Garth Tander has driven a Grove Racing Gen3 Ford Mustang Supercar for the first time as the team tests at Winton Raceway.

The 2007 champion drove the Gen3 Mustang for a short run of less than 10 laps, as did full-time Grove drivers David Reynolds and Matt Payne, the latter of whom joins the team in 2023 in place of Lee Holdsworth.

Tander, who won the Repco Bathurst 1000 with Shane van Gisbergen last October with Triple Eight Race Engineering, was named as a Grove enduro co-driver late last year, although it is unconfirmed as to which particular entry he will steer.

The Braeside-based outfit is sharing Winton Motor Raceway today with other bookings, including the first shakedown of the #6 Monster Energy Ford Mustang from Tickford Racing. Driven by Cam Waters, the livery for #6 is yet to be revealed, meaning it runs today as a plain black Mustang with minor sponsors including a Ford logo on the car.

Jack Perkins is also at the circuit for Erebus Motorsport, which also revealed the Coca-Cola livery for its Gen3 Chevrolet Camaros on the Gold Coast today with Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki in attendance.

Perkins carried out two initial three-lap runs in both the Erebus-entered ZB Commodore with which he will contest this year’s Dunlop Super2 Series as well as the Image Racing-entered car of Erebus Academy driver Jay Hanson, who is in attendance along with Image/Erebus Super3 tyro Jobe Stewart.

Also testing Super2 at Winton, for a second day in a row, are Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Ryan Wood and Zach Bates, and Tickford’s Brad Vaughan and Elly Morrow.

Warren Luff is on hand for WAU in his role as Driver Development Advisor for its second-tier Supercars programme.