Triple Eight launches 2024 wildcard, commits to 2025
Triple Eight launches 2024 wildcard in Melbourne
Team announces wildcard program will continue into 2025
Rookie Cooper Murray to race with Craig Lowndes
Triple Eight Race Engineering has launched its 2024 wildcard in Melbourne, with the team announcing the program will continue into 2025.
The 10-time Bathurst-winning team launched its fourth consecutive Supercars wildcard entry, complete with launch livery, in front of fans at Grazeland in Melbourne.
The car, which will be backed by Supercheap Auto for a fourth season, will be raced by seven-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes and rookie Cooper Murray at both the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000. As it was in 2023, the #888 Camaro will be engineered by Wes McDougall.
Triple Eight also announced Murray, 22, will make his main game debut in the car at the upcoming betr Darwin Triple Crown on June 14-16.
Murray is the latest young driver to race the Triple Eight wildcard on the biggest Bathurst stage, following the likes of Broc Feeney (2021), Declan Fraser (2022) and Zane Goddard (2023).
The 2024 wildcard launch livery sees the return of Supercheap Auto's red and yellow in a tweaked designed, complete with the team’s iconic #888 number. The #888 Camaro will also carry backing from ACDelco, Century Batteries, Bendix, Bosch, Sony, Sperling, TurtleWax and ToolPRO.
Lowndes, 49, will continue with the wildcard in 2025, having signed a Triple Eight contract extension last year. This year’s Great Race will be Lowndes’ 32nd consecutive Bathurst start.
"Teaming up with Cooper, I’m excited to make this year’s entry bigger and more super,” the Supercars Hall of Famer said.
"I’m keen to get to our first test day at Queensland Raceway in May so we can start getting comfortable in the car and familiarising ourselves with our team of engineers and mechanics before a gruelling enduro campaign kicks off at Sandown.
“It’s fantastic that Cooper will be racing in Darwin, and I congratulate everyone for making this possible again in 2024. Any laps in these cars are invaluable, and hopefully he gets more comfortable with the car and the team before I jump in later in the year.
“I’m also thrilled to announce that I have signed on to continue with the program for the 2025 enduro season. Since we started, it has gone from strength to strength and I’m looking forward to continuing that."
Triple Eight Managing Director, Jamie Whincup, will take on Team Principal duties for the wildcard entry in Darwin, as he did in 2023. Whincup will race alongside Feeney in the team’s #88 Red Bull Ampol Camaro at the enduros.
"I’m really excited to see Cooper step up from Super2 to co-pilot with Craig,” Whincup said.
"I’m a huge believer in an experienced driver partnering with an up-and-coming talent to tackle two of the biggest events on the Supercars calendar, and this pairing has just as many opportunities and resources to win as our Red Bull Ampol Racing cars.
"I’m thrilled that Cooper will also get a standalone event in Darwin for him to get comfortable in these cars, and it’s a great opportunity for our engineers and mechanics to gel as a team before an intense enduro season later in the year.”
The new-look wildcard will make its on-track debut on May 28 at an official test day of 2024 at Queensland Raceway. Triple Eight will also launch an Indigenous-inspired livery prior to the Darwin round, as well as an enduro season livery prior to the Sandown 500 on September 13-15.
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will continue at the upcoming ITM Taupō Super400 on April 19-21.
