GRM to withdraw from Supercars

Team boss Garry Rogers made the announcement on 18 October, the same day that Racing Entitlement Contracts for the 2020 season expired.

Rogers’s hand was forced by team sponsor Boost Mobile, who had signed a two-year deal with GRM for 2019-20, but announced they’d leave the series unless a control front upright was introduced to bring parity to the grid.

A control chassis, gearbox and tyres already apply to Supercars, with a control damper expected to be introduced in 2020. A control upright was, apparently, due for implementation in 2021, but Boost Mobile requested it be introduced for season 2020.

Receiving this ultimatum a week before the deadline for REC submissions for the coming season, Rogers reached out to Supercars, seeking an extension to the deadline to give him time to secure a new sponsor, but this request was, allegedly, rejected. As such, GRM had no choice but to step away from the series.

In an emotional video press conference, Rogers stated that he loved Supercars and the people in it, but cited the category’s inability to curtail costs as one of the reasons why GRM were unable to continue.

Rogers added that he remains proud of what the team were able to achieve, making specific reference to the Volvo programme, which GRM ran for three seasons. Rogers said the work done over that time proved the team’s abilities in design, engineering and manufacturing.

Another Rogers highlight was winning the Bathurst 1000 with drivers Garth Tander and Jason Bargwanna in 2000.

GRM’s exit means their current drivers, James Golding and Richie Stanaway, may be out of a seat next season, but one of the two could be thrown a lifeline, as one of GRM’s two RECs looks likely to go to Matt Stone Racing for 2020.

While they’re out of Supercars, Rogers says GRM will remain involved in other motorsport categories, including the TCR Series (using compact cars like the Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30 N, Audi RS 3 LMS and Subaru WRX STi) and the Super 5000 open-wheeler category, which they designed and constructed the chassis for.

Photo: Russell Colvin