Supercars, the Australian motor racing series, is on the lookout for a new chief executive once again after announcing James Warburton has stepped down after less than a year in the role.
In an announcement today, Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises (RACE) described the departure as a “mutual agreement … considered to be in the best interests of Supercars as the organization enters its next phase.”
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RACE chair, Barclay Nettlefold, has assumed interim executive oversight of the business effective immediately, with the executive leadership reporting directly to him while a formal recruitment process for a permanent chief executive is launched.
Nettleford said: "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.
"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."
Warburton returned to Supercars last April, having previously held the CEO position from 2013 to 2017. He replaced Shane Howard, who moved into a new role as director of motorsport.
Between his first and second stints leading the series, he served as chief executive of Australian commercial broadcast heavyweight Seven West Media between 2019 and 2024.
Upon returning to Supercars, he was tasked with reinvigorating the sport and taking it to the next generation.
He led a shake-up, headlined by an overhaul of the broadcast team, which included moving on long-time commentators Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife.
Warburton said: "Supercars is a strong organization with committed staff, passionate teams and partners, and significant opportunity ahead. 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."
It has been reported that a clash between Warburton and the Supercars board over the direction of the sport is what led to his swift exit, with Supercars co-driver and podcaster Scott Pye claiming Warburton had disrupted the “old boys’ club.”
In a video shared on his Apex Hunters’ United social media account, Pye said: “Right now, I don’t see any positives in this. I don’t think Warbo was part of the old boys’ club. I think he was trying to disrupt it, and I think that’s created the problem we are seeing.
“I do hope whatever RACE does next, they select an independent CEO going forward and actually empower them and allow them to make decisions, hopefully for the betterment of the sport.
“We’ll see what RACE do from here …. I think if we go backwards and select anyone with a pre-existing relationship to the old boys’ club, then we’re going to be in trouble. Because we have seen the sport has not made enough progress in the past 20 years, so something has got to change.”
The move comes at a critical time for Supercars, which is just a week from the start of Supercars’ first New Zealand double-header in Taupo and Christchurch after a five-week break.
The series is currently exploring a potential wildcard entry for a major star in motor racing’s elite Formula 1 championship and is on the verge of starting negotiations for its next cycle of media and commercial rights.
