Two of the squad’s Super2 drivers, Lochie Dalton and Rylan Gray, will run as wildcards in the upcoming Perth and Darwin events respectively before teaming up for The Bend and Bathurst.
Tickford launched its wildcard program in controversial style via social media on Monday night with a post claiming a Gen3 Mustang had been “taken” from the team’s workshop.
It included staged CCTV footage and a plea for information on the car’s whereabouts.
That has been followed by another short video post this morning depicting Dalton and Gray removing balaclavas at Winton.
“Mystery solved, nobody panic,” read the latest post. “The Tickford Autosport Wildcard program officially kicks off today.”
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The original post was met with a mixed reaction from fans amid confusion over whether it was genuinely reporting a crime.
Team 18 released actual CCTV footage from its workshop earlier this year after the theft of its pit stop practice car.
Perth will mark Dalton’s second main game start following a wildcard with Tickford in Sydney last year, while Gray will be making his debut in the top class.
It comes after Gray scored the first Super2 pole position, race win and round win of his career last time out at Symmons Plains, where he led a Tickford 1-2-3 for the weekend.
Speaking at Symmons Plains, Gray noted he and Dalton will lean heavily on Mark Winterbottom as they prepare for their wildcard outings.
Winterbottom returned to the team this year as co-driver to Cam Waters and a mentor for its Tickford Autosport operation.
“It’s pretty cool to be doing a wildcard in the main game, so just super pumped, looking forward to that,” said Gray.
“You just learn as much as you can, Frosty goes pretty good [in Darwin], he got a win there not too long ago, so just learn off him.
“He knows the track well, and just execute is probably the main thing. You put all your best together and you’ll be somewhat competitive, so looking forward to how we end up there.
“I’ll go and support Lochie in Perth with his wildcard first and learn stuff over there before we head over to Darwin.”
Tickford’s wildcard is testing in a blue, black and white livery devoid of sponsor signage.
The car is TR-28, which was driven by Cam Waters from the start of the Gen3 era in 2023 until it was replaced ahead of Albert Park last year.
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