![\"Tander](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Mark-Skaife-Garth-Tander.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJess Yates, Mark Skaife and Garth Tander on the broadcast in 2025. Image: InSyde Media <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJess Yates, Mark Skaife and Garth Tander on the broadcast in 2025. Image: InSyde Media <\/p>\n
Tander was a star addition to the commentary box this year, elevated into an expert comments role after a five-year apprenticeship in pit lane.<\/p>\n
The 2007 Supercars champion called time on his co-driving career to take up the opportunity, signing off with a sixth Bathurst 1000 victory last October.<\/p>\n
Tander stepped into the coveted commentary position in place of Skaife, who was shuffled out along with former voice of the sport Neil Crompton.<\/p>\n
The 49-year-old Tander spoke candidly about the saga during an appearance on the Lucky Dogs Podcast with Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThat was a challenging period for everyone involved, absolutely. I\u2019ve spoken to Neil quite a bit. I haven\u2019t caught up with Mark,\u201d Tander revealed.<\/p>\n \u201cI get it because it probably wasn\u2019t handled as well as it could have been handled at the end for those guys. Those guys were the voices of Supercars for a long time\u2026<\/p>\n Buy tickets to the 2026 betr Darwin Triple Crown. Click here <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult because you feel like you\u2019re stepping into their chair, but I didn\u2019t go into Supercars and say, \u2018hey, give me their job, I want it\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve given me this opportunity. So it\u2019s a little bit awkward\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the apparent frostiness, Tander declared it an honour to follow in the footsteps of his former Holden Racing Team stablemate.<\/p>\n Tander and Skaife were teammates and co-drivers at HRT. Image: Glenis Lindley \/ Speedcafe Archive<\/p>\n \u201cI got to be Mark\u2019s teammate. I got to race against him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI got to work with him in the broadcast and now I\u2019m effectively doing Mark\u2019s role as the expert in the commentary box.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a real honour to be this close to him, because he\u2019s a Hall of Famer, a six-time Bathurst winner.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s won the championship so many times. His record stands for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n The wholesale change in the commentary team means Tander has been thrust into the expert role alongside a rotation of lead callers.<\/p>\n Chad Neylon, Richard Craill and Matt Naulty are each being given two events before one is selected for full-time duties following Darwin<\/a>.<\/p>\n James Courtney and Mark Winterbottom have also cycled through as a second expert voice across the longer races.<\/p>\n Tander said that \u201cchange is scary\u201d for fans, but believes the much-discussed shake-up needed to result in the broadcasts having a new sound.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Skaife-Tander-Bathurst-2008.jpg\")
<\/p>\n