The championship has on cost grounds long stipulated a maximum number of personnel allowed at events who are deemed to contribute to performance.
Roles stipulated as performance include engineers and data analysts, mechanics, tyre and electrical technicians, and an ‘authorised representative’.
Others such as drivers, PR and marketing, catering, merchandising and sticker applicators are deemed non-performance and not subject to the cap.
The grey area exists with team principals and team owners, who until now have only been deemed performance personnel if ruled so by Supercars.
Differing team structures and the varying backgrounds of team owners meant the line between performance and non-performance was far from clear.
Some teams have been accused of gaining extra trackside brainpower by nominating an engineer as a non-performance team principal.
It also created the situation where many team principals could not attend authorised representative meetings at events.
Supercars recently flagged a plan to classify all team principals as performance personnel, which left team owners as a subjective call.
There remained doubt as to whether teams would continue to skirt the intention of the rules by further shuffling job titles.
Following discussion at a Commission meeting earlier this month, the category has moved to implement a revised system.
“At Supercars sole determination, each team will have one team owner and/or team principal and/or anyone fulfilling an equivalent role under a different title, who has the authority to influence the sporting and/or technical performance of the team and/or its car/s excluded as Performance Personnel,” read a proposed rule update.
“At the commencement of the season, Supercars will publish a list of individuals that are excluded from the Performance Personnel list.
“This individual will not be replaced in the circumstance that individual does not attend the event.”
Limit numbers are likely to be unchanged, with two-car teams allowed 13 performance staff for Sprint Cup events, 15 for the Enduro Cup and 14 for Finals.
Single-car teams numbers are allowed nine, 11 and 10 performance personnel at the event types respectively.
Supercars will also tighten rules around ‘work experience’ personnel performing supervised performance tasks.
All performance personnel will now be required to wear a Supercars-issued armband declaring their status.
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