Warburton steps down

In a shock announcement last week, Supercars parent company Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises Ltd (RACE) announced that James Warburton has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Supercars.

An official statement read: “The decision was reached by mutual agreement and was considered to be in the best interests of Supercars as the organisation enters its next phase.

“Barclay Nettlefold, Chair of RACE, has assumed interim executive oversight of the business. The executive leadership team will report directly to the Chair during the interim period to ensure continuity of operations and organisational stability. The Board will now commence a formal process to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer.”

Nettlefold – who was the founder and CEO of media company QMS, which specialises in outdoor advertising, and has just been sold to the Nine Entertainment group for a reported 850 million dollars – thanked Warburton for his contribution to Supercars.

 “James brought deep experience, energy and commitment to the role, and his return to the business was driven by a genuine belief in the sport and its future,” he said.

“We are grateful for the work he has done over the last year and wish him every success in his next endeavour. As a Board, we remain focused on maintaining momentum and execution as the organisation moves forward.”

It is believed Barclay and Warburton had butted heads on a number of recent decisions, including, but not limited to the recent shakeup of the television commentary team, which included the departure of long-time front man, five-time Supercars Champion Mark Skaife and fan favourite Neil Crompton.

Warburton, who had two stints as CEO of Supercars – the first from 2013 to 2017 and the second lasted less than a year from July last year until last week – wished the sport well for the future.

“Supercars is a strong organisation with committed staff, passionate teams and partners, and significant opportunity ahead,” he said.

“I’m proud of what the team has achieved and the momentum that we have built for the sport in a short period of time. I wish the RACE Board, our staff and the broader Supercars community every future success for this great sport.”

The change took effect immediately before the Championship headed to New Zealand for the Taupo and Ruapuna rounds of the Series. There was some talk that Nettefold may have been planning to take over the Supercars CEO role on a more permanent basis, but this has been shot down by the Barclay himself, who says a worldwide search has begun for a new person to head the growing sport.