Kostecki Out For Bathurst & AGP, then BACK for Taupo

[TWRv12]

Brodie exit stage left?

Bull in china shop strikes again?

https://speedcafe.com/supercars-shoc...split-looming/

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by TWRv12

Brodie exit stage left?

Bull in china shop strikes again?

https://speedcafe.com/supercars-shoc...split-looming/

Great news for Todd Hazelwood if it lands this way…

[Henry]

Originally Posted by TWRv12

Brodie exit stage left?

Bull in china shop strikes again?

https://speedcafe.com/supercars-shoc...split-looming/

I havent been following the ins and outs of the dramas of racing, but this one seems like a bit of a surprise... whos got the tea?

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by TWRv12

Brodie exit stage left?

Bull in china shop strikes again?

https://speedcafe.com/supercars-shoc...split-looming/

#7 Reports it too

From the Speedcafe article but they must be confident as it concerns their V8Supercar product…

[Ares]

Well two of the biggest stars of the sport in resent times have both gone. And other driver more than ever are talking about wanting to go also. How many stars- Champions can they afford to lose a year? And you start looking like a second rate series

[Jack65]

Plenty may want to go, but how many will get the opportunity? For most Supercars will be the pinnacle of their careers. SVG and McLaughlin were both heads and shoulders above the rest of the field and had sustained periods of dominance, the other names mentioned like Kostecki and Waters are not at that level. Before that you have to go back to Paul Morris, Jason Bright and Craig Lowndes who did single seasons in Indy Lights and F3 over 20 years ago. Obviously there was Marcos Ambrose as well, but that was 18 years ago.

[Ares]

Originally Posted by Jack65

Plenty may want to go, but how many will get the opportunity? For most Supercars will be the pinnacle of their careers. SVG and McLaughlin were both heads and shoulders above the rest of the field and had sustained periods of dominance, the other names mentioned like Kostecki and Waters are not at that level. Before that you have to go back to Paul Morris, Jason Bright and Craig Lowndes who did single seasons in Indy Lights and F3 over 20 years ago. Obviously there was Marcos Ambrose as well, but that was 18 years ago.

You made my point with the first five words of your post. Drivers are starting to look past Supercars. Even young Brock said his focus is Supercars right now, we will see what happens in the future. He's just a kid who hasn't won anything yet but is not looking at Supercars as the end game. If he wins the championship this year people will say, if Kostecki, Scotty and SVG were there he wouldn't be champion. If the superstars keep leaving, it waters down your series, setting your bar lower in the process.
Back to the media. The only person who calls out Supercars for their crap is Roland. Where were the real media last year at Bathurst, Supercars telling the world the cars were all hitting 300 kph all day. Knowing full well not a word of truth would be mentioned. Most cars were in the mid 280s most of the day, a few hitting a low 290 at times. We had to sit through that rubbish over just about every lap all day. All media companies should be stand alone companies like they were at one time. Their owner now tells them what to print. Watch your six o'clock news tonight, most of it is lies and bullshit.

[Jack65]

Originally Posted by Ares

You made my point with the first five words of your post. Drivers are starting to look past Supercars.

Australian drivers have always aspired to go and play in a bigger fishpond, be it F1, Indy or NASCAR. But history suggests only the special ones will get the opportunity, hence we have had only three go from Supercars in the last 20 years. Other categories aren't going to suddenly plunder Supercars for run of the mill drivers.

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by Ares

You made my point with the first five words of your post. Drivers are starting to look past Supercars.

In the past it's been seen, I think, as a bit of a specialised backwater. Top drivers from around the world turned up at Bathurst and struggled a bit. Now it's been demonstrated by Mssrs van Gisbergan and McCloughlin that skills learned in Supercars are very much transferrable to the American racing scene and to GTs and perhaps their horizons have been widened. To me, that's a good thing if SC are seen as a career stepping stone and not the end of the cul-de-sac.

[Ares]

Originally Posted by Woolley

In the past it's been seen, I think, as a bit of a specialised backwater. Top drivers from around the world turned up at Bathurst and struggled a bit. Now it's been demonstrated by Mssrs van Gisbergan and McCloughlin that skills learned in Supercars are very much transferrable to the American racing scene and to GTs and perhaps their horizons have been widened. To me, that's a good thing if SC are seen as a career stepping stone and not the end of the cul-de-sac.

