Behind Tander's new broadcast role
With an eye on the future, Garth Tander will be a key addition to the Supercars broadcast team in 2021.
The 2007 series champion has joined a star-studded line-up, with the full broadcast team across Fox Sports and Seven announced on Friday.
It was confirmed that Jess Yates, Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife will again skipper the broadcast.
Tander, who won last year's Bathurst 1000, will join Crompton and Skaife on a rotating commentary roster for the 2021 season.
He will enjoy stints in commentary for the main game, and will also work as pit reporter at select events.
The 56-time race winner will also call support races with Chad Neylon.
"At appropriate and scheduled events, Garth will get some seat time in the main commentary role," Supercars Head of Television Nathan Prendergast said
"We're going to do a little bit of a scheduled thing like the cricket, where we might remove [Skaife] for a little time and put Garth in, to give him a bit of a run in the main commentary role.
"No one is in a hurry to push [Crompton or Skaife] out of their roles.
"But we need to be looking at what's next, at what the future looks like.
"I've always rated Garth. He's very intelligent, a really good talker and is well-credentialed.
"The aim for this year with Garth is two-fold. He needs to learn the ropes and gain the respect of the teams."
It was also confirmed that Craig Lowndes, who completes the Triple Eight co-driving ranks, will be revised to deliver unique track previews and colour pieces away from the broadcast panel.
Mark Larkham, who will return to the team in 2021, will have his esteemed technical and sporting analysis used across broadcast and digital platforms.
Tander is no stranger to broadcasting, having previously commentated on support categories and the Bathurst 12 Hour.
He brings a fresh outlook on the sport; he combined with Shane van Gisbergen to win the Great Race last year, marking Tander's fourth Bathurst victory.
He will return to the Red Bull Ampol Racing fold in 2021, but Prendergast was adamant Tander's Triple Eight duties won't affect his broadcast commitments.
"There's no hiding behind the fact that he's a Triple Eight driver, and there will be a lot of people that may raise some concerns about that," Prendergast explained.
"But Garth is a true professional. He's an extremely talented presenter and driver, and he'll bring a lot to this coverage.
"Giving Garth a touch point on all different aspects of the broadcast; commentary, pit lane, colour stories, pre- and post-produced, we'll find out his capabilities.
"It's an opportunity to grow for the future."
The new-look broadcast team will make its debut at the Repco Mt Panorama 500. Tickets are on sale now.
