New Gen3 Supercars set for 2024 debut
A number of teams have built new cars for 2024
2023 was the first season of the Gen3 era
Last year's title contenders have built two new cars each
A number of teams will start the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship with a clean slate when it comes to new cars.
The run into 2023, the first season of the Gen3 era, was centred on teams racing to the finish line to get cars ready for testing. Come 2024, and teams have a season of the new machinery under their belts, with some opting to build new cars.
That includes championship combatants Erebus Motorsport and Triple Eight Race Engineering, with both Chevrolet teams building new Camaros for their drivers.
Erebus has opted to retire Brodie Kostecki’s title-winning Camaro, dubbed EM05, and build new cars for the new champion and his incoming teammate Jack Le Brocq.
Triple Eight is also building new cars for Broc Feeney and new signing Will Brown, whose final Erebus Camaro was effectively written off in his Adelaide crash that ironically took out Shane van Gisbergen.
When asked about Triple Eight building new cars for 2024, Brown told Supercars.com: “Generally, they usually start the year with new cars to start fresh, and they’ve taken that approach into the new season.
“There’s always more to learn, last year was a learning year for everyone with the new cars.”
Fellow Camaro teams Matt Stone Racing and PremiAir Racing are also set to enter 2024 with new cars, with MSR taking delivery of a third chassis late last year.
MSR has ambitions of fielding a wildcard in 2024, while PremiAir Racing took ownership of Triple Eight-built chassis 888A-074, which was once owned by Boost Mobile boss Peter Adderton.
The Blue Oval will be represented by five two-car teams in 2024 — Tickford Racing, Dick Johnson Racing, Penrite Racing, Walkinshaw Andretti United and Blanchard Racing Team.
Penrite Racing has been building a new chassis — GR-03 — for incoming driver Richie Stanaway. Ford homologation team DJR, meanwhile, has been building DJRS-06 for Anton De Pasquale.
Will Davison was shifted into DJR's wildcard for the final two rounds of the season, with the team’s third chassis debuting at last year’s Great Race by Simona De Silvestro/Kai Allen.
Tickford has downsized from four to two cars for Cam Waters and Thomas Randle, with chassis TR-27 — which was raced by Declan Fraser last year — heading to BRT.
Both teams now have three cars — two race-ready cars and a spare each — with BRT welcoming James Courtney and Aaron Love, who debuted the team’s wildcard chassis in last year’s enduros.
WAU, Team 18 and Brad Jones Racing are set to start the new season with their respective 2023 chassis, with all three teams welcoming new drivers this year.
WAU has called up rookie Ryan Wood to replace MSR-bound Nick Percat, David Reynolds has shifted from Penrite Racing to Team 18, and Jaxon Evans replaces Jack Smith at BJR.
The host of new and raced Supercars will be on track in just two weeks. Queensland-based Supercars teams will hit the track at Ipswich’s Queensland Raceway on Monday February 5, while southern-based teams will test at Winton Motor Raceway on Wednesday February 7. Both test days will be open to the public.
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will then get underway at the Thrifty Bathurst 500 on February 23-25. Tickets are on sale now.
