WE have a plan.
Those are the four words that have been consistently uttered by GM Motorsports Supercars racing program manager Simon McNamara throughout the eternal spotlight shone on the post-Triple Eight Chevrolet era.
McNamara returned to the fold in May last year, having previously been a key figure at GM/Holden from 1998-2017.
His appointment formed part of the General’s fightback, at a time when there had been fears its presence would vanish from Supercars altogether.
It has since displayed its long-term commitment to the cause, including but not limited to efforts to bring Grove Racing star Matt Payne across in 2028.
The plan is more wide-reaching than one individual, though, with McNamara detailing the quest to elevate its contemporary crop of teams into powerhouse operations.
“We stay the course of what our business plan is and what our model is, and our model in no uncertain terms, in AFL language, is we’re in a rebuilding phase,” McNamara said of Chevrolet’s broader position.
“We’ve lost week in, week out consistent frontrunning teams and now we’re trying to build teams very strong to take up that position.
Pic: Supplied
“There’s a lot to do. There’s a lot been done already in one year that I’ve been back.
“We’ve sorted out Jeromy Moore to be extricated earlier, we’ve taken on Grant McPherson, we’ve linked back to North America heavily, we have an alliance amongst our teams that is open, transparent and honest and is working very well.
“We have done a lot of work in one year as opposed to people saying we’ve done nothing.
“And even so, on-track the results aren’t exactly what they used to be… but if anybody has got any understanding of the sport, you can see that there are positives each weekend.”
Anton De Pasquale now has two race wins on the year and is shaping up as a fully-fledged title contender.
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Beyond that, David Reynolds remains a force on his day, while Jayden Ojeda and Zach Bates are showing potential to become future stars. Erebus Motorsport is mired in a brutal slump but inevitably rises to the occasion come Bathurst 1000 time.
“Deep down there’s a lot of work to do and we’re doing it. We have got a plan and we have got a structure and we’re staying the course,” McNamara reiterated.
“Everyone has got an opinion for themselves. But we know what we’re doing, North America knows what we’re doing, everybody is aligned.
“We have got a process and a structure and we’re ticking it off as we go.”