Erebus confirms Hazelwood for AGP Supercars races

The team announced the news today via social media, two-and-a-half weeks out from the start of track activity at Albert Park for the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix weekend.

“Erebus Motorsport remains firmly committed to respecting Brodie’s privacy and we are unable to provide further updates at this time,” read a post from Erebus’s official Instagram account.

“Todd Hazelwood will continue to represent the team in car 99 at the Australian Grand Prix event.

“We would also like to express our thanks for the support we’ve received in recent weeks.

“Your messages mean the world to us.”

 

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Hazelwood had already been signed by Erebus as Jack Le Brocq’s enduro co-driver before the rift between Kostecki and at least factions of the team came to a head.

The 2017 Super2 Series winner stood in for the 2023 champion in the squad’s shakedown and pre-season testing at Winton, driving what was the #1 Chevrolet Camaro at the time, before contesting last month’s Thrifty Bathurst 500 in Car #99.

There, team owner Betty Klimenko and CEO Barry Ryan made their first significant public response to the split in a taped interview which aired on Fox Sports.

Both spoke of the personal toll which the saga had taken on them, with Ryan also affected by the recent passing of Dana Wyhoon, wife of close friend and Super2 team partner Terry Wyhoon.

Klimenko and Ryan left the door open for a Kostecki return, however unlikely that seems, although the latter stated “It’s not up to us.”

The interview was light on details due to legal considerations, while Kostecki himself has also remained silent for the most part since Speedcafe broke the news of the split.

In his only public appearance since then, at the Motorsport Australia National Awards a fortnight earlier, he did say in a prepared speech that he is in “generally good health,” albeit “unsure what the immediate future holds.”

However, that Jayden Ojeda was ‘evaluated’ during Erebus’s pre-season test day after David Russell had already been re-signed as a co-driver (for Kostecki, originally), suggests the squad is planning to complete the 2024 season without its 2023 champion.

Hazelwood was third-fastest in Friday practice at the Bathurst 500, a performance he described as a “shot in the arm”, before finishing 11th from seventh on the starting grid in Race 1 and 13th from 12th in Race 2.

The results leave the South Australian 13th in the drivers’ championship, two positions behind team-mate Jack Le Brocq, with Erebus sixth in the teams’ standings ahead of the Melbourne SuperSprint on March 21-24.

Back for more Supercars action with @ErebusMSport 💪🏼🏁

You’ll see me back behind the wheel of the #99 at the F1 Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne. Bring it on! 👊🏼#THR x #ErebusMotorsport #Supercars pic.twitter.com/k1UrrzVBL2

— Todd Hazelwood (@Todd_Hazelwood) March 5, 2024