Dick Johnson has stressed the importance of nurturing young V8 Supercars talent after securing 23-year-old Scott Pye for the 2014 season.
Johnson revealed the signing of two-year deals with Pye and primary sponsor Wilson Security on Wednesday.
Pye replaces 21-year-old Chaz Mostert, who joined DJR early this season on loan from Ford Performance Racing.
DJR’s deal with Pye was orchestrated by Triple Eight owner Roland Dane, who is two years into a five-year management deal with the South Australian.
“The young guys are the future for DJR and the sport,” said Johnson in a statement officially welcoming Pye to the team.
“Scott is a good get for us. He is young, but already I can see why Roland has backed him.
“He has a very good attitude and I was impressed immediately by the questions he asked about the team and the differences in cars. He is the real deal”
Second in last year’s Dunlop Series, a difficult rookie V8 Supercars Championship campaign with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport for Pye will conclude this weekend.
Having appeared in danger of missing out on a second season in the championship, Pye says he’s already looking forward to the new season.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity,” he said.
“To drive for Dick Johnson Racing is really quite amazing. I have watched how Chaz and Tim (Blanchard) have brought the team on and for Dick to be supporting younger guys once again in his cars is really a great thing for V8 Supercars.
“I know this team has a very powerful and loyal fan base so I am really looking forward to continuing the march up the grid for DJR and hopefully rewarding them.”
David Wall is expected to replace Blanchard in DJR’s second car next season.
