The two-time Bathurst 1000-winning engineer started out in the sport in 2006 and has been Chaz Mostert’s right-hand-man for all but one season since the latter debuted in the Supercars Championship in mid-2013.
While De Borre has opted to take a step back from the grind that comes with working in the top tier of Supercars, he will not be lost to race tracks completely this year.
Instead, he will run AIM Motorsport, which is based in the New South Wales country town of Bungendore, near Canberra, and traces its lineage in Super2 back to Zane Morse’s rookie, 2020 season.
Then, Morse was driving one of the oldest cars in the field, but last year moved into an ex-Tickford Racing Mustang when the Gen2 cars filtered into the series.
A breakthrough podium in Townsville followed, and a win would likely have come at Bathurst if not for a fuel drama.
AIM has expanded to a three-pronged Mustang attack on Super2 in 2024, with De Borre – who has been a consultant to the team for the last three years – is a key element.
“I want to see Zane fulfil his potential that I’ve seen in him,” he told Speedcafe.
“He’s done so fantastically well with so little resources for so many years, and it’s great that I can now put a lot more effort and energy into in helping Zane to fight for the championship and have a proper crack.
“The car’s good; Zane, I think, can drive; and my involvement with the team has stayed consistent, but now I’ll be going to six events [with AIM] and a couple of test days.”
De Borre, who brings firsthand knowledge of the Mustang from his time with Mostert at Tickford, is in fact but one part of a potent engineering crew at AIM.
Also in the fold are Erik Pender, Greg Murphy’s Race Engineer when the New Zealander produced the Lap of the Gods in 2003, and up-and-comer Adam Honeycombe, who will work on the former Blanchard Mustang which James Masterton has brought across to the team.
“We’ve assembled a good crew for the programme this year,” said De Borre.
“Erik Pender’s also going to be involved, which is mega, and Adam Honeycombe, who’s a junior engineer who I’ve worked closely with over the last 18 months.
“He’s a very, very bright engineer who’s got a big future ahead in motorsport and we’re very fortunate that he’s part of our programme.
“Erik, I’ve known forever and a day, he’s one of the best engineers in pit lane, and we’re looking forward to helping the team develop and establish itself as a consistent front-runner.”
While De Borre will have an expanded role with AIM, which is co-owned by Andre Morse and Ian Turner, the move in fact provides for a better work-life balance for the stalwart of the Supercars paddock.
He will still be deeply involved in motorsport, including with his AD Racing Shocks business, but has freed up more time for family.
“As I’ve said to many people, it wasn’t so much that I don’t like motorsport or don’t like racing, it’s nothing like Chaz and I having any issues or anything like that,” he explained.
“I just needed a break from the grind of being on the on the coalface and the Supercar championship for so many years.
“I just wanted to ease back and I’ve seen AIM Motorsport grow, from an old VF Commodore to getting the Mustang, now getting a second car and expanding with James as well, and it’s been fantastic helping those guys and guide those guys.
“It kind of fitted in really well for me. They’re only two hours away from me; I live in the coast of New South Wales, they’re near Canberra, [which is] easy enough for me to go to their place or Zane can come to my place, as he frequently does.
“We work well together, we hang out together, as families. My kids, when we go karting in Canberra, we stay at Andre’s and Karen’s house, and Zane helps us with the karting.
“It’s friends helping out friends more than anything else.”
AIM is yet to announce a driver for the other of the three Mustangs which are now part of its stable.
The 2024 Super2 Series starts at the Thrifty Bathurst 500 on February 23-25.
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