The missing faces from Supercars co-driver field

From former champions and endurance journeyman to rookies and rising stars, the co-driver crew is a diverse lot. 

But there are some notable absentees from this year’s field too.

Alex Davison, Tim Blanchard, Jonathon Webb, Kevin Estre, Zak Best and Garry Jacobson have not returned for 2024 amid a sea of change.

A 19-start Bathurst veteran, Davison’s role alongside brother Will at Dick Johnson Racing has been taken by 19-year-old Super2 star Kai Allen, who debuted last year in the team’s wildcard. 

Blanchard elected to step back from driving amid his Blanchard Racing Team’s expansion to two cars, effectively making way for rookie Aaron Cameron to slot into the CoolDrive entry.

Another rookie, Cameron McLeod, has moved into the seat alongside Tim Slade at PremiAir Racing that had last year been filled by 2016 Bathurst 1000 winner Webb.

Frenchman Estre was set to return to Grove Racing until a date change for the Sandown 500 created a clash with the World Endurance Championship and ruled him out, leaving the Ford team to snap-up ex-Brad Jones Racing man Dale Wood.

Estre’s absence leaves the endurance field without any international presence beyond the New Zealand contingent. 

Completing the co-driver absentees, Best – who will drive in Carrera Cup this weekend – and Jacobson were both victims of Tickford Racing’s downsizing from four to two cars.

Wildcard shuffle

Three of the six drivers who appeared across the enduros last year in wildcards have not returned; Zane Goddard, Jake Kostecki and Simona De Silvestro.

Goddard has been replaced by Cooper Murray in Triple Eight’s extra entry, while Kostecki and De Silvestro appeared with BRT and DJR respectively.

Rookie list

Aaron Cameron (BRT) and Cam McLeod (PremiAir) are joined on the co-driver rookie list by Cameron Crick (Matt Stone Racing) and Brad Vaughan (Matt Chahda Motorsport wildcard).

Murray is also preparing for his maiden Supercars Championship start as co-driver to Craig Lowndes.

Carryover couples

Just seven co-driver pairings from 2023 have carried into the new season.

They include three of the key Ford pairings; Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth (Walkinshaw Andretti United), Cam Waters/James Moffat (Tickford Racing) and Anton De Pasquale/Tony D’Alberto (Dick Johnson Racing).

The Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup (Triple Eight), Mark Winterbottom/Michael Caruso (Team 18), and Macauley Jones/Jordan Boys (Brad Jones Racing) partnerships also remain.

Jack Le Brocq and Jayden Ojeda are too paired together for the second consecutive year, albeit having both moved from MSR to Erebus Motorsport.

Switching roles

Scott Pye (Triple Eight), Todd Hazelwood (Erebus) and Declan Fraser (BJR) are co-drivers this year having been primaries in 2023.

Richie Stanaway (Grove Racing), Aaron Love (BRT) and Jaxon Evans (BJR) have gone in the opposite direction and tackle the endurance events as primary drivers having been co-drivers last year.

Primary absentees

The most notable year-on-year absentee from the field at large is of course not a co-driver, but reigning Bathurst 1000 winner Shane van Gisbergen.

Now NASCAR star SVG is one of two drivers who were primaries last year but won’t be on the grid in any capacity; the other being Jack Smith.

Opening practice for the Sandown 500 gets underway on Friday.

2024 Supercars Championship driver/co-driver line-up