Pither scrambling for Supercars drive
‘ I hoped it would have all come together again, but you’ve got to keep hunting and pushing and hopefully I can stay in the series fulltime.’ CHRIS PITHER
SUPER Black Racing driver Chris Pither is stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to secure a Supercars drive next year.
The future of the only New Zealand-owned team in the category is further in doubt with news that their customer spot inside Prodrive Racing Australia has been given to the new Jason Bright-owned team.
It leaves the outfit without a car, their founding team manager Greg Hahn is moving on, while there are also doubts about their finances and Racing Entitlement Contract, which they need to be on the grid.
For Pither, his loyalty is being tested as he doesn’t know if SBR will race next year, or if he needs to go after one of the few remaining seats available elsewhere.
‘‘I guess it’s all up in the air at the moment,’’ Pither said.
‘‘These are pretty nervous times and it’s definitely disappointing for Greg to be moving on.
‘‘He’s been a great asset for the team and has been there from the start.
‘‘I’m not sure where it’s all heading at this point, all I know is GETTY IMAGES we’ve got one more round to go, in Sydney, and I want to go there and give it 100 per cent, to try to finish the year on a high.
‘‘But with the media suggesting that Jason Bright is potentially going to PRA to fill that fourth spot, means that Super Black Racing obviously won’t be there.
‘‘That’s disappointing for me. I’ll have to look at other options, I really want to stay in the championship, driving fulltime and there aren’t that many more seats available, being so late.
‘‘I hoped it would have all come together again, but you’ve got to keep hunting and pushing and hopefully I can stay in the series fulltime.’’
It was confirmed last week that Dale Wood will drive for Erebus GETTY IMAGES next season and there only a few seats left up for grabs, so Pither doesn’t know whether to take one if offered it, or hope things get sorted at SBR.
‘‘I’m putting the feelers out there to try and find something,’’ Pither said.
‘‘I need to know what’s available.
‘‘First option is to continue with Super Black, but if that’s not going to happen, I need to see what’s available and hopefully I can get something together for next year.’’
New Zealand motor racing great Greg Murphy says it would be a shame if the team disappeared, but feels they lost their direction after the death in July of their founder, Tony Lentino.
‘‘The fact that we don’t have Tony Lentino here anymore means part of that drive isn’t what it was,’’ Murphy said.
‘‘It’s changed the whole operation significantly and also what its goals were.
‘‘If it’s not around it will be a shame to have lost it so early, but this sport costs a lot of money and if the funding’s not there, then what’s the point?
‘‘You need a certain amount of money to make it work and you need to be in the right place.
It’s an interesting one that’s yet to play out fully, but the concept was amazing. The ideas behind it and what it was hoping to achieve was special and if it doesn’t continue it will be a shame.’’