Zane Goddard’s return to the Supercars Championship is “truly deserved”, according to the man with whom he will share the Supercheap Auto wildcard in this year’s enduros, Craig Lowndes.

Goddard will make a first solo start in the Supercars Championship since 2021 when he drives the #888 Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro at next month’s Betr Darwin Triple Crown, before he and Lowndes pair up for the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000.

The now 23-year-old was widely pilloried when he set off a multi-car crash on Lap 5 of last year’s Great Race, but now has a prime opportunity in the entry which finished eighth, a record for a wildcard, that Sunday afternoon.

Before then, he will enjoy seat time with a start at Hidden Valley in the fifth event of the 2023 Supercars Championship season, in the Supercheap Auto Camaro which was unveiled in its test livery this evening in Brisbane.

“Supercheap Auto have an amazing way of bringing the fans closer to our sport, and they have really outdone themselves at our 2023 wildcard launch,” said Lowndes.

“The crowd and the atmosphere here have really ignited my excitement to hit the ground running.

“Teaming up with Zane, I’m excited to make this year’s wildcard program bigger and more super.

“I’ve worked with Zane over the last couple of years throughout the early stages of Supercars’ Gen3 development, and I’m excited to finally share this beast of a car with him when we have our first test day at the start of June.

“It’s fantastic that Zane will be racing in Darwin, and I congratulate Supercheap Auto and Triple Eight for making that happen.

“Any laps in these new cars are invaluable, and hopefully he gets more comfortable with the car and the team before enduro season really kicks off later in the year.

“As I’ve mentioned before, Zane’s a fantastic young kid with great speed and a great head on his shoulders, and his return to the main game is truly deserved.

“Now that we’ve launched our Supercheap Auto wildcard, my focus is to work closely with Zane at our upcoming test days, ensuring we’re both comfortable in the car, and familiarising ourselves with our team of engineers and mechanics. Sandown can’t come quick enough!”

Car #888, as well as Triple Eight’s full-time entries, will test this Thursday at Queensland Raceway.