As flagged by Speedcafe earlier this month, O’Donnell has effectively replaced Zak Brown’s United Autosports in the team’s ownership mix.
The stake has been bought under the O’Donnell Family Investments business name, ODFI Ltd, joining the Walkinshaw Group and the Dan Towriss-led TWG Motorsport in the team’s tri-party structure.
The team has confirmed there will be no further change to its name, having already rebranded from Walkinshaw Andretti United to Walkinshaw TWG Racing in January.
O’Donnell is a director of Kiwi giant the HW Richardson Group, which owns 46 companies and employs 2000 people across six sectors.
HW Richardson acts as NZ distributor for major Walkinshaw TWG sponsor Mobil 1 Lubricants, ensuring O’Donnell is already well known to the team.
O’Donnell recently stepped back from a place on KiwiRail’s board of directors citing a new venture that will require more time in Australia.
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“It’s fantastic to be joining Walkinshaw TWG Racing, a place and a team I know very well,” said O’Donnell, who was with the team at the recent Melbourne SuperSprint.
“The opportunity came up late last year with United Autosports moving on, and it caught our interest once the team reached out. It was all pretty seamless from there really.
“Motorsport has always been a huge passion of mine, and while I hadn’t considered a role like this before, I am genuinely excited to be involved.”
O’Donnell and HWR have been a major backer of Walkinshaw TWG’s star Kiwi Ryan Wood, who drives alongside Chaz Mostert in the two-car Toyota outfit.
“There are so many positives around the team,” O’Donnell continued.
“There are two great drivers in Chaz and Ryan, the team has such a proud and successful history, and the new era with Toyota is fantastic.
“I’m really looking forward to working more closely with Ryan, Dan and the entire team. I’ve got great relationship with [CEO] Bruce Stewart, and there is no shortage of Kiwis in the team.
“We will definitely be looking to make the most of the upcoming double-header and capitalise on that.”
Ryan Walkinshaw said O’Donnell’s prior knowledge of the team should make his integration seamless.
“I’ve known Scott for a very long time now, we’ve worked extremely well together in the past, he’s been a loyal and key supporter of the team, and we are now delighted to welcome him on board,” he said.
“He knows the team well, the people, how we operate, so he’s really hit the ground running.
“Everything we do here is about making our team better, and this is no different.
“Scott brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to the team that will no doubt strengthen us this year and beyond, not just on the business side of operations, but with a key motorsport knowledge as well.”
Towriss, who fronts the TWG empire that took over Andretti Global in 2024, spent time with O’Donnell and Walkinshaw at Albert Park.
“It’s fantastic to have Scott join us as a director of the team,” said Towriss.
“From our first dealings with each other, it was clear he was the right person to bring in.
“He’s extremely passionate about the team, about the sport and about motorsport in general, so I’m excited to see where we can continue to take this team in the future.”
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