DJR or PremiAir? Kostecki reveals factors behind decision
Brodie Kostecki sheds light on decision to choose DJR over PremiAir Racing
Kostecki signed deal with DJR last year in one of Supercars' biggest ever moves
2023 champion currently sixth in championship heading to Round 8
Brodie Kostecki has shed light on the factors behind his decision to choose Dick Johnson Racing over PremiAir Racing.
Kostecki was the talk of the silly season last year, with DJR and PremiAir the leading contenders to snare the 2023 Supercars champion’s signature.
After missing the first two rounds of 2024, Kostecki seemed destined to depart Erebus Motorsport, where he had raced full-time since 2021.
After months of speculation, amid talks with DJR and PremiAir, a blockbuster deal with the Shell V-Power Racing Team and a move to Ford was announced in early September.
Speaking on his new The Lucky Dog podcast, which he co-hosts with former teammate Will Brown, Kostecki said the feeling of being chased by teams was a “new process,” having been in the Erebus family for four years.
“It was a pretty lengthy process, it was meant to be a lot shorter initially, obviously with contract restrictions,” the 27-year-old said.
“Barry [Ryan, Erebus CEO] was pretty good with it, and was pretty much trying to wheel me out of the door at one point... that changed after [winning] Bathurst, Gold Coast.
“It was a new process for me, two teams trying to headhunt you, basically at the same time.”
Having spoken to both teams, Kostecki explained how he was swayed by DJR co-owner Brett Ralph, who insisted he made the star driver feel “pretty wanted,” that he had a clear plan, and there was “security.”
At that time, DJR was after a spark; it had claimed just one win in 18 months of the Gen3 era, achieved by Anton De Pasquale, whose move to Team 18 opened the door for Kostecki.
Engineer George Commins also convinced Kostecki that DJR was the right move, and given PremiAir’s relative infancy in Supercars, Kostecki believed he could make a quicker impact at one team versus the other.
It has so far proven dividends, Kostecki holding sixth in points with a win in Townsville, with PremiAir’s two drivers in 16th and 20th through seven rounds.
Kostecki has since emerged as a leader at DJR, and has previously insisted he isn't feeling the weight of expectation at the team, instead claiming being under pressure to win a championship is as hard as it gets.
“I worked out what was going to be the most sustainable way moving forward. DJR weren’t at the place they wanted to be, they had a pretty big fall from grace after Scotty [McLaughlin] left,” Kostecki said.
“Pete [Xiberras, PremiAir owner] was newer in the sport and looking for direction, probably through me, and it’s a lot to take on your shoulders, to go to a team that’s the same size as Erebus, effectively.
“I saw it as like a four-year, three-year stint there there get it to a level to beat a Triple Eight. It was pretty simple in the end... DJR had more infrastructure, more backing behind it, had some really good people there.
“I felt like I could probably make an impact on that team at a quicker rate than I could at PremiAir."
Kostecki will resume his 2025 campaign the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 on August 8-10. Tickets are on sale now. International viewers can watch the action on SuperView.
