Warbuton sees tight Supercars series

With the Supercars championship just a week away from kicking off at Adelaide’s Clipsal 500, chief executive James Warbuton is a happy man.

He has an exciting field of drivers.

Shane van Gisbergen brings the total of champions in the field to seven, while Simona de Silvestro will be blazing a trail for women in motorsport and Alex Zullo eager to impress as the sport’s youngest full-time driver.

There’s a new season-ending race in Newcastle and a new high-profile ambassador in Delta Goodrem.

But if there’s one thing that could be keeping him up at night, it’s the monstrous team at the front of pit lane.

The newly-merged Red Bull Holden Racing Team brings together Triple Eight’s unparalleled success with factory backing.

In van Gisbergen, six-time champ Jamie Whincup and evergreen veteran Craig Lowndes, the team has a ferocious pack of champions, and marketable ones at that.

The Triple Eight pair of van Gisbergen and Whincup won 13 of the last 17 races in 2016 en route to a record margin of victory in the teams’ championship.

So can anyone stop them in 2017?

Warbuton thinks so.

“The key is everyone has the same opportunity but a lot of teams are going to have to lift their game” he told AAP.

“There’s a thousand things (Red Bull) does better over the course of a race weekend.

“There’s no easy solution in terms of getting high performance (from other teams) although there have been a few driver moves which will be good.

“Remember that last year, we had 11 different winners. Our absolute ambition is to have the most winners that we can.

“We want to see drivers fighting all the way to the wire for the title. Last season was a great case in point. We had such a diverse group of winners then Red Bull ran away with it.

“I’ve got a feeling it will be close, it will be a close one again. We’ve got enough competitive nature in all those teams.”

Away from the track, Warburton sees a healthy sport that will be bolstered by new initiatives – including Goodrem.

“The product is incredible and it’s about growth,” he says.

“We’ve taken it from the best secret (in Australian sport) that’s worst told, to making it mainstream.

“People like Delta help build the awareness curve which is our weakness – one week you’re racing and the next you have a two week gap.

“She will perform at a couple of meets and at Bathurst on the grid. It’s a key moment and will help us make another big move on the mainstream of Australian sport.”

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!