Courtney hints at 2024 announcement
Supercars
23 Oct
James Courtney suggests "something exciting" will be announced this week
2010 champion has been linked to move to BRT
Courtney has raced for Tickford Racing since 2020
James Courtney has hinted at an announcement over his 2024 Supercars plans as early as this week. Speaking to media ahead of this weekend’s Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, Courtney suggested “something exciting” is set to be announced. The 2010 Supercars champion, who has raced for Tickford Racing since 2020, was recently linked to the Blanchard Racing Team.
The BRT rumours come amid the team’s impeding expansion to two cars from 2024. Earlier this year, Tickford confirmed it will downscale to two cars, with Cam Waters and Thomas Randle likely to remain.
“Hopefully, before the weekend, we’ll be able to announce what’s happening next year,” Courtney, 43, said on the Gold Coast.
“But yeah, I’m loving my racing [and] I don’t want to give it up. So, yeah, something exciting coming in the next couple of days."
The Sydney-born driver has raced full-time in Supercars since debuting for Stone Brothers Racing in 2006, a year after racing for the Holden Racing Team in the enduros.
Courtney joined Dick Johnson Racing in 2009 and duly won the championship a year later, before returning to HRT in 2011.
He remained with the team through its transition into Walkinshaw Andretti United, before joining Tickford midway through 2020 after an ill-fated, short-lived stint with Team Sydney.
The 15-time race winner is no stranger to success on the Gold Coast, where he calls home. Courtney won the Sunday race in 2015 with Jack Perkins and HRT.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of success here in the past; plenty of times on the podium and I’ve won here,” said Courtney, who finished sixth in his 550th career race start at the Repco Bathurst 1000.
“2015 was the last time I won here, which was a few years ago now, but it was great to experience that.
“I think it was one of the last times we had the dual drivers and I managed to win it with Jack Perkins, so it was definitely a day I’ll always remember and something I’d like to replicate this weekend.”
Practice 1 for the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 starts on Friday at 11:30am local time/12:00pm AEDT.
