Supercar rally in Townsville. Image: supplied
Crail has been selected by Supercars as a full-time competitor starting with this weekend’s NTI Townsville 500.
The South Australian excelled during an early-season rotation in the role earlier this year following the sacking of Neil Crompton.
Crail is well known to motorsport fans through decades of experience in various classes and is synonymous with SpeedSeries and Porsche racing.
Supercars, however, does not want its top man calling customer service or appearing on the SpeedSeries platform demanding he give up those roles.
Crail has been present at all but a few SpeedSeries events since its inception in 2006 and will continue to appear at upcoming events to assist off-air.
The popular figure has stepped down from commentator duties with the blessing of SpeedSeries and Porsche Australia.
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“Richard’s appointment as chief Supercars commentator unfortunately means he will no longer be available to be on-air at Shannons SpeedSeries events in the future,” SRO Motorsports boss Ben McMellan confirmed to Speedcafe.
“Richard has been the voice of GT racing in Australia and the Shannons SpeedSeries for many years, making an outstanding contribution through various iterations over the past two decades.
“While Richard’s departure is a significant loss for Shannons SpeedSeries, it is also a great opportunity for him and a well-deserved recognition of his talent.
“On behalf of everyone associated with Shannons SpeedSeries, I would like to thank Richard for his loyal service over the years and wish him every success in this exciting new chapter of supercars.”
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