Barclay Nettlefold outlines TRC talks

As revealed by Speedcafe earlier this month, Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises – the owner of Supercars – is in talks with the teams over tweaks to the TRC.

While the details of the TRC are largely private, it’s understood to cover off matters such as revenue/income and calendar stipulations.

It is also understood to at times be prohibitive for both the series and the teams, particularly when it comes to issues such as the expansion of the calendar.

Addressing key media following yesterday’s release of the 2023 financials for Supercars, RACE chairman Nettlefold confirmed both that talks were underway, and, as reported by Speedcafe, a committee has been formed to represent the teams in those talks.

The committee is thought to be comprised of team part owners ven Burchartz (Tickford Racing), Brad Jones (Brad Jones Racing), Ryan Story (Dick Johnson Racing), and Ryan Walkinshaw (Walkinshaw Andretti United).

“We’ve set up the committee with the teams and we are reviewing the TRC commercials around what’s best for teams, what’s best for RACE and what’s best for the sport,” said Nettlefold.

“There’s a common ground in that it’s an original document that we started with, but it’s not going to change or prohibit our investment and our expansion of the sport.”

Unlike the Concord Agreement in Formula 1 the TRC is open-ended, Nettlefold explaining that the mooted updates are simply working changes to a document that was created when RACE took over the sport from Archer Capital.

“It’s a perpetual document, but it was one that was done at acquisition time and there’s some areas in it that probably don’t work for teams as much as they don’t work for RACE,” he said.

“Hence why we’ve got a bigger focus moving forward of working closer with the teams, because it’s in everyone’s interest. It’s in their sponsors’ interests, in our sponsors’, in our fans’ and their fans’ [interests].”

As revealed by Nettlefold yesterday there is a plan to expand the domestic calendar beyond the current 12 events for next year, while international expansion is still on the cards from 2026 onwards.