Triple Eight snares Erebus rising star

Triple Eight Race Engineering has signed rising star Oli Wickham to a development racing program.

The teenager only joined the Erebus Academy last year, and went on to win the GR Cup.

Triple Eight identified Wickham "as the ideal candidate to benefit from dedicated guidance, support and mentoring both on and off track from Triple Eight management, technical and engineering staff, and drivers."

Wickham will will commence his new journey this weekend at Queensland Raceway, joining the Ford Mustang Cup Australia alongside Jack Perkins.

From there, the door is open for Triple Eight to facilitate more racing moves for Wickham in the future. The powerhouse team currently operates three entries in the Repco Supercars Championship, and has previously run teams in Super2 and GT4.

Wickham currently leads the Australian Formula Ford Championship.

"This is the most exciting opportunity I’ve ever had. To join this team, with the wealth of knowledge that the drivers, engineers and support crew at Triple Eight possess, is incredible. They are the benchmark in motorsport, and to be here is huge for my development and journey," Wickham said.

"It’s an opportunity to take what I’ve done so far and continue to grow both on and off the track. This is the best place for me to do that, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone here to achieve the best results possible for the team, no matter what I’m driving.

"Mustang Cup this weekend is all about learning from Jack [Perkins] — everything about the car, the track and the racing, as well as how to go about things in the garage.

"It’s a big step up, but I’m ready for it and excited for it. The goal is to be in a Supercar one day, and this is the best start I could have hoped for."

Triple Eight Managing Director Jamie Whincup added: “When we first saw Oli in the car, we knew immediately that we were looking at a very talented young driver. When you see someone with that raw talent who is coachable, eager and intelligent behind the wheel and in the garage, it’s really exciting.

“We want to identify these drivers as they come up through different levels of motorsport. The goal is to mentor and develop them, and place them within a team and program where they can have the greatest opportunity for success and chase down big opportunities.

“We want to invest in a young driver and give them the best shot at fulfilling their dream of becoming the next great talent. Mustang Cup now, then Super2 and Supercars — that’s Oli’s dream, and we’re here to support that every step of the way, both on and off the track. Broc [Feeney] is a great example of that.

“I cannot wait to see what he does in Mustang Cup and beyond.”