Ryan made an unplanned return to race engineering duties this year following the exit of George Commins and Tom Moore to Dick Johnson Racing.

The team boss elected to work with the experienced Jack Le Brocq, with the team’s formerly Super2 engineer Wayne Mackie deemed a better fit to guide rookie Cooper Murray.

Stewart, 21, was recently confirmed to be stepping up from Super2 to the main game with Erebus next season following an impressive debut in the Enduro Cup alongside Murray.

As for whether Ryan will continue to engineer the car, the team boss said: “We’re still working through that.

“Like I’ve said all along, if we can find someone we think is ready or we can get our data guys to be ready to engineer and do a good job for Jobe, we’ll do something else.

“But if I’m still the best person to do it, I can do it. I actually enjoy it, but I’ll do whatever’s best for the team.

“We’ve got a really good engineering manager in Wayne. He’ll help make a decision on that.

“If we can get someone from another team or from overseas, then great, but it’s pretty difficult to just throw someone in the deep end, especially with a rookie.”

Ryan and Stewart are already well familiar with each other, with the driver having joined Erebus’ academy program at just 13 years old.

 

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Stewart was selected for the full-time seat over Super2 teammate Jarrod Hughes, who Ryan hopes will co-drive in the Enduro Cup.

“He is very ready to go as well, he was probably just a season behind where Jobe was,” said Ryan of Hughes.

“If we can put Hughesy in together with Jobe next year, they can go and win Bathurst. That’s our aim, I told Hughesy that.

“I probably should talk him down so no one tries to get him, but he deserves everything that Jobe is getting now and hopefully in the next years he’s with us or somebody that deserves him.”

Murray, now 24, joined Erebus this season on a two-year deal, replacing DJR-bound champion Brodie Kostecki.

Asked if Stewart is also on a two-year agreement, Ryan said: “It’s probably a bit longer with Jobe.

“We just want to make sure Jobe is here until he wins a few championships. I think the loyalty is there, we probably don’t even need to sign a deal and he’d stay with us.

“That’s the sport and the way it is. If Jobe gets to a point where he thinks he’s too good for the team I’d be very surprised, but it’s happened before, and it’ll happen again.”