PODCAST: Tickford for GM homologation team?

Supercars reporting doyen, Mark Fogarty, has called on GM hierarchy to replace the defecting Triple Eight with Tickford Racing.

Foges made the call during a round table discussion where he was one of the journalists dissecting the Supercars news of the week in the Race for the Championship Podcast, brought to you by VACC Automotive Apprenticeships and Supercars Travel.

General Motors was left in a spin in late January when Triple Eight announced it was defecting to Ford for 2026 and beyond, leaving the Bowtie without a team to head up its homologation program.

While the likes of Fogarty have made the call for GM to poach a team from the Blue Oval side of the fence, GM Australia and New Zealand head honcho, Jess Bala, has reportedly indicated that it will recruit from within, meaning the homologation team will come from an existing Camaro outfit.

This means the suitors are Brad Jones Racing, Team 18, PremiAir, Matt Stone Racing and Erebus Motorsport.

GM Hierarchy has indicated that a decision is likely to be made within the next few weeks, which places the possible announcement around the Supercars appearance at the Australian Grand Prix.

Further fall out from the Triple Eight defection leaves trice Supercars Champion and seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner, Craig Lowndes’ future up in the air.

Lowndes, who is retired from full-time Supercars but is still a handy endurance co-driver, is out of contract with Triple Eight after this season and has personal ties with GM, which has caused speculation as to whether he will continue to race in the enduros with Triple Eight, or if he will race for another Camaro team.

Indeed some pitlane gossips think there is a real possibility that the 50-year-old could hang up his Supercar helmet all together.

However, Race for the Championship’s information suggests that is highly unlikely. Being arguably still to this day the sport’s most recognisable driver, Lowndes is too valuable to simply disappear.

Sure, he could take on a greater television role or some sort of ambassador’s position, but most believe as long as he is competitive he will continue to drive in Australia’s greatest race.

It really comes down to whether he continues to race for GM, which he has personal contractual arrangements with, or if he jumps the fence to Ford, or indeed even Toyota. After all he has crossed the manufacturer chasm on a few occasions already during his career.

In other news this week, Supercars Driving Standards Observer, Craig Baird, has reiterated that the Supercars on-track rules of engagement have not changed.

Tickford’s Cam Waters was not penalised at last week’s Sydney 500 for spinning Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney after the former redressed the situation and handed the position back to the Triple Eight pilot.

The redress did allow third placed Will Brown, and Feeney’s team mate, to join the battle which resulted in a little push-and-shove allowing Waters to maintain second. He then passed Feeney at the line for the win in one of the closest finishes in Australian Touring Car history.

Baird has stated that 2025 is not going to be open slather with drivers able to purposely punt each other off the track.

Foges and round table colleague Allan Edwards believe future races will be closely watched by some fans who believe the officialdom has been too heavy handed on some ‘rubbing’ incidents in the past.

There is no question that the standard for 2025 was set at Sydney Motor Sport Park and everyone is now just hoping for consistency and looking forward to some awesome racing. As they say ‘rubbing is racing’.

Also, in this week’s Podacst, during an informative interview, reigning Bathurst Champion Todd Hazelwood discusses his move of following fellow Bathurst star Brodie Kostecki from Erebus Motorsport to Dick Johnson Racing, and his desire to repeat the feeling created by standing on the top step of the podium at Mount Panorama.