The teenager is coming off a breakthrough 2023 season which saw him seal the Super2 crown with Eggleston Motorsport.

He did so with the backing and support of DJR, the famous Ford team also handing him a Bathurst 1000 debut alongside Simona de Silvestro in a wildcard entry.

While there has never been a formal announcement regarding a development deal between Allen and DJR, it’s widely known that his ties to the team are both strong and official.

Speaking to the KTM Summer Grill, DJR CEO David Noble made no secret of the fact that he sees Allen as part of his team’s future.

Allen said likewise in his KTM Summer Grill interview, even flagging 2025 as the season he wants to move from Super2 to the main game.

“I want to spend another year in the Dunlop Series [this year], improve my techniques, and hopefully 2025 I’m ready to go – to jump into the main game,” he said.

It’s a fitting timeline given that both Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison are expected to be off-contract this year – which means an opening at DJR is, contractually at least, a realistic outcome.

It’s expected that Allen will form part of DJR’s primary enduro line-up this year, with the slot alongside Davison the hot tip according to speculation.

Right now, however, both DJR and Allen are adamant that no specific deals regarding things like enduro seats and potential full-time drives are locked in.

The only commitment is that both sides want to work together into the future.

“Yeah, I’d love to [stay with DJR],” said Allen.

“We’ve got a lot of stuff to sort out, nothing is set in concrete at this stage but I’d love to go again with them [in 2024] and do the enduros and stuff. As I said nothing is set in concrete but I love the team, I love the environment.

“If I can keep going with them that would be super cool.”

What Allen is locked in for this season is the defence of his Super2 crown, his focus set to switch from banking points with consistent top five finishes to showing the sort of outright speed seen by the likes of Ryan Wood this year.

“Going back to back is going to be super hard,” he said. “That’s the goal, but I really want to try and win as many races and qualify up the front.

“[In 2023] we weren’t the fastest out there, but we were always consistent, in that top three or five positions. I want to try and win a few more races [this year] and get a few more round wins.

“Like we saw Ryan Wood do [in 2023], he just dominated. He was super fast all year. My mentality is to go out at the first round at Bathurst and try and win as many races as I can.

“The biggest thing is learning. Every time I jump out of the car I’ve learned something. My note pad, I can’t even read it there are so many notes on it. I’m taking so much in every time I drive the car. Another year of that will give me more confidence in the car.”

For more with Kai Allen watch the full episode of the KTM Summer Grill