Erebus locks in De Pasquale for 2020

Supercars young gun Anton De Pasquale will remain at Erebus Motorsport for a third season in 2020.

The team has announced an extension of the 23-year-old’s deal, having exercised an option on his services.

Although the length of the deal has not been made public, an Erebus statement says the contract "will see him continue with the team in 2020 and beyond".

Erebus brought De Pasquale into the main game in 2017 after two seasons of Dunlop Super2 and a stint in European open-wheel racing.

He impressed with his raw speed during his rookie Supercars season on the way to 20th in the standings, and is currently 11th in the 2019 points.

“Erebus has always shown their faith and belief in me; asking me to join them for an evaluation day in 2017, then giving me my start in Supercars the following year,” De Pasquale said.

“They have always backed me and my ambition and I know we share the same goal.

“We have worked hard to put ourselves in a pretty strong position and I’m looking forward to working together to build on that and enjoy more success in the years to come.”

De Pasquale scored his first-career podium with third at Phillip Island in April, and was fourth last time out on the Sunday in Townsville.

“Anton has been a great contributor to the success of our team over the past two seasons and he is still improving his skills and going faster every time he hits the track,” CEO Barry Ryan said.

“It is fantastic to have Anton continue with Erebus Motorsport into 2020 and we look forward to targeting race wins and Championship success well into his future.”

Team owner Betty Klimenko admitted in the aftermath of De Pasquale’s Phillip Island podium that she was “eating humble pie”, having initially argued against signing the youngster.

“We have had a phenomenal start together and as we look to the long term, it’s brilliant to extend our journey with Anton,” she said.

“The team had confidence that he was going to do well, but he also showed confidence in us, that we were a team that could deliver him results.

“It’s exciting to think what we’ll be able to achieve as we grow together.”

Penrite Racing is also understood to be close to concluding a deal to retain its star driver David Reynolds, who joined the team in 2016.

That will mean Erebus joins Shell V-Power Racing and the Red Bull Holden Racing Team in fielding unchanged line-ups for 2020.

Chaz Mostert is set to be the biggest mover of the silly season, with a switch from Tickford Racing to Walkinshaw Andretti United on the cards.