Le Brocq departs for birth, Murray set for Erebus debut

Cooper Murray is set to score an early Erebus Motorsport debut at the VAILO Adelaide 500, with Jack Le Brocq travelling home for the birth of his first child.

Murray will replace reigning champion Brodie Kostecki at Erebus in 2025, with Kostecki joining Dick Johnson Racing from next season.

Le Brocq and wife Mackenzie, who married in June, are expecting the birth of their first child.

Two-time Supercars race winner Le Brocq is flying out of Adelaide on Friday morning to be with his wife, with Murray set to take the reins of the #9 Chevrolet Camaro.

Rising star Murray, 23, was trackside with Erebus at last month’s Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, where Kostecki won the Sunday race.

While he won’t take part in the Dunlop Series finale with Eggleston Motorsport, Murray is set to compete in Adelaide after all, with Erebus planning to put the youngster in to substitute for Le Brocq for the remainder of the weekend.

"Cooper will be jumping behind the wheel of Car #9 for the rest of the weekend, with Jack heading home to Queensland early today to await the arrival of a mini JLB," the team posted to social media.

Murray already has solo Supercars starts under his belt, racing a Triple Eight Race Engineering wildcard at June's betr Darwin Triple Crown.

The Melbourne-born driver returned to the Triple Eight entry alongside Craig Lowndes for the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000, impressing in both races.

Murray debuted for Eggleston Motorsport in last year's Dunlop Series, and is already a multiple race winner and pole position winner in the development series, paving the way to his Erebus deal.

He is also no stranger to Erebus Gen3 equipment, first scoring laps in an Erebus Camaro at an evaluation day at Winton Motor Raceway last year, before getting behind the wheel at a ride day at Queensland Raceway in the days after the Gold Coast round.

Le Brocq ended Practice 1 on Thursday in 15th on the time sheets, with Kostecki surviving a hairy moment at the Senna Chicane to end up seventh.

Supercars will return on Friday with Practice 2 at 1:05pm local time/1:35pm AEDT, followed by Boost Mobile Qualifying at 5:30pm/6:00pm AEDT.