BRT announces Kostecki/Love enduro wildcard

Blanchard Racing Team has announced its 2023 enduro wildcard, with Jake Kostecki securing a Supercars comeback alongside Super2 driver Aaron Love.

BRT becomes the third team, along with Triple Eight and Dick Johnson Racing, to field a wildcard entry in 2023. 

The family-owned team will shakedown its new chassis, BRT002, after the forthcoming OTR SuperSprint.

The BRT wildcard announcement coincides with confirmation that team co-owner Tim Blanchard will partner Todd Hazelwood in the team’s primary #3 CoolDrive Mustang.

It leaves just two combinations to be confirmed for the 2023 enduros, at Penrite Racing. Garth Tander and Kevin Estre have signed for the team, but haven’t been assigned to cars.

The Kostecki/Love Mustang will, like the Craig Lowndes/Zane Goddard Triple Eight Camaro, compete at both the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000.

The Simona De Silvestro/Kai Allen DJR Ford will compete in the Great Race, with this year’s Bathurst 1000 to feature 28 entries. Both BRT Fords will share a pit boom.

Kostecki’s comeback comes six months after his Tickford Racing contract were terminated in the off-season.

The cousin of Supercars series leader Brodie, Kostecki will share the BRT wildcard Ford with Love, who will make his main game and Bathurst debuts.

Kostecki is the latest in a string of comebacks, joining Garry Jacobson (Tickford Racing) and Jonathon Webb (Nulon Racing).

Love — who, like Kostecki, hails from Perth — was on site with BRT at the ride day following the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

“I am super excited to be back racing in the Supercars Championship for the enduro season with the Blanchard Racing Team co-driving with my good friend Aaron Love,” Kostecki said.

“I am very thankful to the Blanchard family and BRT for the opportunity.

“Gen3 has brought new excitement to the sport, so I am looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of a Mustang and getting some good results.

“I’ve been close friends with Aaron for a fair few years. I am looking forward to racing alongside him and helping out as much as we can.”

Love recently became eligible for a Great Race start, like Allen, after tweaks to the Superlicence criteria.

The 21-year-old made his Super2 debut this year as BRT stepped into the second-tier series, and is seventh in the standings after three rounds.

“I am really looking forward to the new opportunity to race in the race series and it’ll definitely feel surreal come the Sunday at Sandown, and definitely at Bathurst,” Love said.

“It’ll be another new challenge but I’m really looking forward to taking it on, and to have Jake in the car as well will definitely be really cool since we’ve been mates since racing in karts.

“The boys have been working really hard to get the car built and everyone in the team is really excited to see it go out on track.”

Love will race in Super2 and Supercars at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on September 15-17, with the Repco Bathurst 1000 to be held on October 5-8.

2023 enduro combinations (as of August 1, 2023)

*Sandown and Bathurst wildcard

**Bathurst wildcard only