No Favouritism at HRT

They are great mates away from the race track, but James Courtney and his new Holden Racing Team boss Adrian Burgess have declared that means nothing at the race track.

Burgess this week attends the Clipsal 500 in his new role as managing director of Walkinshaw Racing, which he was controversially recruited from Triple Eight Race Engineering to perform.

At the same time Courtney starts his new three-year contract alongside teammate Garth Tander at HRT.

The last time they worked together was at Dick Johnson Racing in 2010 when Burgess, as sporting director, led Courtney’s successful attack on the V8 Supercars Drivers’ Championship.

But their friendship goes back to 2002 when Courtney was racing in British Formula Three for Carlin Motorsport, where Burgess was a race engineer.

“I can see how people could say it, but no way has all the attention turned towards me,” Courtney told v8supercars.com.au.

“As much as Adrian is a mate, he is a hard bastard at the racetrack. If I do something wrong he will let me know and I am sure he will do the same to Garth. 

“When we roll in to the track and work starts we are not mates any more. I work for him and I think that is why we have kept such a strong relationship over the years because we have kept that difference in it.” 

It was Courtney who encouraged Burgess to shift to Australia and take on the DJR role in 2006 when he tired of the grind of Formula One Grand Prix racing.

And there’s no doubting Courtney’s delight when team owner Ryan Walkinshaw recruited Burgess last year to replace Steve Hallam.

There’s also no doubt Tander, his protégé and series rookie Nick Percat and Tim Slade, who tales over the Supercheap Auto Commodore from Russell Ingall, will be conscious of Courtney gaining any advantages.

But Burgess for his part is flipping the expectation back on his drivers.

“There will be no favouritism at HRT,” Burgess declared. “Yes James and I are friends, but that means nothing in the context of this operation. He and Garth will get equal machinery, equal treatment and equal support and may the best man win.

“The same applies to Tim Slade and even Nick Percat. They will get equal machinery with the HRT boys and they will be expected to be just as competitive – especially Tim. Don’t forget he finished fifth in the Championship a couple of years ago and his real speed and talent. He will get his chance to shine and it’s up to him to take it.

“Nick’s in his rookie year but he’s shown as recently as Sydney Olympic Park last year when he subbed for James that he has what it takes. He’ll have rookie issues but he will run up front at times too.”

Perceived bias and favouritism is nothing new in motor racing, particuarly in the big teams. In V8 Supercars, Ford Performance Racing is sometimes nicknamed ‘Frosty Performance Racing’, a reference to the team’s long-time lead driver Mark ‘Frosty’ Winterbottom. Similarly fans have cried out Champion Jamie Whincup is given an advantage over ever-popular teammate Craig Lowndes; Whincup declared his last Championship his most important victory because there was no doubt everyone started the year with the same equipment. 

For Tander it is a particularly interesting time, as up until Courtney arrived in 2011 he had mostly dominated his teammates at HRT and the HSVDT before that. His negotiations for a new contract with HRT will be a potentially complicating factor in all this too.

“Garth is an important part of his team and we would like him to race for us beyond this year,” said Burgess.