Bathurst 1000 entry list takes shape

While co-drivers for almost a quarter of the field are yet to be formally announced, the picture now is quite clear ahead of the 2024 Supercars enduros.

Triple Eight Race Engineering moved quickly to sign up Scott Pye when it became obvious that Shane van Gisbergen would be unable to return to Australia for Sandown and Bathurst.

It then announced during its pre-season launch that, not unexpectedly, Pye will be put with Will Brown while the 2023 Sandown 500-winning duo of Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup remains intact.

The Supercheap Auto-backed wildcard will this year see Craig Lowndes joined by Cooper Murray, the latter of whom made his Supercars Championship debut in recent days at the Betr Darwin Triple Crown.

At Walkinshaw Andretti United, the only change is that Ryan Wood is now the primary driver in Car #2, with Fabian Coulthard again to get behind the wheel of the Mobil 1 Truck Assist entry in the enduros.

In the Mobil 1 Optus Mustang, the Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth pairing continues for a third year in four, those two having won the Bathurst 1000 in 2021.

Dick Johnson Racing has elected not to run a wildcard this time around but one of the steerers from that third Mustang, Kai Allen, has been promoted to the co-drive in Will Davison’s #17 Shell V-Power Mustang in 2024, with Anton De Pasquale/Tony D’Alberto remaining in Car #11.

Grove Racing continues to enjoy the services of five-time Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander as a co-driver but this time he has been switched to the #19 Penrite Mustang of Matt Payne.

Richie Stanaway, who won the 2023 Bathurst 1000 as van Gisbergen’s co-driver, is now the primary driver of Car #26 and, with Kevin Estre unavailable due to a Sandown date change, Dale Wood has been called up to partner the New Zealander.

Tickford Racing may have scaled back from four cars to two but its enduro line-up looks fairly familiar.

The Campbellfield-based outfit is yet to confirm its co-drivers but Cam Waters/James Moffat and Thomas Randle/Tyler Everingham are all but certain considering they already tested the #6 and #55 Mustangs in pre-season.

This morning, MSR’s full enduro line-up became official with the announcement that Cameron Crick will join Cameron Hill in the #4 Camaro, days after the #10 duo of Nick Percat/Dylan O’Keeffe was confirmed.

Team 18 is mostly unchanged relative to 2023, the only difference being that David Reynolds replaced Pye as the primary driver in Car #20 last off-season.

Warren Luff remains co-driver of Car #20 after again being loaned from WAU to the Charlie Schwerkolt-owned outfit, while the #18 Camaro is still Mark Winterbottom/Michael Caruso.

PremiAir Racing, on the other hand, has new co-drivers in both of its cars.

The Arundel-based outfit has landed the prized signature of David Russell after he split from Erebus Motorsport amid the turmoil surrounding Brodie Kostecki’s absence from the early events of this season.

Russell will pair up with the newest Supercars Championship pole-sitter in James Golding, while Cameron McLeod has a chance to emulate Great Race-winning grandfather Peter given he has been handed his debut as co-driver for Tim Slade in Car #23.

Erebus has thus far only confirmed the Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood pairing in Car #1, although former MSR co-driver Jayden Ojeda has already tested with the Betty Klimenko-owned team and is all but certain to partner Jack Le Brocq.

The picture is less clear at three teams.

Brad Jones Racing has already sorted three of its cars, with an injection of youth in its line-up.

The R&J Batteries car sees primary driver Andre Heimgartner joined by Declan Fraser, with Bryce Fullwood to be partnered by Jaylyn Robotham, while Car #96 is an unchanged duo of Macauley Jones/Jordan Boys.

Yet to be announced is who will co-drive with Jaxon Evans in the SCT Motorsports entry, after the New Zealander filled that role last year.

The Blanchard Racing Team has locked in an experienced pairing of James Courtney/Jack Perkins – Bathurst 1000 podium finishers together with WAU in 2019 – in Car #7, but is yet to name a co-driver for Aaron Love in Car #3.

Co-Principal Tim Blanchard had indicated he might step aside this year, although he cannot be ruled out just yet.

Meanwhile, intrigue surrounds the Matt Chahda Motorsport wildcard.

Matt Chahda himself will, of course, be one of the two drivers of the Triple Eight-built Camaro which the family-run team has sourced.

However, team manager Amin Chahda has been talking to several Super2 steerers, and is committed to giving a youngster an opportunity.

The Penrite Oil Sandown 500 takes place on September 13-15 and the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 10-13.

Entry list: 2024 Supercars enduros Provisional