Five unresolved matters ahead of 2021
The countdown is on to the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship, with the Mt Panorama 500 season opener just over seven weeks away.
Much has changed in the 11 weeks since the 2020 season ended at Bathurst, with several key team and driver changes making for a significant silly season.
What’s more is that 2022 bodes to be even bigger, with the Gen3 rule package set to revamp the category once again.
However, many things remain unresolved, with time ticking away ahead of the February 13-14 test at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Where to next for Reynolds?
Following a season without a single visit to the podium, David Reynolds departed Erebus just one year into a "lifetime" 10-year deal.
Erebus moved quickly to lock in an all-new driver line-up, with Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown to fly the flag for the Holden squad in 2021, which will also be searching for a new naming rights sponsor.
Reynolds has been linked to Kelly Racing, with his former Erebus race engineer, Alistair McVean, also set to shift to the Braeside squad. George Commins and Tom Moore have already been confirmed as Erebus' new race engineers.
Rick Kelly’s full-time retirement at the end of 2020 has opened the door for a Reynolds move, although nothing has been confirmed yet.
DJR's car numbers
Dick Johnson Racing has an all-new driver line-up in 2021, with Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale to herald a new era for the famous Ford team.
It’s not yet clear which recruit will carry the iconic #17 in 2021. Davison’s three-year stint for the team (2006-08) came with the #18 on the window, but he did, however, cut some laps in a #17 Mustang at Queensland Raceway shortly after his signing was confirmed.
DJR is unable to run the iconic #17 and #18 together due to the latter being tied to the Racing Entitlements Contract Charlie Schwerkolt bought. The #18 is now tied to Schwerkolt's Holden squad, which bears the Team 18 name with Mark Winterbottom's entry carrying the number.
DJR's second number is also yet to be confirmed, with the team previously running the #12 for Fabian Coulthard between 2016 and 2020.
Team Sydney and Tickford vacancies
Tickford has already confirmed Cameron Waters and James Courtney for 2021, although 2020 drivers Lee Holdsworth and Jack Le Brocq are yet to have their plans set in stone. However, both Holdsworth and Le Brocq are on "multi-year" deals according to their current contracts.
Team Sydney is also yet to confirm who will partner recruit Fabian Coulthard. The Tekno squad's maiden season as a two-car operation featured some mid-season changes, with James Courtney replaced by Alex Davison after the season opener.
The Coulthard signing marked a coup for the team, but Chris Pither, who drove a Coca-Cola-backed car in 2020, hasn't been confirmed for the new season. Davison has also indicated he his desire to return.
The team is well-placed to make even more gains in 2021, with decorated race engineer Dr Geoffrey Slater - who masterminded the team’s 2016 Bathurst win - also returning.
Gen3 and the question of 2022
Teams will be working towards locking in 2022 plans ahead of the introduction of the Gen3 rules package. While an ongoing 2021 season will be the priority for teams, questions will remain on which manufacturers some squads will run in 2022.
The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will join the grid in 2022, with the iconic American muscle car to take on its traditional rival, the Ford Mustang.
The current ZB Commodore model will race on in 2021, despite General Motors closing down Holden operations. Supercars has charged current Holden factory team Triple Eight with the homologation of the Gen3 Camaro race car body under the endorsement of GM.
With the Intellectual Property for the Camaro race car belonging to Supercars, other teams may also adopt the two-door coupe if they choose. Ryan Walkinshaw previously stated his Walkinshaw Andretti United squad has yet to commit to a brand for 2022, despite his links to Chevrolet brand on the road car side.
Walkinshaw also indicated that his team has garnered "genuine interest from other manufacturers that we're in discussions with", and expects a confirmed plan for 2022 by the middle of the year.
The co-driver market
The 2020 season will again feature just one endurance event, being October’s Repco Bathurst 1000. Teams will be looking to lock in premium talent for co-driving slots.
IndyCar-bound Scott McLaughlin is set to return in a DJR Mustang, while Craig Lowndes will enter the final year of his co-driving contract with Triple Eight.
Thomas Randle, the 2020 Super2 champion, also sealed a co-driving return with Tickford following a one-off effort with Brad Jones Racing.
The remaining co-driving spots are all yet to be confirmed.
