Erebus Motorsport has confirmed that David Russell will pair up with Brodie Kostecki in the 2023 Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
This will be the third year straight that Russell has joined the squad for the Supercars enduros, in Kostecki’s #99 entry on each occasion, with the duo finishing third in the Great Race in 2021 and fourth in 2022.
It also means an unchanged enduro line-up for Erebus, which announced last month that it had re-signed Jack Perkins as Will Brown’s co-driver as well as plans to field him in a full Dunlop Super2 Series campaign.
“I definitely enjoy my time with the whole Erebus team so I’m very happy to be back again for a third year,” said Russell, who was spotted in the Erebus garage at the Sydney Motorsport Park official test in recent weeks.
“To have the continuity of working with the same driver, the same engineering group and the same team, it adds an extra level of confidence and means we can get down to work straight away.
“Brodie’s an incredible driver and he’s very talented so for me to be there and support him in these two big races is great.”
With the return of the Sandown 500, the 41-year-old from Northern New South Wales will get two races in the #99 Coca-Cola Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro.
“The Sandown 500 is such a nostalgic race for many and one that I’ve been a part of personally for a number of years,” added Russell.
“It’s like a pre-run before the grand final and it’s good to iron out the little basics and get some practice in the lead up to Bathurst, especially with the introduction of Gen3.
“Part of being a professional driver is being able to get into something new and figuring out what makes a car tick so you can go fast in it so I’m really looking forward to turning my first laps in the new car.”
Brown, Kostecki, and Perkins will be in action this weekend in Newcastle, the latter in Super2 as well as filling television duties for the Seven Network.
The Sandown 500 takes place on September 15-17 and the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 5-8.
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