The Shell V-Power squad is shaking down its new machine ahead of the Supercars pre-season test and championship opener in Sydney later this month.
Now dubbed DJRS-09-MR, the chassis was originally constructed by Erebus Motorsport fabricator Jimmy White for the Blanchard Racing Team.
It sat unused at BRT, which has now formed an alliance with Triple Eight for 2026, and was onsold to DJR late last year.
The BRT chassis was a handy pick-up for DJR given Erebus declared mid-season that it will no longer supply customer teams.
DJR switched to White-built chassis at Kostecki’s request when he joined the Ford team from Erebus ahead of the 2025 season.
He raced DJR’s first Erebus-built chassis, DJRS-07-MR, from the Sydney opener until the Gold Coast, where a heavy crash eliminated him from championship contention.
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With that car sent to White’s Mount Gambier workshop for repairs, Kostecki finished the season in DJRS-08-MR, which had been Will Davison’s car before being parked ahead of the Bathurst 1000.
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Kostecki finished ninth in last year’s championship with race wins at Townsville, The Bend and Adelaide.
He has been handed Johnson’s famous #17 plate this season, with new teammate Rylan Gray inheriting the #38 Kostecki ran last year.
Gray has also been handed DJRS-08-MR and is set to undergo a rookie test day in the car at Queensland Raceway on February 9.
Triple Eight, which has taken over Ford homologation team duties from DJR, will also be at the track, shaking down its three new Mustangs across February 9 and 10.
Supercars is also set to have a Supra and a Camaro at the venue next week for parity evaluations that will also take place at the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Minor changes to the Mustang aero package for 2026 involve a new leading edge side skirt packer, a lower decklid height and an increased rear wing angle.
Kostecki reported a trouble-free shakedown for the new machine, clocking the 60km permitted for new cars under the rules.
“It was a pretty cruisey day to be honest, just running through the motions, procedures and doing the 19 laps in the car to make sure everything is right to go for the test day in Sydney,” he said.
“It was pretty special getting in, pulling the door handle and seeing the number 17 on the door, but once you’re inside you can’t see what number the car is.
“[I’m] excited to hit the track for the test day in Sydney for the preseason test, it’s been a long off-season and I’m just excited to get back behind the wheel again.”
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