Veterans, rising stars to define 2025 co-driver market

With Jaxon Evans confirmed for a second season with Brad Jones Racing, the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship grid is all but complete, but there's still plenty to play out in the co-driver market.

Mark Winterbottom has been in the headlines since he announced he won't return as a full-time driver in 2025, while Tim Slade will also farewell the full-time game at the end of the season.

In 2025, there will be two enduros, with The Bend Motorsport Park to host its maiden long-distance Supercars race before the Repco Bathurst 1000.

There are still 10 months until The Bend, but just two co-drivers have been locked in to return in 2025.

One is at Triple Eight Race Engineering, with Scott Pye to head into his second year of a two-year deal with the powerhouse team. Pye won the Sandown 500 with Will Brown, while Jamie Whincup is expected to return alongside Broc Feeney.

Winterbottom has been heavily linked to a fairytale return to Tickford Racing, where he won 38 races and the 2015 drivers' championship in a decorated stint between 2006 and 2018.

Should Tickford land Winterbottom's signature, he would likely line up with Cam Waters, with James Moffat tipped to shift to Thomas Randle's car. It would also see Tyler Everingham become hot property, with the rising star impressing alongside Randle.

Erebus Motorsport could be forced into a double change, with Todd Hazelwood tipped to follow Brodie Kostecki to Dick Johnson Racing, with gun driver Jayden Ojeda also linked to Walkinshaw Andretti United alongside Chaz Mostert.

Erebus has already flagged its intention to hand Academy rising star Jobe Stewart an enduro debut, with Jarrod Hughes also impressing in his maiden Super2 season this year.

WAU has had two veterans in Lee Holdsworth and Fabian Coulthard on its books in recent years, but amid the Ojeda reports, 2021 Bathurst winner Holdsworth was recently linked to Team 18, where he raced full-time in 2015 and 2016.

There is guaranteed to be at least one change at DJR at least, given Kai Allen will shift to Penrite Racing, where Garth Tander is the other co-driver formally locked in for 2025. Tander raced with Matt Payne in 2024, while Dale Wood lined up alongside Richie Stanaway, who will shift to PremiAir Nulon Racing.

Tony D’Alberto has been with the Shell V-Power Racing Team since 2016, and partnered Team 18-bound Anton De Pasquale between 2021 and 2024. Should Hazelwood follow Kostecki to DJR, D'Alberto would line up alongside Will Davison should he remain with the team for a 10th season.

Stanaway will be a big story at PremiAir for 2025, with the team making big strides this year with James Golding and David Russell claiming a maiden podium for the team at Sandown. Russell has been one of the form co-drivers in recent years, and PremiAir will be keen to keep him. While it appears too early to say who will partner Stanaway, Cameron McLeod did with the team alongside Slade.

Slade, meanwhile, looks to be hot property for the 2025 co-driver market, and raced with DJR and Scott McLaughlin in 2020. However, amid the Hazelwood links, Slade could emerge at another team altogether, with the likes of Matt Stone Racing, Brad Jones Racing and Blanchard Racing Team also yet to confirm any enduro plans.

Slade raced full-time for BJR (2016-19) and BRT (2021-22), and was a teammate to current MSR driver Nick Percat at Walkinshaw and BJR. Cameron Crick impressed for MSR on debut with Cameron Hill, finishing 10th at Sandown and Bathurst. It was a tougher run for Percat and Dylan O'Keeffe, who finished 17th and 22nd in the two races.

There will be at least one wildcard on the 2025 enduro grid, with Zach Bates confirmed alongside seven-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes for the two races.

The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will conclude at the VAILO Adelaide 500 on Thursday November 14. Tickets are on sale now.