For DJR, the move from previous supplier Pace Innovations to Erebus is one part of a rebuild that includes hiring Erebus driver Brodie Kostecki and engineers George Commins and Tom Moore.
The decision by Erebus to sell customer chassis is meanwhile a significant philosophy shift off the back of the squad’s recent success.
Erebus CEO Barry Ryan has declared a keenness to find yet more customers as part of efforts to no longer rely on the largess of owner Betty Klimenko.
“We’ve always been a team that’s held close to our chests, we didn’t want to build for other people, we didn’t want them to have stuff that makes us go fast,” explained Ryan.
“But now we’ve ticked some big boxes, Betty has ticked some big bucket list items and she’s proud of what we’ve done.
“Betty doesn’t need a motorsport team that wins 10 championships in a row, that’s not her core business.
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“Now we’re trying to turn it into a business where we can establish Erebus as a manufacturer that can make money and make it not something that can be a burden on Betty, potentially.
“I’d love to have every team in pit lane running our chassis, that’d be the ideal situation. Then we can all say we’ve got the same shit and shut up!”
The transfer of Erebus hardware and people to DJR is expected to help the famous Ford squad return to the front of the grid.
Erebus is meanwhile having to rebuild with a rookie driver in Cooper Murray, who joins Jack Le Brocq, and a yet-to-be-confirmed engineering line-up.
Ryan has a preference to promote engineers from within the team, although admits “we probably haven’t got enough people to promote”.
“We’re sort of expected now to be that team that just gives away all our people we train up,” he added.
“I think it’ll be huge for that team to get someone of Tom’s calibre and I’m really sad to lose him, as I am George.
“George is going with a driver, that’s sort of the done thing these days, you get used to that, but Tom sort of hurt. But I get it, I’m really proud of him.”
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