After a very disappointing race weekend at the Perth SuperSprint a week ago, the axe fell on the Team Principals head at Mobil 1 HSV team, with team owner Ryan Walkinshaw terminating Adrian Burgess' contract with immediate effect and appointing Mathew Nilsson as Acting General Manager of Motorsport while a search is undertaken for a permanent replacement.
“It has obviously been a difficult start to the year from a racing perspective, and I came to the conclusion that a fresh start was the way forward. We appreciate Adrian's focus and hard work over the last three years, and we wish him all the best in the future,” Walkinshaw said in a statement on the team's official website.
“The entire team will continue to work hard and are extremely passionate about achieving success. It is not in our nature to step back from the challenges that racing in such a competitive category presents us.”
Mathew, who is currently the Business Development Manager with Walkinshaw Racing, has extensive experience across numerous Supercar teams and organisations, and will continue to oversee Walkinshaw Racing's GT program.
Fans have responded to the harsh move after Walkinshaw posted it on Twitter....
"Never nice having to make a tough decision like that, but sometimes to improve performance you have to change the coach. Thanks for support!"
However, he didn't get the support he desired, instead it was mostly criticism for the heartless move....
"Where do you even start with Ryan? I guess first of all, silver spoon syndrome dictates that he's never wrong - always have a scapegoat on hand. Secondly, he's about as good at motorsport as a fat kid on a diet in a cake shop. Thirdly, HSV is a sinking ship. Tom would be turning in his grave seeing the way this shamozzle is run!" said Tim Shell and he was just one of a multitude of posts complaining about Walkinshaw's decision.
