GRM ANNOUNCE SUPERCARS RETURN TO BATHURST 1000 WILDCARD

MEDIA RELEASE/Garry Rogers Motorsport – Photos: supplied

Garry Rogers Motorsport will join the Supercars Championship grid for the first time in six years, via a wildcard entry to the 2026 Bathurst 1000 with veteran James Moffat and debutant Nathan Herne.

The storied team competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars for over 30 years before leaving the series following the 2019 season. GRM’s last appearance on the Supercars grid was their wildcard entry to the 2020 Bathurst 1000, where Herne was controversially denied dispensation to compete.

Today’s announcement is made on the birthday of late team owner Garry Rogers, who held a great friendship with Moffat and a firm ambition to see Herne break into the Supercars field.

After plying his trade to overwhelming success in the last six years, Herne finally earns his Supercars debut at 23 years of age in what has become one of the most anticipated moments in the young driver market.

The two-time Trans Am Cup Series Champion will be joined in GRM’s wildcard program by Supercars veteran and Trans Am rival Moffat.

Moffat, who drove for GRM in Supercars from 2016-2017 and has 16 consecutive Bathurst 1000 starts, has become the pillar of the team’s racing program for the last half a decade. The partnership between driver and team culminated in Moffat winning the 2023 Trans Am title.

While Herne and Moffat are fierce competitors who sit first and second in this year’s Trans Am title race, with Herne driving for his own operation, the pair will unite to form what will surely be a formidable dark horse in this year’s Bathurst 1000.

GRM will field an ex-Triple Eight Chevrolet Camaro in The Great Race, which will strengthen the General Motors representation to 10-cars.

The return of GRM to the Supercars field also rekindles one of the longest running commercial partnerships in Australian sport, with Valvoline returning as a major backer of the program.

Dating back to 1988 Valvoline have famously and continuously adorned GRM cars in varying capacities over the years, including the now iconic Valvoline Holden Commodore VT which claimed the Bathurst 1000 victory in 2000, and the Team Valvoline Mustangs with which Herne and Moffat both won a Trans Am title.

Garry Rogers Motorsport is in action this weekend for round three of the 2026 Trans Am Series in Perth, ahead of a busy lead-in to the Bathurst 1000 from October 8-11.

Barry Rogers – Director, Garry Rogers Motorsport

“My motivation for wanting to return to Supercars and race at the 2026 Bathurst 1000 was in memory and out of respect for my dad, Garry Rogers. Those same feelings are shared by the GRM crew and our loyal sponsor group, led by Valvoline.

“I’m aware of the romantic side to GRM again racing in Supercars and in particular at Bathurst and although it’s important to embrace that feeling, this entry is to celebrate what Dad contributed to Motorsport and to thank him. Dad is missed enormously by our family and for the many past and present Garry Rogers Motorsport employees, sponsors, friends and motorsport fans, we are determined to put our very best foot forward in every aspect of this entry.

“Dad always supported young people, Nathan Herne won the 2022 Trans Am Series as a 19-year-old under the tutelage of Garry. To have him joined by James Moffat, who dad was tremendously fond of and also a GRM Trans Am Champion, is a very fitting lineup.

“I’d like to acknowledge Supercars and in particular Barclay Nettlefold, Shane Howard and Tim Edwards in assisting with the information required to have this entry approved and get GRM on the grid for this year’s Bathurst 1000.”

Nathan Herne

“Yeah, look it means a lot in a heap of different ways. We tried back in 2020 and weren’t successful at getting everything across the line, we ended up getting very close to the event back then, and that certainly hurt to come up short at the finish line. Coming back all these years later with GRM and with all the new experiences I’ve had in my career since that time, I’m absolutely a better driver and person for it and feel head and shoulders above where I was as a driver back then.

“I feel extremely prepared for this opportunity to come back with GRM and for the team to also make their return to Supercars for the first time since that program, it’s exciting stuff. To be doing it with Moff is a huge deal as well. He mentored me early on in my career and was one of the big catalysts behind me moving down to Melbourne in 2021 to work for GRM full time. I have a lot of time for Moff, he taught me a lot about racing, and we’ve had some good moments off the track too.

“Not only through him but I’ve got some really, really good people in my corner right about this time of my career and I’m just excited to get amongst the weekend and see what we can do come October.

“We know that being a single car team and a one-off event, that’s going to be pretty tough job to go there and do a good job of the event. But Bathurst does Bathurst things, it’s a track I’ve had a lot of success at in the past, so you never know. We’ll just put our best foot forward and see what it brings.

“In my experience between driving both cars there’s not a lot of differences between a Trans Am and a Gen3 Supercar. Although I guess I’ll probably find out if I’m wrong or not on that front come October. It’s going to be an interesting time!”

James Moffat
“To be heading back to Bathurst with GRM is going to be very special. I wasn’t sure if my streak of starts at Bathurst was going to end this year, so to be coming back once again and particularly with GRM is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

“I’m very much looking forward to lending my experience to the whole wildcard program and being able to help guide Nathan Herne through his first Bathurst 1000 start.

“I’ve known Nathan for a long time, done a lot of racing against him in Trans Am and there’s no doubt about his talent. For both of us, it should be a really natural connection given our history to partner up and form a great co-driver partnership.”

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