The two auto accessory dealers fought over the naming rights of the Great Race last year, and Repco ultimately successfully competed for the deal.
This was part of the significant spending on supercars, which included the naming rights for the entire series.
The Bathurst deal marked the end of a 16-year relationship between the event and Supercheap. The company responded with a clever media campaign.
Supercheap’s executive director Benjamin Ward immediately rose to the fore, telling News Limited that the company had lost the deal before it was officially announced.
In the same interview, he positioned Supercheap’s exit as the result of a “big money” offer from an “overseas competitor”.
The reference to an “overseas competitor” was directed at the Genuine Parts Company, which Repco took over in 2013.
Supercheap then launched a light-hearted TV ad campaign with an awkward spokesperson holding a fake press conference.
The speaker looked like a confused lover who had been “dumped” by supercars. The campaign ran throughout coverage of the Bathurst 1000 last year.
Repco declined to reply at this point and has only now opened the Bathurst 1000 deal controversy.
Repco’s sponsorship director Mitch Wiley said the brand was impressed with Supercheap’s response from a marketing perspective.
However, he says the suggestion that Repco poached the race isn’t exactly fair.
“We found their Bathurst 1000 campaign pretty clever,” Wiley told Motorsport.com.
“We don’t want to take anything away from clever marketing.
“But to be completely honest, the reality around them losing the race … mostly every story has two sides. For some reason it will remain commercial in trust between Supercars and Supercheap Auto, the Bathurst 1000 market has been approved.
“I very much doubt we were the only ones at the table with supercars. It was a great opportunity, of course we wanted to see it. We were happy to invest in this sport and protect its future.”
“And if we hadn’t taken over the naming rights, it would most likely have been a different brand.
“Put yourself in our shoes. We are a passionate car brand and the opportunity to get into this sport was there. Of course we wanted to take advantage of it.”
Wiley also questioned Supercheap’s claims that it had been outbid by a multinational based on the involvement of Supercheap’s parent company, the Super Retail Group.
“As for overseas owners, they might want to take a look at some of their own shareholders before they hit that drum too hard,” he said.
“The reality is that Repco has been contributing to the automotive industry in Australia and New Zealand for nearly a century. We have over 4,000 Repco crew members that we service who also happen to be massive Supercars fans.”
Supercheap continued its ambush marketing approach this year, sponsoring a sensational wildcard entry for veteran Russell Ingall and highly rated teen Broc Feeney.
The couple will team up in a triple eight-hole holden for a dress rehearsal for Feeney’s potential full-time promotion to Jamie Whincup’s seat next year.
Repco has been linked to a similar wildcard project but has since confirmed that it will not.
According to Wiley, the Supercheap wildcard was expected retaliation and the high profile entry was a welcome addition to the race for Repco.
“We think it’s great. We can’t wait to welcome you to Repco Bathurst 1000,” he said.
“To be honest, on our whiteboard it was the short-chances favorite, how they might react. But we look forward to having Russell at The Mountain.
“We have real respect for the level of investment [Supercheap has] put in motorsport. “