Erebus unveils Reynolds' 2018 Penrite livery

Erebus Motorsport has unveiled the livery David Reynolds will carry on his Penrite Commodore in the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

Reynolds won Bathurst on his way to seventh in the 2017 championship, in the team’s second year after its major Mercedes-to-Holden, Gold Coast-to-Melbourne overhaul.

Penrite joined Erebus in late-2015, and has backed Reynolds’ Commodores since he joined the team the following season.

“It looks mean, it looks fast, I’m really looking forward to getting out there,” Reynolds said of his tweaked 2018 colours.

“We’re the small team with a lot of passion and fight in us.

“Honestly, it’s better than I imagined and we have evolved so much as a team.”

Team owner Betty Klimenko added: “A lot of people counted us out in the beginning and didn’t think we could make anything of it, but we just needed time to work it out.

“I always believed in my team and what they could do, now everyone else can see that too.

“There’s no reason we can’t be up there and be considered one of the sport’s top dogs.”

Reynolds is the recipient of the team’s new chassis, with the ZB Commodore to complete a shakedown at Winton today.

Rookie Anton De Pasquale steps into Reynolds’ 2017 Commodore rebodied to ZB, and will also be present undertaking a rookie test day.

The team had planned to test with De Pasquale in late-January, but those intentions were thwarted by delays in receiving ZB bodywork.

“It’s for no real reason apart from Dave said he’d like a new car if he can,” general manager Barry Ryan told Supercars.com of allocating the new chassis.

“It doesn’t make a difference for us. It’s a good thing for Anton, a nice proven car, he’s ready to go, the aero package is the only difference.

“The chassis’ a proven package, so it gives him some security with the mental game.”

De Pasquale completed a rookie test with Erebus at the Victorian circuit last August, during his second season in the Dunlop Super2 Series after returning from Europe.

“Anton is a really exciting addition to our team and we are so excited to bring a multiple championship-winning young talent into the Supercar Series,” Ryan said.

Erebus has re-signed Reynolds’ 2017 co-driver Luke Youlden for this year’s PIRTEK Enduro Cup, and will give Super2 standout Will Brown his debut.