How Gold Coast crash triggered DJR headstart on 2026
DJR welcoming new staff, has made key changes ahead of 2026
Triple Eight has taken over Ford homologation, engine duties from DJR
Rylan Gray replaced Will Davison, will make full-time debut in 2026
At face value, the Shell V-Power Racing Team's 2025 championship hopes ended on the Gold Coast when Brodie Kostecki was eliminated from The Finals.
However, the dramatic weekend gave Dick Johnson Racing an opportunity to swing changes and bed them in for 2026, according to Kostecki.
The 2023 Supercars champion emerged as a favourite for the 2025 drivers' championship as the season shifted to Finals mode, only for a qualifying crash to rule Kostecki out of Saturday's race.
With Kostecki eliminated, DJR had two rounds remaining in 2025 to get some more runs on the board, be it on the results sheet or getting a headstart on 2026. As fate would have it, the team ticked both boxes.
Notably, Will Davison's Race Engineer Tom Moore stepped into the Team Manager role. Ed Williams, who previously worked in a performance and engine role, replaced Moore.
It paid immediate dividends, with Kostecki racing to victory in the Adelaide opener in the team's first weekend with Moore and Williams in their new roles.
Williams will return in 2026 to engineer rookie Rylan Gray, while experienced engineer Mark Fenning has been promoted to Team Principal.
In the off-season, outgoing CEO David Noble was quickly replaced by Megan Foster after a global search, Motorsport Powertrains Engine Department Manager Ryan Medew moved into the newly created role of Workshop Manager, and former Triple Eight commercial boss Pete Jamieson joined in the new position of Chief Commercial Officer.
DJR, now free of homologation responsibilities, has hit the ground running as it chases its first championship since Penske left at the end of 2020.
“We had a few staff changes end of last year, and going to Adelaide,” Kostecki said on his Lucky Dogs podcast.
“Tom's Team Manager now, Mark's Team Principal, and a few of the guys from the engine shop have moved into workshop managing roles, which has been really good.
“Once we got knocked out, we just started implementing changes earlier to get ready for next season."
Amid the management and engineering changes, Kostecki said getting rookie Rylan Gray up to speed is a key focus for the team in the opening rounds of the new season.
Kostecki claimed the changes implemented at the end of 2025 will give the Super2 champion a greater chance to develop throughout the new season at a "faster rate," adding: "When Rylan comes in, it's smooth sailing and there’s less of a refining process through the start of the season.
“It’s making sure he's got all the tools he can do to develop at a faster rate, because we want to give him a good chance. We've just got to go out and go do it now."
Kostecki claimed three wins, including Ford's first enduro win since 2019 at The Bend, en route to ninth overall last season. DJR will launch its 2026 campaign and reveal its new liveries at a fan event on February 1.
