Outgoing Fullwood will 'never forget' breakthrough WAU podium
An ‘unforgettable’ Tailem Bend podium remains the key highlight for Bryce Fullwood upon the driver’s Walkinshaw Andretti United exit announcement.
It was confirmed Tuesday that Fullwood, the 2019 Super2 champion, will shift from WAU to Brad Jones Racing.
Fullwood will join fellow recruit Andre Heimgartner in a revamped BJR line-up in 2022.
The 23-year-old became the first Darwin-born full-time Supercars driver in 2020 when he earned the call-up to WAU.
Results were initially hard to come by, but come Tailem Bend, Fullwood’s luck turned.
The Territorian finished a surprise third behind Fabian Coulthard and Jack Le Brocq in Race 25.
Fullwood started the 24-lap sprint in 13th, and crossed the line to claim his first career podium in just his 29th career start.
“Thank you to everyone at Walkinshaw Andretti United. I’ve loved these last two seasons, and am looking forward to new opportunities in 2022,” Fullwood said.
“There are some fantastic people in this team who have really helped me who I can’t thank enough, and I’ll never forget my first Supercars podium finish.
“We’ve still got five rounds to focus on first though, including Bathurst, so I’m really looking forward to working on finishing on a high, before the next chapter.”
WAU Team Principal Bruce Stewart added: “Bryce has been a fantastic part of our team, but above that, a wonderful person in general.
"We have seen him grow and develop in his two years with us, and his podium finish in his rookie year is something none of us will forget.
"We will miss having that smiling face around the garage.
"He’s always been a pleasure to work with, so from all of us in the team, we wish Bryce, and the entire Fullwood family well, and thank them for everything they have done.”
The team has yet to confirm a replacement for Fullwood, although a straight swap with Nick Percat - who recently confirmed his BJR exit - appears imminent.
Fullwood will resume his 2021 campaign this weekend in Sydney 16th overall, but it fewer than 100 points behind 10th place.
He scored finishes of 13th, 20th, 10th, 15th and 15th in the opening five Sydney races in 2020, before finishing a career-best seventh in the final race.
He improved that with his Bend podium, before scoring top six finishes in Bathurst and Tailem Bend this year.
“Bryce has been a pleasure to work with over the last two seasons, and we all thank him for his contributions to the team,” team co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw said.
"Above all else, he is a great person and has been a fantastic team member, and we all wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career.
“We are fully committed to finishing the year strongly with Bryce, so I look forward to seeing that unfold in the final five rounds of the year.”
Team co-owner Michael Andretti added: “We all want to thank Bryce for the last two seasons, and wish him all the best for the future, he’s been a great team member, and has worked well with everyone at Walkinshaw Andretti United.
“We look forward to racing against him in 2022, but first and foremost, we will be working together to finish the year as well as possible.”
Team co-owner Zak Brown said: “Bryce has been great to work with these last two seasons, and we thank him for what he has done for Walkinshaw Andretti United.
“There is still a lot to play out in 2021, so we will all be working to finish the year on a high.”
The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship will continue at this weekend’s Bunnings Trade Sydney SuperNight. Tickets for all four upcoming Sydney events are on sale now.
All sessions will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and streamed via Kayo.
The Seven Network will broadcast live from 3:30pm AEDT on Saturday and 12:30pm AEDT on Sunday.
