The Blanchard Racing Team has confirmed that it will field James Courtney and Aaron Love in the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship.
Courtney will drive the #7 Ford Mustang with backing from Snowy Rivers Caravans, which has followed the 2010 champion from Tickford Racing.
Love, currently in his rookie Dunlop Super2 Series campaign with BRT, will step up to the #3 CoolDrive Ford Mustang which Todd Hazelwood has been piloting in 2023.
The 21-year-old West Australian also contested this year’s enduros, when BRT temporarily expanded to two entries by adding a wildcard, but becomes a full-time multi-car operation in the top tier next year.
“It’s exciting to have Aaron and James on board as we take the next step in our development as a team,” said team Co-Principal Tim Blanchard.
“We are thrilled to welcome James and Snowy River Caravans to BRT on a multi-year agreement. Their combined passion for the sport will complement BRT and help us achieve our goals.
“We are also excited to watch Aaron develop as he has quickly proven himself as being one of Supercars’ hottest prospects.
“Todd Hazelwood has been an important part of the BRT story to date, we thank him for his contribution to our development in 2023, and we hope to work with him again in the future.”
Courtney, whose departure from Tickford was confirmed in recent days, remarked, “It’s great to be able to confirm my partnership with BRT and continue to work with the crew at Snowy River Caravans.
“I love the family-run dynamic of the team, and they have demonstrated they are committed to make the investment it takes to be a front-running outfit.
“Pairing up with Aaron will be another exciting prospect. He is one of the rising stars of the Supercar ranks at the moment and I look forward to taking him under my wing as a mentor. I have no doubt he has the speed to really push me and the team forward.
“Tim and John [Blanchard] are racers through and through, and it’s exciting to be a part of their next chapter.”
Love took a first Super2 race win in the most recent event of the season at Bathurst, after starring in Carrera Cup Australia in 2023 when he won 12 races despite missing two rounds due to overseas competition.
He said, “I’m extremely grateful and excited to be given this opportunity to continue with BRT into 2024.
“Even though I’ve only been a part of BRT for just under a year, I’ve got a lot of confidence in them and know they’ll do everything in their power to keep building the team and strive for success. To be a part of that journey really excites me.
“Although we’ve had an up and down season so far in 2023, I think we’ve shown some really promising performances, but there is still work to do.
“It’s definitely going to be a challenge to step up, but to do it with like-minded people is rare.
“I’m very happy to be surrounded by a team who are all working to the same objective.”
The 2023 Supercars Championship continues this weekend at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.
