre alongside Matt Payne at Grove Racing.

Frenchman Alex Premat was also a regular as a co-driver for the series’ endurance races in the past decade.

“It’s great to see Simona here, it’s great to see Kevin Estre here at the moment with Grove,” Dane said.

“We just need more of that and more of that on a consistent basis as part of a co-ordinated strategy … there has been no consistent policy – it has to come from Supercars.

“It’s a question of ensuring they’ve got some overseas drivers here and eventually a few overseas drivers permanently …. it should all be with an aim of increasing the worth of the broadcast rights in a wider market.”

Swiss racing driver Simona De Silvestro at the Sandown 500 after arriving in Australia for her Bathurst 1000 wildcard campaign. Pic: Supplied

Dane said the rule banning full-time drivers sharing a car was “undoubtedly” introduced in a bid to thwart the success of the Lowndes-Whincup pairing.

But he said the best reply had been the team’s continued success at the mountain, winning six Bathurst 1000 crowns since the rule was changed.

“It was done because people saw the Lowndes-Whincup combination as being too powerful,” Dane said.

“It was a pure vested interest …. the best reply to that was to ensure that it did not really affect the success of Triple Eight going forward, which it didn’t.

“Subsequently, we won plenty of Bathursts, we won more Bathursts than anyone else with either rule.

“But I still think it should be up to the teams to decide.”

Triple Eight will have two of the top pairings at Mount Panorama – Sandown 500 champions Broc Feeney and his boss Whincup and defending Bathurst 1000 champion Shane van Gisbergen and fellow Kiwi Richie Stanaway.

ENDS

Originally published as Supercars 2023: Call for end to rule barring two full-time drivers pairing up for Bathurst 1000