Supercars appoints new head of motorsport

Adrian Burgess

Supercars has appointed Adrian Burgess to oversee the future technical and sporting direction of the category.

The Englishman will badume a Head of Motorsport role taking over the Sporting and Technical director position held by David Stuart, who is set to join the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport next year.

Burgess joins Supercars from Tekno Autosports where he has been acting as team principal this season.

The experienced mechanic, engineer and team principal has a wealth of knowledge in Supercars having worked for Dick Johnson Racing (2006-2010), Triple Eight (2011-2013) and Walkinshaw Racing (2014-2017) before joining Tekno.

Prior to moving to Australia, Burgess worked for McLaren in Formula 1 where he enjoyed title success with Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen.

“After spending more than 33 years working in race teams around the world, I feel it is the right time for me to move from poacher to game keeper,” said Burgess.

“The VASC series is the strongest, most competitive, and delivers the best racing of any of the Championships I have had the pleasure of working in.

“I look forward to helping guide its pathway into the future with the help of the Commission, senior management, all the staff at Supercars and our fantastic group of team owners.”

Supercars conducted a worldwide search for Stuart’s successor which saw CEO Sean Seamer fly to the US to interview candidates before selecting Burgess.

The Brit’s knowledge of Supercars is hoped to provide a smooth transition for the category.

“We received expressions of interest and applications from a number of extremely experienced people from a variety of major international categories,” said Seamer.

“The calibre of candidates illustrates the regard in which our category is held worldwide.

“Adrian has that level of experience but also a deep knowledge of our sport technically and operationally. He will transition into this role seamlessly to lead the motorsport group.”

Under the direction of the Supercars Commission, Seamer and Chief Operating Officer Shane Howard, Burgess will oversee the future technical and sporting direction of the sport.

The Commission is in the preliminary stages of exploring hybridisation, power trains and defining the next generation Supercar from 2021.

Outgoing technical director Stuart will remain in the position until the end of the season to finalise the entry of the Ford Mustang for 2019.

A transition and starting date for Burgess is being finalised.