Supercars responds to scathing open letter
Supercars CEO Sean Seamer has acknowledged the frustration that led to The Bend Motorsport Park boss Sam Shahin leveling a scathing open letter at the series last week.
Shahin was left fuming when the South Australian circuit was left off the second version of the revised Supercars calendar, its pre-Bathurst spot taken by Sandown in Melbourne.
The Bend was originally locked in to host the first endurance race of the season, a 500-kilometre, two-driver warm-up for the Bathurst 1000.
As a response to The Bend's axing from the schedule Shahin issued a remarkable open letter, which labelled the series selfish, short-sighted and called for a "big apology" to the state of South Australia.
Asked about the letter by Motorsport.com, Supercars boss Seamer acknowledged Shahin's frustration.
He also explained that tough decisions needed to be made, particularly once it became clear that the 2020 season couldn't bleed into 2021 as first planned.
“Sam is obviously frustrated [and] he’s entitled to his own opinion,” said Seamer.
“But we’ve had a challenge, as we all know, working up this calendar and to lose Gold Coast, Newcastle, Auckland, and The Bend is less than ideal.
“There’s been no easy decisions and we always say this when we talk about a calendar. There’s never an easy decision, and what we’ve had to go through with COVID-19 and the circumstances that we’ve been put under has exacerbated some of those difficult decisions.”
Seamer stopped short of detailing precisely why The Bend didn't make the second cut for the revised calendar.
There had been speculation that a move to a sprint round was turned down by the circuit, while an agreement with the Victorian state government was another theory attached to the switch.
According to Seamer there was no single reason.
"There's never any one thing," he said.
“We’ve been consulting with all of our stakeholders over the past few weeks around how we get this championship going again.
“Our number one priority was maintaining our national footprint, maintaining events in Darwin, Perth, Tasmania... it’s an important part of our sport. We talk about it all the time.
“That was priority number one for us. Unfortunately that’s why we’re not going to be at Auckland as part of this championship either.”
How Supercars teams will race in a COVID-19 world
2020 Supercars Sydney SuperSprint session times and preview
Why Courtney and Tickford are a dream match
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing.
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?