Eric Warren, GM Motorsport’s executive director of competition, is at Albert Park this weekend, splitting time between Supercars and the new-for-2026 Cadillac F1 program.
Warren has met with GM’s Supercars squads as the US giant plots its future in the category beyond Triple Eight, which is set to switch to Ford next season.
It’s emerged in recent weeks that Triple Eight founder Dane, who stepped down from the team’s board at the end of 2024, is advising GM on its next moves.
That has infuriated Triple Eight’s current ownership group including Tony Quinn, who has accused Dane of “trying to steal” staff from the organisation.
Dane has made no secret of the fact he feels a loyalty towards GM, having leant on the company’s US boss Mark Reuss to approve use of the Camaro in Supercars from 2023.
Asked by Speedcafe of Dane’s current involvement, Warren said: “To be successful in this series, there’s multiple factors.
“You have to understand. Roland has obviously built a successful enterprise at Triple Eight, and understanding how to win in this series.
“It’s important in every series we’re in, we win. We care about winning. That’s why we’re in it.
“There’s a long history with Roland, so we will lean on him for advice and consulting as much as anything, and helping, whether it’s a homologation team, or helping all the teams together.
“We have different people that we trust, and whether it’s with the series, with the teams, or just knowing the business of the sport, all those elements are important.”
Dane is known to have advocated for PremiAir during GM’s search for a new homologation team in a move that is expected to be announced within the next week.
Whether Dane will have a direct role at PremiAir, which already contains several ex-Triple Eight staff members including tech whiz Ludo Lacroix, is currently unclear.
In addition to highlighting Dane’s involvement, Quinn recently claimed US GM chiefs were unimpressed by their Australian counterparts not doing more to retain the team for 2026.
Triple Eight began serious talks with Ford late last year after being left unsatisfied by back-and-forth discussions with local GM management about the future.
Warren affirmed he was only aware of Triple Eight’s defection “about 24 before they went on stage in Detroit” and announced the news.
“So it was fairly sudden for myself,” he continued, “but you know, we race with a lot of teams and partners, and some of it is just business.
“It’s unfortunate, we have a great relationship with Triple Eight, we’ve had a great history, but, we understand everybody has different visions.
“There’s different leadership, different history, different connections and so just it’s just how business works.”
Triple Eight informed all key partners and its drivers the day before the January 31 bombshell, which Jamie Whincup says took place to avoid the news leaking early.
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