The 2022 Repco Supercars Championship is shaping up to be a fascinating season in what will be the last year of the Gen2 era.
In this week’s Pirtek Poll, we want to know which team you think will give Triple Eight Race Engineering its biggest challenge this year.
Since the arrival of Car of the Future in 2013 – which later morphed into Gen2 – Triple Eight Race Engineering and Dick Johnson Racing have primarily shared the spoils.
Last year’s winners have had the most success of all with six teams’ championships to its name while Dick Johnson Racing has three.
However, as a new Gen3 era dawns, some teams are looming large in the rear view mirror of a new-look Triple Eight.
Seemingly the most likely to get one over them is of course Dick Johnson Racing.
Despite the departure of three-time champion Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard, the Stapylton-based outfit acquitted itself well in 2021 with an all-new line-up.
The team was prone to mistakes and mechanical failures, which ultimately cost Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale a good go at retaining its status as teams’ champions.
Going into 2022, its gold star pairing will no doubt be fighting up the front.
Third in last year’s teams’ championship was Tickford Racing, courtesy of Cameron Waters and James Courtney.
After finishing runner-up to Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander in the 2019 Bathurst 1000 and second in the 2020 drivers’ championship to McLaughlin, many had Waters among the favourites for last year.
Ultimately, Waters wasn’t able to continue that momentum and slumped to fifth in the standings.
As shown by the likes of Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert in years past, when it goes right for Tickford Racing, they put themselves firmly in championship contention.
Making heads turn in 2021 was Walkinshaw Andretti United with Mostert.
Mostert’s victory in last year’s Bathurst 1000 with Lee Holdsworth and the recent signing of Nick Percat has the former factory Holden squad among the favourites for both major titles.
Then there’s Erebus Motorsport, which showed promise throughout 2021 with its rookie pairing of Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki.
Brown shone in the four-part Sydney swing where he claimed his first race win for the Dandenong South team.
Kostecki, meanwhile, was twice a podium finisher, striking early at Sandown with a second-place finish then at the season-ending Bathurst 1000 with David Russell where they were third.
What might Brad Jones Racing and Team 18 have in store for 2022?
Jones’ squad has two new drivers in Andre Heimgartner and Bryce Fullwood, the former who claimed his first Supercars win last year at The Bend.
Team 18 retains its strong line-up with Winterbottom and Scott Pye, both of whom are proven quantities.
And then there’s Grove Racing, formerly Kelly Racing, where fresh investment as well as the incoming leadership of team principal David Cauchi brings new hope.
Cast your vote below, in this week’s Pirtek Poll.
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