Crisis upon Supercars as driver exodus bites

By most accounts, and a Speedcafe report, team boss Barry Ryan is the source of consternation.

Ryan is a controversial figure in pit lane. His portrayal in the Supercars-produced docuseries certainly painted him as a polarising figure.

Now, Erebus Motorsport is fighting to keep Kostecki, who has decided he’s done with the team and would rather be sat on the sidelines.

The ramifications of Kostecki’s exit are far reaching and raise some serious questions.

What’s next for Kostecki? 

That’s the question on everyone’s lips. In the short term, Kostecki is set to be sat on the sidelines.

However, there’s still a chance he could return to the grid later this year, either in a full-time or part-time capacity – the latter as a co-driver at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

The immediate inference from a lot of punters is that Kostecki may have fast-tracked plans to follow Shane van Gisbergen and race in the NASCAR Cup Series. 

Kostecki was already in line to join Richard Childress Racing in select events. However, that connection to the NASCAR team has come largely by way of Erebus, so severing ties to the team may yet jeopardise those plans.

A curious social media post (above) from Kostecki’s most high-profile sponsor Peter Adderton of Boost Mobile has raised some eyebrows.

In it, a Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro was pictured with Kostecki’s name on it and Richard Childress Racing stickers. This, just two days before the Erebus fallout came to light.

There is, of course, legalities to play out. Kostecki is contracted to race for Erebus in 2024.

It’s entirely possible splitting with the team could lead to gardening leave which would likely keep him out of Supercars all year.

Whether that would extend beyond Supercars remains to be seen. Details could come to light in a matter of days.

The grim reality for Supercars bosses

Jamie Whincup, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, and now Kostecki have all left the championship. That leaves Mark Winterbottom as the most recent Supercars champion, who won it nearly a decade ago in 2015. 

Winterbottom and James Courtney are the only two champions on the grid full-time this year, and that’s got to be of some concern. Courtney is also the oldest of the two at 43 and Winterbottom isn’t far behind at 42.

Van Gisbergen was voted the fan favourite last year and his sheer dominance before Kostecki’s rise left little room for anyone else to make a name for themselves.

With Kostecki gone, Supercars will have to hope residual interest in the likes of its Bathurst 1000 winners and its two remaining champions is enough to work with.

Supercars gets a new champion

If there’s one silver lining in all of this, it’s that Supercars will get a new champion – but who will rise to the occasion?

The obvious candidates are Triple Eight duo Broc Feeney and Will Brown as well as established names like Cameron Waters for Tickford and Chaz Mostert for WAU.

Feeney was third behind Kostecki and van Gisbergen and logically is the favourite for this year’s title ahead of Mostert and Brown.

There are other young guns on the up too, namely Adelaide 500 winner Matt Payne and highly-regarded Kiwi countryman Ryan Wood.

Could Kostecki’s untimely departure give rise to a new generation of stars?

Do or die for Todd Hazelwood

If there’s one man smiling in all of this, it’s Todd Hazelwood. The Super2 Series winner has been full-time in Supercars since 2018 but has never been a regular top 10 runner.

At Erebus Motorsport, there’s a chance for him to prove what he’s really made of alongside teammate Jack Le Brocq.

Last year, the team won more than a third of the races. There is no doubt the equipment is capable.

There is a small but vocal fan base who rate the 28-year-old highly. If there was ever a chance to be a winner, it’s now.

Will he capitalise on this chance? It could be his last.