This is indeed a good news story.
Congratulations to all parties concerned, Betty Klimenko, Barry Ryan and Brodie (the 3Bs), for ultimately taking a pragmatic approach and reaching an entente cordiale that allows the champion to race again this year.
Now, let’s not pretend that nothing negative happened over the last nine months or so within the Erebus/BK relationship. That would be very disrespectful towards the fans and the other stakeholders in the sport.
Mistakes have been made, issues that probably should have been addressed by all involved weren’t dealt with in a timely fashion and, ultimately, festered to the extent that nobody was happy.
The relationship between a driver and a team is not one of an employee and employer. Drivers are contractors to teams, whether directly or through a services company. So the normal processes that might apply to dealing with an internal employee issue don’t necessarily apply. And differences can arise.
However, years of commercial experience have proven to me that in the vast majority of cases, disputes can, and should, be handled through a process, formal or informal, of mediation.
Unfortunately, it’s often the case here in Australia that the advice to folk with issues in need of resolution is to “lawyer up”, a truly awful expression that accurately sums up the approach taken by too many people who should know better.
And it’s with this in mind that I am so pleased by, and respectful of, the position adopted by all of the 3Bs in reaching a place where they could understand whatever issues each had whilst also arriving at an agreement that allows them all to go racing again and have the current champion involved in the series this year.
They achieved a great outcome through the good services of a mediator, a person trusted by them all to be fair and transparent as he worked with them. His name is Paul Morris.
Be in no doubt as to the part he’s had to play in this and he deserves the thanks of not only the 3Bs, but the wider community in the sport who simply want to watch the champ go racing.
So now is not the time to dwell on the past, rather it’s time to look to the future and see what lessons can be learned and carried forward.
The biggest one by far, for me, is that the National Sporting Authority (the ASN), as authorised by the FIA – namely Motorsport Australia – has a role to play in the future. In fact, it had one to play with the 3Bs but it failed to recognise that on this occasion.
Readers will recall that when Oscar Piastri and Alpine had a difference of opinion regarding his contractual status for 2023, they were able to go to through the FIA process and, effectively, have an impartial third party rule on the situation.
MA needs something similar for their licence holders. Both the team, Erebus, and the driver, Brodie, are MA licence holders. They fall under the overall governance umbrella of MA and MA should provide a system whereby they can offer their services any time there is a team/driver issue.
It won’t be often, but it should be there to offer potential conciliation, mediation and resolution.
Of course, the same could be said for Supercars itself. And whilst it’s almost certainly true that they could have done more to help the smooth those troubled waters over the last few months, the fact is that they will always have the potential for conflicts of interest that shouldn’t be the case with the, independent, ASN.
MA’s customers are, first and foremost, its licence holders. They need the service they deserve at all levels, including at the professional level of the sport.
The other crucial lesson that I believe can be learned for all of us (and it’s always good to be reminded of this), is that great communication is vital in any team environment. And then, when there are issues to be resolved, they are dealt with without delay. Never allow a sore to fester.
Finally, it’s great to see how passionate the fan base has been over this whole affair. The vast majority of people just want to see Brodie race. But the undercurrent of hate and loathing created by a handful of anonymous online keyboard warriors is awful. These comments come from people hiding in the dark depths of internet depravity.
By all means, use the freedom of expression and speech that we enjoy in this country, but say what you want to say whilst putting your name to it. The golden rule is that differing opinions are good and healthy, but only put online content out there about someone that you’d equally say to their face.
Congratulations, and thank you, to the 3Bs and Paul.
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