Over recent rounds it’s become an open secret that out-of-contract Jack Le Brocq is unlikely to stay with Erebus beyond this season, with solid speculation that a reunion with Matt Stone Racing beckons.
That has made Erebus a genuine player in the silly season as it prepares itself for needing to fill the vacancy alongside Cooper Murray.
Once again the team looks set to promote a rookie to the main game, with Erebus Academy Super2 driver Jobe Stewart having long been thought as the next in line.
While still considered the slight favourite, other contenders include Jarrod Hughes and, off the back of a strong main game debut in the Supercheap Auto wildcard at Queensland Raceway, Zach Bates.
Erebus will get a close look at Stewart and Hughes across the endurance races given they will line up with Le Brocq and Murray respectively.
They both got their first serious mileage last week at QR with the pre-enduro test on Tuesday followed by a ride day on Wednesday.
Despite Hughes nursing an injured shoulder from his frightening Super2 crash, Erebus CEO Barry Ryan said they have both exceeded expectations so far.
He also made it clear that they are both in contention for a main game promotion next year.
“Both Jobe and Jarrod exceeded our expectations for both outright lap times and race run consistency at the test day on Tuesday,” Ryan told Speedcafe.
“I have complete faith that they will both be at least top five in the co-driver rankings post-Bathurst and will certainly out-shine some main drivers.
“Jobe has been part of our racing family since he was 12 years old. He’s now 21 and has exceptional talent and a strong racing brain. I have watched Hughesy and admired his ability for several years, from his early Toyota 86 days.
“These two drivers along with Bates, [Rylan] Gray, [Nash] Morris and several others are who teams should be turning to if they want a chance to find the next Supercars champion. We certainly will be.
“All of these young drivers have an opportunity to step up in the enduro races and stake a claim to a 2026 main game seat.”
Erebus has a genuine history of rolling the dice on rookies, including promoting Anton De Pasquale from Super2 to the main game for the 2018 season.
When both David Reynolds and De Pasquale left at the end of the 2020 season, Erebus opted for an all-rookie line-up of Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki.
Le Brocq was a rare experienced signing when Brown departed at the end of 2023, before Erebus returned to its rookie roots by promoting Murray to replace Kostecki for this season.
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