Craill was selected by Supercars as its full-time play-by-play caller starting with this weekend’s NTI Townsville 500.
The South Australian had excelled during an early-season rotation of the role earlier this year following the axing of Neil Crompton.
Craill is well-known to motorsport fans due to decades of work across various classes and is synonymous with both the SpeedSeries and Porsche racing.
Supercars, however, does not want its main man calling supports or appearing on the SpeedSeries platform, requiring him to relinquish those roles.
Craill has attended all but a handful of SpeedSeries events since its inception in 2006 and will still appear at its upcoming rounds, helping out in an off-air capacity.
The popular figure has moved on from commentary duties with the blessing of SpeedSeries and Porsche Australia management.
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“With Richard’s appointment as the lead commentator for Supercars, unfortunately it means he will no longer be able to have an on-air role at Shannons SpeedSeries events moving forward,” SRO Motorsports boss Ben McMellan confirmed to Speedcafe.
“Richard has been the voice of GT racing in Australia and the Shannons SpeedSeries for many years, making a remarkable contribution through its various iterations over the past two decades.
“While Richard’s departure is a significant loss for the Shannons SpeedSeries, it is also an exciting opportunity for him and a well-deserved recognition of his talent.
“On behalf of everyone involved with the Shannons SpeedSeries, I would like to thank Richard for his loyal service over the years and wish him every success in this exciting new chapter with Supercars.”
Craill has meanwhile been the voice of Porsche racing in Australia since 2008, both for Carrera Cup Australia and its second-tier Sprint Challenge.
“Rich has been part of the Porsche family for almost 20 years, calling over 560 races,” Porsche motorsport manager Craig Nayda told Speedcafe.
“His voice is synonymous with Porsche racing both here and around the world. His passion for Porsche brand is genuine; he loves the cars and the racing.
“Whilst we’re disappointed to lose him, we couldn’t be happier for Rich to be offered this opportunity and graduate from the Porsche pyramid to make the next step in his career.
“We’re proud to be part of Rich’s story, and I think I speak on behalf of our customers when I say we’re all very supportive of him as he embarks on this next chapter of his life.
“Whilst he’ll no longer reside in our paddock, I’m pretty sure he won’t be a stranger making regular use of the on-track Porsche hospitality.”
Although no longer with on-air duties, Craill retains his motorsport media consultant role with the Porsche marque.
Supercars will meanwhile continue to deploy Craill on the broadcast for the Bathurst 12 Hour, which is an event it owns and runs.
The SpeedSeries is set to confirm its revised commentary line-up in the lead-up to its next round at Hidden Valley on July 24-26.
Porsche’s Sprint Challenge is on the Townsville support card with Chad Neylon, who missed out on the Supercars position, leading the call.
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