After his recent exit from Garry Rogers Motorsport within the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship series, 28-year-old Kiwi racer Richie Stanaway has announced he’ll retire from the sport.
Stanaway made the unexpected announcement via social media, also stating in interviews that politics and a lack of opportunity were factors in his decision.
“After 23 years of strapping the helmet on, I feel like it’s time to finally call it a day,” wrote Stanaway. “I never would have predicted my racing career to be so short and it’s not a decision that I’ve taken lightly but it is what it is. I got further than I could have ever imagined I would and I can’t thank everyone enough that has been a part of the journey. Time to start a new chapter.”
Stanaway’s first full Supercars season was impaired by an uncompetitive package at Tickford Racing last year, achieving a best finish of ninth at Winton Motor Raceway. Unfortunately, his results this year were not much better, hindered further by a neck injury that sidelined him for seven races. He was eventually benched at the Gold Coast 600 due to a no-show at a drivers’ signing session.
“I sort of feel like I’ve had enough,” he said, speaking with Supercars.com. “It’s a combination of the last eight years, really, my whole career … I’ve just learnt the politics and the luck that’s required to really achieve what everyone wants to achieve; it just hasn’t really gone my way.
“I’ve already exceeded my wildest dreams … Being a full-time Supercars driver is a million miles ahead of what I ever dreamed I could have achieved.”