I don't know of a sport that benefits from no longer being seen as the pinnacle. Or a sport that benefits from losing its best and brightest talent. The sport has traded off the legacy of the icon drivers who battled it out year after year. Imagine the likes of Brock, Moffat, Whincup all moving offshore early in their careers. When you have things like the golden age of a sport. You had the very best talent in the same place at the same time, lifting the bar to new heights. Ali, Fraser, Norton, foreman for instance.

SVG knew he could foot it with NASCAR drivers before Chicago, he's raced with and against them in the past and been faster. I think if Shane was still in love with Supercars he'd still be there. He had a guts full of Supercars its self. I think the series has been in a bit of a low point over the last few years. Bathurst last year is a case in point, these soft tyre races are rubbish. Driving a 7/tenths saving tyres is a borefest, but Skaife loves soft tyres. So, we get more soft tyre races. Roland wants better tyres on the cars so the drivers can push harder longer, so do I.

Imagine this years series with SVG vs Mclaughlin vs Kostecki also fighting off Stanaway, Feeney, Payne and brown. A promotors dream.
Or Waters vs Mostert... Not so much.

I don't think not having these drivers in the series is a benefit to Supercars or its fans in Australia or NZ.

Baseball is an example of a sport that was once the pinnacle of sport in the USA, it was a religion, players were worshiped like gods. Players like Babe Ruth for instance are still famous today and talking about in baseball circles 100 years after he was playing. Mantle, DiMaggio. Players of a sport I don't watch or am interested in, played before I was born, even before my parents were born. I know the names because they were iconic players of a once iconic sport. Baseball is no longer that pinnacle sport in the States today. I couldn't name one player from today, probably many Americains couldn't either. The sport dropped away, lost it appeal and the players are not the big stars they used to be.

A sport needs the best talent competing. I'm not sure if the Premier League band all foreign players tomorrow the football fans in the UK would be pleased? would the TV pay the same money to see a bunch of pasty poms kicking a ball around? 66 Woolley 66

[Jack65]

Originally Posted by Ares

I don't know of a sport that benefits from no longer being seen as the pinnacle.

Supercars and its predecessors has always been the pinnacle motor sport category domestically. It commands the biggest audiences, television money, sponsorships and from a driver's perspective, pays the highest wages.

Originally Posted by Ares

I think if Shane was still in love with Supercars he'd still be there.

We don't that for sure, he has always competed in a variety of categories overseas. Whether his dislike of Gen 3 and a few other things in the category, was the final straw, who knows, but a new challenge that will add a zero to his pay packet are likely to have played a part. There was nothing more for him to achieve in Supercars other than to add to his win stats.

Originally Posted by one five five

Any truth that the basis of this is around Kostecki was offered the SVG drive so went to Erebus for a release and was told no. Brown then gets offered the SVG seat, goes to Erebus for a release and they say yes…

It's a plausible theory, but nothing has been confirmed.

Originally Posted by one five five

Did the original story really have that much detail in it, merely said there were doubts that Kostecki would race. Why would Supercars really have an issue with that?

Clearly Superars did have an issue with it as it has stopped responding to media requests from Speedcafe since the Kostecki news broke. So it isn't happy.

Originally Posted by one five five

Why didn’t the original article actually state the reason for the team split?

Maybe because they didn't know, the source may have only divulged part of the story.

Originally Posted by one five five

Anyone willing to ask the hard questions and not fanboi their way through media sessions.

You appear to have a bee in your bonnet this Van Leeuwen is a fanboy, who is totally subservient to Supercars. Yet the very story that he wrote that is the subject of this thread has pi5sed them off.

Originally Posted by one five five

Let’s not start on the TV coverage too

We all agree on that, but that is because nobody will say boo, all being on Supercars payroll as part of its inhouse broadcast production.

Originally Posted by Alan52

There is no other professional sport in Australia that has such a lap dog press.

Most of the stories on these website are light and fluffy rehashes of press releases. But there are just not that many juicy stories for an investigative journalist to get their teeth stuck into. It's just not that big an industry.

