The five-time ATCC/Supercars champion declared on MotorRacing 360 that GM has “done nothing” since Ford poached Triple Eight ahead of 2026.
Triple Eight’s defection led to Charlie Schwerkolt’s Team 18 being handed HT duties and the responsibility of leading a new alliance among remaining GM squads.
Team 18 sits fifth in the current teams’ championship after five rounds, with Anton De Pasquale the only GM representative inside the top 10 of the drivers’ standings.
“First thing is, GM had their pants pulled down when Ford came and grabbed Triple Eight,” said Skaife on the program.
“GM needed to whack Ford for what happened at the end of last year and that changeover.
“They haven’t whacked them. It’s been like a whimper. They’ve done nothing. GM has done nothing.
“Then when you apply the GM factor to this and the factory team is Team 18, they don’t operate well enough.
“They are not going anywhere near well enough.”
GM’s reaction to Triple Eight’s defection was multi-faceted.
It signed up T8’s technical director Jeromy Moore, engine supplier KRE and Bathurst 1000 star Craig Lowndes, while also reappointing former Holden racing boss Simon McNamara.
GM recently poached Grove Racing technical chief Grant McPherson in a further offensive, but the level of its teams and drivers continues to come under scrutiny.
Team 18 picked up the HT duties over PremiAir Racing, Matt Stone Racing and Erebus Motorsport, the last of which has opted not to be part of the ‘GM alliance’.
“Apply it to normal sport. The NRL with a Craig Bellamy or Wayne Bennett or Ivan Cleary or whoever,” Skaife continued.
“They put so much pressure on that organisation to perform each weekend, they get the best from everyone in that outfit.
“They are not like that. Team 18 are not operating like a proper, proper factory team.”
Team owner Schwerkolt on Wednesday defended his squad in the Daily Telegraph, backing De Pasquale as an “A-grade” driver and declaring him a title contender.
He also conceded the current scoreboard is “not good enough” for GM.
“Obviously we want more Chevs in the 10 and we’re going to be pushing hard to get all Chevs up there,” said Schwerkolt.
“We’ll help all the teams we possibly can, we’ve got to get Dave [Reynolds] up there, too.
“But we want the other Chev teams up there and we’ll do whatever we can to help them come along. It’s a united front from all GM teams.”
De Pasquale’s victory at the Sydney season opener was just the second for Team 18 in more than a decade in the championship.
GM and Team 18 have subsequently negotiated two parity changes in its favour, leading to Reynolds snapping his podium drought in Tasmania.
Reynolds’ future at the team is currently unclear, with GM and Team 18 heavily pursuing Grove Racing star Matt Payne.
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