{"id":832814,"date":"2026-07-30T05:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T05:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/832814\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T05:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T05:47:14","slug":"supercars-news-grm-return-to-close-loop-on-ugly-bathurst-1000-ransom-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/832814\/","title":{"rendered":"Supercars news: GRM return to close loop on ugly Bathurst 1000 \u2018ransom\u2019 case"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"GRM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGRM’s wildcard entry in the 2020 Bathurst 1000. Image: GRM<\/p>\n

Garry Rogers Motorsport is returning to Supercars to run a wildcard led by Trans Am star Herne, six years after the Lismore young gun was controversially denied a start in a similar GRM program.<\/p>\n

The now late team boss Garry Rogers nominated a then 18-year-old Herne to share a wildcard entry with Tyler Everingham in the 2020 Bathurst 1000.<\/p>\n

Herne had at that point not achieved the required points to hold a Motorsport Australia Superlicence under a system that was heavily weighted towards results in the Super2 category.<\/p>\n

GRM\u2019s application for a dispensation was denied by Motorsport Australia which, in consultation with Supercars, argued its position on safety grounds.<\/p>\n

Notably, a then 17-year-old Broc Feeney was also short of the Superlicence points required to make his Bathurst debut that year, but was granted dispensation due to his Super2 and Super3 experience.<\/p>\n

Rogers pressed on with including Herne in GRM\u2019s two-day wildcard test at Winton, providing data and testimony in support of the driver while arguing a Winton test had always been how he\u2019d selected his pilots.<\/p>\n

A determined Rogers lodged his case to the Australian Motorsport Appeals Court \u2013 a move he withdrew just prior to the scheduled hearing a week out from the event, subbing in Super2 rookie Jayden Ojeda.<\/p>\n

Rogers later alleged he\u2019d been told by Supercars that his previously approved wildcard would be withdrawn unless he dropped the case \u2013 a situation he described as being \u201cheld to ransom\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018Holy shit\u2019: Herne reacts to long-awaited Bathurst 1000 chance<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

MA\u2019s controversial Superlicence system was scrapped in 2023. Supercars for a period mandated Super2 experience, before opening up its prerequisites to include Super3 and Carrera Cup achievements.<\/p>\n

That changed again when the MA Superlicence returned in 2024, utilising a revised points structure that still places Super2 at the top of the tree, but does not specifically require certain categories.<\/p>\n

Herne now has enough points for a Superlicence due to his Trans Am exploits, which have included winning two Australian titles, but he\u2019s repeatedly been overlooked for a co-drive by the established teams.<\/p>\n

Barry Rogers told Speedcafe the primary reason for GRM\u2019s return to Bathurst is to honour Garry, who died last October, including fulfilling his desire to get Herne to the Great Race.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe first saw Nathan racing in Formula Ford when he was 14 or 15. Garry saw something in him from the very start,\u201d Barry reflected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a bloody good family. They were great to have around when Nathan was part of our team here.<\/p>\n

\u201cNathan isn\u2019t as polished and shiny as some of the drivers out there, but he\u2019s hands-on, gets down on the ground and works on his car.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some way he probably reminded Garry of himself, just into it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cGarry felt, not that we let Nathan down in 2020\u2026 but giving him all that hope he was going to get there when in reality it wasn\u2019t going to happen, he felt that we did let him down in some way.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was determined to get him there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Herne Superlicence saga appeared deeply political.<\/p>\n

It occurred a year after GRM had shut its full-time Supercars team and ploughed its efforts into the Australian Racing Group of categories.<\/p>\n

Herne was meanwhile racing in the AASA-sanctioned TA2 class.<\/p>\n

The scenario also highlighted an issue that is still very relevant today; the Super2 category is simply too expensive for many young drivers to enter.<\/p>\n

GRM returns to Supercars with Bathurst 1000 wildcard<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt the preferred pathway is Super2,\u201d said Rogers, whose team won the Super2 title in 2018 with Chris Pither.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some families and sponsors that can get budgets together to go that way but not everyone can manage that.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Herne] pounded away in Trans Am with us and then in the last couple of years with his own team.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could say if he hadn\u2019t done all those years in Trans Am, he could have done a season of Super2.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut sometimes you can\u2019t get all the money together in one year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a credit to him. He\u2019s an old-school kid who\u2019s learnt to drive in a paddock and has just got that feel for a race car.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be a completely new environment for him. It\u2019s different running around Bathurst in a Supercar than a Trans Am.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability to drive is obviously a constant. Managing the tyre, pit stops\u2026 he\u2019s got a lot to learn, but we\u2019re very confident he\u2019ll do a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herne\u2019s belated debut will continue GRM\u2019s incredible legacy of giving young talent their big chance in Supercars.<\/p>\n

Those to move through the GRM system included Steven Richards, Jason Bargwanna, Garth Tander, Jamie Whincup, Lee Holdsworth, Scott McLaughlin and James Golding.<\/p>\n

Herne will be joined in the 2026 Bathurst entry by GRM favourite James Moffat, who attended the 2020 Winton wildcard test to help tutor the then raw talent, and now races against him in Trans Am.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GRM’s wildcard entry in the 2020 Bathurst 1000. Image: GRM Garry Rogers Motorsport is returning to Supercars to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":832815,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[140662,43,168766,27558,44,12357,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-832814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-garry-rogers-motorsport","tag-headlines","tag-james-moffat","tag-nathan-herne","tag-news","tag-slot1","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/832815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}