[Ares]

Originally Posted by Jack65

Supercars and its predecessors has always been the pinnacle motor sport category domestically. It commands the biggest audiences, television money, sponsorships and from a driver's perspective, pays the highest wages.We don't that for sure, he has always competed in a variety of categories overseas. Whether his dislike of Gen 3 and a few other things in the category, was the final straw, who knows, but a new challenge that will add a zero to his pay packet are likely to have played a part. There was nothing more for him to achieve in Supercars other than to add to his win stats.It's a plausible theory, but nothing has been confirmed.Clearly Superars did have an issue with it as it has stopped responding to media requests from Speedcafe since the Kostecki news broke. So it isn't happy.Maybe because they didn't know, the source may have only divulged part of the story.You appear to have a bee in your bonnet this Van Leeuwen is a fanboy, who is totally subservient to Supercars. Yet the very story that he wrote that is the subject of this thread has pi5sed them off.We all agree on that, but that is because nobody will say boo, all being on Supercars payroll as part of its inhouse broadcast production.Most of the stories on these website are light and fluffy rehashes of press releases. But there are just not that many juicy stories for an investigative journalist to get their teeth stuck into. It's just not that big an industry.

I'm not sure what your first point is? Second point. I'm going off interviews Shane has made in the past. What his plans were at that time. Things changed fast. Dixon and Scotty have been trying to get Shane to the States for years, He didn't go until now. If he'd had thoughts on going one day, he wouldn't have waited until 34. He liked to stay close to family and friends in NZ. He wanted to do more off shore stuff after Covid and Rally stuff in NZ, which he has. Then Gen3 and 2023. Supercars shut him down and out with his views on what the Gen3 should look like. He gave his views at times, then he wasn't wanted to test the prototypes anymore. Then we had season start, and we know that story. By this time he was most likely getting tired of the way Supercars were treating him and disrespecting him, then it got much worse. Chicago happened and a door open to get out of the toxic hole. by then he was over it and wanted out asap. Went from loves Supercars to get me out of here in two seasons.
Many have had nothing more to prove in their careers in the past, but stayed and became icons of the sport, All Time Greats of Australian motorsport. SVG could be a better driver than Whincup, but Whincup is the GOAT. His name will always go ahead of Shane's is Supercar world, that's the trade off you make.

[GTRMagic]

[Sandgroper]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Still cant understand a racer not wanting to race !

[V8 Fireworks]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

(The podcast not DSO)

Is "The Chin", Timmy Slade?

[Kingair]

Brodie to go to Mercedes in 2025, replacing Ferrari bound Lewis!

[HDTVKSS]

Notice that Betty has changed her facebook profile header yesterday from the championship pic to her looking off into the distance...

if hes got health issues as claimed, they arent exactly giving him "family" style public support.

[Sandgroper]

Originally Posted by HDTVKSS

Notice that Betty has changed her facebook profile header yesterday from the championship pic to her looking off into the distance...

Yes I noticed that yesterday

[Sandgroper]

Originally Posted by Kingair

Brodie to go to Mercedes in 2025, replacing Ferrari bound Lewis!

If only he could fit the cockpit

[Umai Naa]

Shaw and Partners also gone.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by Umai Naa

Shaw and Partners also gone.

Here

[Sandgroper]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Here

And now pulling Boost from the Gold Coast.
Its just gaining more traction.

[Jack65]

McLaughlin slams Supercars over Kostecki statement

Supercars and Erebus are going to need to get their act together and tell the world what is really going on. Seemingly what the problem is common knowledge, yet no one is prepared to publicly say. The attempt to defuse with a vague press release that created more questions than it provided answers, has just poured petrol on the fire.

[TWRv12]

Originally Posted by Jack65

McLaughlin slams Supercars over Kostecki statement

Supercars and Erebus are going to need to get their act together and tell the world what is really going on. Seemingly what the problem is common knowledge, yet no one is prepared to publicly say. The attempt to defuse with a vague press release that created more questions than it provided answers, has just poured petrol on the fire.

This when Supercars management if they were any good, would be wheeling and dealing behind the scenes to get Brodie on the grid... if they really had too, couldn't they could sell a REC or two...

[GTRMagic]

Team name change and/or ownership structure change imminent?

Seems odd to have a fan page change its name by request/demand after 5 years or so of it being that name.
That said, latest posts are about whether the ‘army’ will renew their Erebus Motorsport memberships..