GM signing Grant McPherson returned to the Supercars paddock
McPherson joins GM after four years as Penrite Racing tech boss
Anton De Pasquale qualified for the Finals at The Bend
The 2026 Ryco Enduro Cup opener was a key weekend for General Motors, which welcomed Grant McPherson back to the Supercars paddock.
Nicknamed ‘Shippy’, McPherson was trackside at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend, which was ultimately dominated by Toyota.
It was McPherson’s first trackside appearance since March’s Grand Prix in Melbourne, which preceded the confirmation he would step away from his Penrite Racing Technical Director role.
McPherson has been the paddock for nearly 20 years, starting as Data and Design Engineer with Ford Performance Racing (now Tickford Racing) before rising to the Race Engineer role.
He then made a highly publicised move to Triple Eight, before joining Walkinshaw Andretti United as Head of Performance. At the end of 2022, he joined Grove Racing as Technical Director.
After a six month absence, McPherson returned to the paddock at The Bend, where he spent time with GM squads Team 18, Matt Stone Racing, PremiAir Racing and Erebus Motorsport.
McPherson notably reunited with PremiAir Racing Team Principal Roland Dane, who was the engineer’s boss at Triple Eight between 2015 and 2020.
As GM Motorsports Supercars Racing Technical Manager, McPherson is set to play a key role in moving all Camaro teams towards the front of the field.
While all teams have their own technical staff, McPherson will be key in facilitating collaboration and ensuring all GM teams are competitive.
Through 10 rounds in 2026, the only GM team with silverware is homologation squad Team 18. However, Jack Le Brocq and Jayden Ojeda could yet make it three Camaros in the 2026 Finals.
McPherson was a keen observer of debriefs with GM drivers and engineers after sessions.
He was also thrown into the deep end as Ford and GM teams wrangled over parity debates at The Bend.
Regardless, GM Motorsports Supercars Racing Program Manager Simon McNamara labelled McPherson’s first event in the ’Team Chevy’ alliance as a "very positive addition."
"The collaboration, information sharing and communication across the group continues to grow, and Grant McPherson's first event with the program was a very positive addition,” McNamara said.
"There is still plenty of work to do, particularly in converting one-lap and short-run speed into consistent race-day performance.
"But the signs are good, and the direction is right."
Track action at Bathurst commences on Friday October 8.
