Courtney not afraid to stir the pot in new career chapter

Having been on the driver’s side for countless interviews over 20 years, James Courtney is relishing being on the other side of the microphone.

The 2010 Supercars champion has been a popular addition to the Supercars broadcast in 2026, bringing a fresh outlook to the action and reaction of racing.

Between 2006 and 2025, Courtney left nothing on the table in what proved to be a decorated career. In that time, there were plenty of fun chats, alongside tough interviews.

Now retired, Courtney has been charged with bringing emotion and stories out of his contemporaries, something that has sent him back in time.

“It's very different being on the other side. As a driver, you don't have to think, you're just answering,” Courtney told Supercars.com.

"I've enjoyed it, because you learn when you've got an opinion, you want to talk about. It's good to be able to be on the other end and squeeze the information out of the boys.

"I’ve become a race fan again. I spent the last 20 years hiding on the grid, not wanting to talk to anyone and trying to stay away from it all.

“But it's actually pretty cool out on the grid. There's good atmosphere. You can feel the energy. I’m loving it."

Sometimes, having strong opinions comes with a price. Notably, Courtney was questioned over his criticism of Will Brown’s performance midway through the Grand Prix, having quipped that the 2024 champion was “dragging Triple Eight back.”

However, Courtney backs his views, something which has added a new perspective to the broadcast.

“I had Will's dad come and chat, because they said I give him a hard time on the telecast,” Courtney recounted.

"I said, 'I like him. I think he's a nice bloke’. But we have a job to report on what we see, and at that point, Broc [Feeney] was giving him a bit of a towel-up and I thought he needed to step up a little.

“Sometimes it is hard like that, because you've got to speak and talk about what you're seeing, thinking and experiencing. You can't keep everyone happy all the time.

"But I'm not too bothered about upsetting people. I've done it my whole life and I'll continue to do it.”

The 15-time Supercars race winner is adamant he must be impartial, which allows him to approach the sport at all angles. However, he let his guard down once — but given the context, you can’t blame him.

Courtney was on the spot as the Blanchard Racing Team — who he raced for in 2024 and 2025 — broke through for an historic front row lockout and double podium in Sydney.

While he had a job to do, Courtney embraced his former teammates, proving there is camaraderie and value to relationships up and down pit lane in what is a viciously competitive sport.

"I was super excited for them and I'd felt firsthand how much of a struggle it's been for them,” Courtney said.

“I’ve been into JB [John Blanchard] and Tim [Blanchard] as to why they didn't do this two years earlier. That would've saved a lot of bloody heartache [laughs].

“I'm pretty conscious of not trying to show favouritism with anyone. But on that occasion, I think everyone in the pit lane was excited to see that result for those guys because how much effort, time and money they’ve put into the sport.”

The game has changed throughout the years, and Courtney has seen it all unfold. His desire to help bring the emotion and personality out of drivers is paying dividends, even if some are harder to crack than others.

“I come into it like a race fan. Your Matty Payne's or Brodie Kostecki's, you’re trying to drag the emotion out of them,” Courtney said.

"They’re all trying to be robots and act that it's it all cool, like they do this all the time and everything’s under control. But I know being on the other side, they're excited, but they're suppressing it.

"It’s been cool to drag that excitement out of them, which we have been. It was great to see how animated Matty was in New Zealand.

"It sort of annoys me that everyone's friends. I can't understand why everyone's friends. In my day, if I could punch Jamie [Whincup] in the face and not let anyone know, I probably would've had that swing.

"Whereas these guys are off having beers and [being] best men at each other's weddings. So that's foreign for me and something that I think is a little bit strange about our sport.

“When you do the pole award or you’re talking to the race winner, there are 23 other guys that are pissed off and really unhappy.

“It’s electric at the end, and it’s what we all want to see."

Curveballs come with any job, but Courtney has flourished. However, one chat had him sweating.

“I was most nervous with [Red Bull Formula 1 Team Principal] Laurent Mekies, interviewing him at the Grand Prix,” he laughed.

"I'm like, 'shit, what am I gonna ask this guy?' But no, it was really fun."

So, does Courtney miss racing?

Given the elbows-out nature of Supercars in 2026, and the bruising rivalries that it has produced, Courtney is loving being a fan. However, when he straps into David Reynolds' Camaro for the enduros, Courtney knows he'll have another job to do.

"I thought I would have, to be completely honest. Everyone's like, “are you missing it?’ I haven’t missed it one bit, which has surprised me more than anyone,” Courtney said.

“Racing has been my life for so long. But I’m so close to it all now with a backstage pass, so to speak. It’s funny being in garages and getting to live that life still, but without the stress or having to drive.

"But I'm sure in the next couple of months, as it sort of gets a bit closer to enduro time, I'll start to get a bit itchy and want to do some driving.”

Courtney returns to the Supercars broadcast in Tasmania on May 22-24.