Garry Rogers Motorsport is regarded as an Australian motorsport institution known for providing opportunities to young drivers and Repco was a part of this journey more than 20 years ago.
The roll call of drivers to come through GRM’s doors include Steven Richards, Jason Bright, Jason Bargwanna, Garth Tander, Cameron McConville, Dean Canto, Lee Holdsworth, Michael Caruso, James Golding and many more.
Although the team have been away from the Supercars scene since a one-off Wildcard entry in 2020, back when Repco was involved it was on the verge of a breakthrough season.
Repco sponsored GRM through until the end of the 2006 season when drivers such as Tander, Bargwanna, Whincup, McConville, Andrew Jones, Canto and Holdsworth represented the team.
Entering as a privateer entry in 1996 for Richards in an ex-Gibson Motorsport Holden VR Commodore with backing from Valvoline and Cummins. Becoming a leader in the Privateer Class, Richards impressed and the next year was on the podium at Bathurst alongside father Jim.
However, the teams most successful period was at the turn of the millennium when Jason Bargwanna and Garth Tander were behind the wheel.
Building it own VT Commodores, GRM became a consistent frontrunner alongside the likes of the Holden Racing Team, Ford Credit Racing, Stone Brothers Racing, Castrol Perkins Racing, Gibson Motorsport and many more at a time when V8 Supercar racing was growing significantly.
At the start of 2000, Repco began its support of GRM and it proved the right season to do so as Tander was in title contention right through the year, while the team reached the top of the Mountain by winning Bathurst.
After the heights of 2000 behind it, GRM was expected to be a force with Tander and Bargwanna in 2001, but this wasn’t the case.
Tander endured a tough season, finishing a best of second in Canberra to place 10th, while Bargwanna was back in 15th.
There was a round victory on the Gold Coast – the first to be a championship event – by Bargwanna and combined with Tander to finish third in the Queensland 500. However, Bargwanna elected to join Mark Larkham’s Orrcon Racing Ford squad for 2003 ending a long tenure at GRM.
The departure of Bargwanna opened the door for the reigning Australian Formula Ford Championship winner to make the massive jump into V8 Supercar competition. History shows Whincup experienced a tough debut season in the top-tier and was dropped for 2004.
Tander was thrust into the role of mentor alongside Whincup, as he finished with two thirds and 12th in the standings.
In a rare move by team owner Garry Rogers, he replaced youth with experience as Cameron McConville replaced the future seven-time Supercars champion and in his first season took a stunning win at Winton.
Tander was 11th in his final season at GRM, moving to the HSV Dealer Team for 2005 where he’d win the title just two years later. Going back to youth, Rogers selected reigning Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series winner Andrew Jones, but just like Whincup he struggled to be replaced by Canto after Bathurst.
McConville was 10th before moving onto Paul Weel Racing in 2006 paving the way for GRM to implement its youth policy by teaming Canto up with Holdsworth.
Although it was a mixed season, Canto still managed to take a win at Perth in controversial circumstances and Holdsworth was on the podium leading to good momentum into the future.
Repco ended its partnership after this season, but re-entered Supercars in a big way for 2020 when it took on the naming rights for both the championship and the marquee Bathurst 1000 event alongside support of the Shell V-Power Racing Team.