Commins and Kostecki worked together for the previous four seasons at Erebus Motorsport and have both transferred across to the Shell V-Power Ford team.

Kostecki made his first public appearance in Shell colours today at Queensland Raceway, helping announce Century Batteries as the naming rights sponsor for the circuit’s return round in August.

The Gold Coast-based driver has been in and out of the team’s Stapylton workshop since the first week of January, getting prepared for the season ahead.

“It’s been a little bit different. It’s actually my first day today in team colours,” said Kostecki, who posed for photos dressed in a neatly tucked Shell V-Power shirt.

“It’s been fantastic getting to know everyone at the team. It’s such a professional organisation.

“We’re looking to start off strong in Sydney in a few weeks. We’ve got a shakedown day coming up and the first test day as well at Sydney.

“It’s eyes forwards for us and we’re going to try and get ourselves some trophies.

“I’ve been at the workshop a fair bit getting to know everyone, spent a lot of time with my engineer George and getting myself familiarised with all the processes and things that they do there at Shell V-Power Racing.

“It’s been a little bit different for myself but I’m very much looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the car again and getting to drive a Ford Mustang for the first time.

Commins remains Sunshine Coast-based but is also clocking up plenty of workshop time as the countdown to the season continues.

“It’s great to be able to bring over some people that I’m quite familiar with,” continued Kostecki, with DJR having also recruited Tom Moore from Erebus to engineer Will Davison.

“Working with George again, I think it’s our fifth year this year… it’s great to be working with him again. We get along great.

“That’s something I’m really used to, when he jumps into the cockpit, he knows by my eyes if the car is good or not.

“That’s probably the hardest thing [about changing teams], building that relationship with your engineer, so having that moving over to Shell V-Power Racing is fantastic.

“I look forward to the start of the season at Sydney, it should be awesome.”

DJR is building two new Mustangs for Kostecki and Davison ahead of the season, which begins at Sydney Motorsport Park on February 21-23.