Courtney experience to help BRT take next step
Supercars
05 Dec
James Courtney to help Blanchard Racing Team take the “next step”
Courtney and Aaron Love to lead expanded BRT in 2024
BRT ran a single car between 2021 and 2023, and enduro wildcard in '23
The arrival of James Courtney will help the expanding Blanchard Racing Team take the “next step”, says Tim Blanchard.
BRT has operated as a one-car team since it debuted in 2021, and the team punched above its weight with the experienced Tim Slade in its CoolDrive Mustang.
In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Slade scored 27 top 10 finishes in 62 starts, and registered championship finishes of 12th and 11th.
Todd Hazelwood arrived, as did Gen3, for 2023 — but results were hard to come by, with Hazelwood recording four top 10 finishes en route to 21st overall.
However, in a positive sign for 2024, Hazelwood managed to unlock pace at the season-ending VAILO Adelaide 500 with finishes of 12th and 11th.
Courtney has 554 race starts and 15 wins to his name, with the 2010 series champion taking a podium in Perth. Critically, Courtney arrives with Snowy River Caravans backing in the wake of BRT’s big 2023, which featured a Super2 entry for Aaron Love and an enduro wildcard.
With a strong finish for Hazelwood in tow, Blanchard is excited to have Courtney add to BRT’s profile as the Box Hill squad eyes silverware for the first time.
“We’ve had a fairly big three or four months and this weekend shows we can be competitive when we get things right,” Blanchard said.
“We’re now looking forward to expanding to two cars in 2024 and bringing new crew and new partners on board.
"We will also have James Courtney with us and his wealth of experience will really help us to take the next step as a team.
”Speaking after his BRT signing, Courtney was especially keen to mentor Love, who is jumping from the Dunlop Series to the main game.
Love has just 13 races in Supercars machinery to his name across Supercars and Super2, sharing the BRT wildcard at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 500.
“It’s a pretty exciting driver line-up,” Courtney said.
“He’s a young Super2 driver who’s doing really well, he has a lot of speed… working with Aaron is going to be quite fun.
“I’ve done the last couple of years at Tickford, working with Thomas Randle, Jake Kostecki, Declan Fraser and Cam Waters, all young guys.
“I’ve been helping those guys and mentoring them with my experience, and helping cut corners where I can.
“Very much focussed on that with Aaron.”
