Tickford Racing has finally confirmed that Cam Waters and Thomas Randle will form its two-car line-up for the 2024 Supercars season.
The line-up has been an open secret almost since Tickford first announced plans to scale back to two cars next year, however was technically unconfirmed until now.
The delay is widely thought to be related to the formalities behind Declan Fraser’s exit from the squad, given he was at the end of the first year of a two-year deal.
With that now resolved, and James Courtney already locked in at Blanchard Racing Team, Tickford can go public with its new-look Waters/Randle combo for next season.
“2024 is going to be a complete freshen up of the team as we reduce to [two Teams Racing Charters],” said team co-owner Rod Nash.
“With Cam and Thomas leading our charge, we are laser-focused on elevating to the full potential of what our race team has been working on over the last couple of years.
“Cam is a consistent front-runner and Thomas has been advancing well towards his full potential, so with this change to the team and driver combination, we believe we can mix it with the best within our great category of Supercars.”
The announcement also confirms that Waters will continue to be backed by Monster Energy which, as revealed by Speedcafe yesterday, is also set to replace Red Bull as the official energy drinks partner of Supercars.
“I’m super excited about where the team is heading,” said Waters. “Rod, [co-owner] Sven [Burchartz], and [outgoing CEO] Tim [Edwards] have put a massive amount of work behind the scenes to allow us to make the next step forward.
“The two-car model excites me, and I can’t think of a better person to be teaming up with than Thomas. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into next year.”
Randle, meanwhile, will continue with the major backing of Castrol, which has support his entry for the past two season.
“I’m thrilled to be announcing today that I have re-signed with Tickford Racing to continue piloting the Castrol Racing Mustang full-time in 2024 and beyond,” he said.
“Castrol has been a long supporter of mine, so to continue this partnership into the future is fantastic.
“It’s been a great first two years in the championship, especially this year, grabbing my first pole position and podiums. Being more streamlined with two cars, and hopefully with all the parity stuff sorted, I feel like this is the team’s best chance of having a crack at winning the drivers’ title and teams’ championship. Bring it on!”