Tekno Autosports boss Jonathon Webb has underlined his team’s commitment to the V8 Supercars Championship as it seeks a “long term” replacement for Shane van Gisbergen.
The Queensland-based squad’s future took a dramatic turn in March when Triple Eight confirmed it had signed the Kiwi for 2016.
Webb’s customer Triple Eight outfit has been spearheaded by Van Gisbergen for three seasons in a relationship that has yielded seven championship race wins and a Bathurst pole.
While the driver’s impending departure has caused some uncertainty over Tekno’s future, Webb insists his squad is pressing ahead with finding a replacement.
“For me it’s long term, I’m not looking for someone to fit the seat for 12 months,” Webb told Speedcafe.com of his plans.
“Hopefully we can find someone like Shane who we have had a great relationship with for the last three years or so and someone that can grow with us as a team.
Buy tickets
“The options are do you pick a young guy who is maybe a superstar in a couple of years, or pick someone that is established and fits well with the team?
“These are all things we are still working through. It is open, we understand the market and know what it is.”
Those currently in the driver market include experienced hands Fabian Coulthard and David Reynolds.
Young stars including Holden-backed Nick Percat and the Roland Dane managed Scott Pye are also seen as potential candidates.
“We are sussing out the market and seeing who is there and what options we have got,” continued Webb.
“It is probably getting close to the time where we do need to sit down and push forward with a couple of options, but in saying that I’m not going to rush into it.”
Meanwhile, Webb, who deputised for Van Gisbergen in Saturday’s Australian GT Championship Phillip Island 101, confirmed his team has no intentions of changing its current one car model.
The team has campaigned a single car since Webb stepped back from full-time driving at the end of 2013.
“As far as Tekno is concerned we don’t have any interest in changing. We are happy and comfortable with what we are doing,” added Webb.
“It has been a tough couple of years to get where we are but we are starting to reap those rewards.”
Tekno is expected to link-up with Triple Eight’s third entry in the pitlane next year, sharing a garage, pit bay and crew, as the single-car squad currently does with DJR Team Penske.
Discussion about this post