Speculation over Winterbottom’s future has been rampant since a revelation in late August that he’ll be replaced by Anton De Pasquale at Team 18 next season.

Having been unable to stitch together another seat, Winterbottom announced last Thursday that he will not be a full-time Supercars driver in 2025.

While the parties are not yet willing to confirm it, Speedcafe understands Winterbottom is set to co-drive Cam Waters’ Monster Energy Mustang.

It looms as a “fairytale” storyline for Winterbottom, who spent 13 full-time seasons with the Tickford team from 2006 in a partnership that netted the 2015 championship and the ’13 Bathurst 1000 win.

Winterbottom, 43, is fired up to add another Peter Brock Trophy to his cabinet following what he sees as a premature end to his full-time career.

Waters is still chasing his first Bathurst crown having finished runner-up in 2020 and ’21, third in ’22 and fourth in ’16 and ’24.

His co-driver of the last four years, James Moffat, is known to be out of contract with Tickford.

Moffat remained part of the squad for its ride day at Queensland Raceway on Tuesday and could yet continue with the team as co-driver to Thomas Randle in its #55 entry.

Winterbottom has been the big fish in a busy co-driver market that includes almost every Supercars team.

The Gold Coast 500 weekend included Tickford Racing’s first 1-2 finish in seven years as Waters led home Randle in a dominant Saturday performance.