DJR Bathurst wildcard livery, engineer revealed
Supercars
21 Sep 2023
DJR wildcard livery for De Silvestro and Allen revealed
Yellow Mustang to carry #98, citing Shell's octane premium fuel
De Silvestro and Allen will test next week ahead of October 5-8 event
The Shell V-Power Racing Team has revealed the look Simona De Silvestro and Kai Allen will carry aboard their wildcard Ford at the Repco Bathurst 1000.
De Silvestro’s first start since 2019, and Allen’s first ever, will come aboard the #98 Shell V-Power wildcard Mustang.
The #98 will carry an inverted look of the team’s standard red livery for Will Davison and Tony D’Alberto, with the De Silvestro/Allen Ford predominantly yellow.
The wildcard livery also draws parallels to the former Shell Helix DJR Falcons of the early 2000s. The #98 also pays homage to Shell’s 98 octane premium unleaded fuel, Shell V-Power Unleaded 98.
The car will also carry backing from Harvey Norman, Rheem, Pivotel, WM Waste and National Tiles, along with personalised plates 'SIM KAI’ thanks to sponsor PPQ.
Team Manager Mikey Flynn, Chief Engineer Perry Kapper and Technical Director Mark Fenning will oversee the third DJR Ford, with seasoned data engineer Ed Williams making his Supercars debut as Race Engineer. Williams has seven years’ experience with DJR, working as a design, performance and data engineer.
De Silvestro and Allen will complete two test days at Queensland Raceway next week, ahead of the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 5-8.
"It’s wonderful to finally be able to share this livery with the public, it’s a standout design that we’re very proud of and we have no doubt it will look fantastic when it hits the track at Mount Panorama,” DJR CEO David Noble said.
"We’ve had a lot of interest in the lead up to this reveal around what the livery will look like, so we hope our fans agree that it looks spectacular and is going to catch their eye on the track.
"The wildcard program has also been a great opportunity for us to create development programs for up-and-coming talent in our engineering and mechanical teams, we look forward to seeing this come to fruition at the Repco Bathurst 1000.
"I’d like to thank our partners Viva Energy Australia, Rheem, Pivotel, WM Waste, Harvey Norman, National Tiles and PPQ for their support of the No.98 Shell V-Power Mustang, the countdown to the Repco Bathurst 1000 is well and truly on."
"We just saw the car for the first time, and it looks amazing! It’s definitely going to stand out, it looks fast and aggressive, which is always a good thing,” De Silvestro said.
"I think it’s going to look great going down Conrod Straight. I can’t wait to hit the track in the No.98 Shell V-Power Mustang with Kai.”
Allen added: "It’s super cool to see the No.98 Shell V-Power Mustang all stickered up and ready to go, it’s going to stand out! I’m sure if we’re fast and put the pressure on it will fill up everyone’s mirrors with lots of yellow.
"I’m can’t wait to get out to QR and do some test days in it, then head down to Bathurst with Simona."
Andrew Egan, Customer & Marketing of Viva Energy Retail General Manager, added: “We’re excited to support wild card drivers Simona and Kai as part of our long-standing partnership with the Dick Johnson Racing Team.
"It’s no surprise that we’re delighted that the car will be emblazoned with 98, the octane rating of our premium fuel — Shell V-Power, as we know it means high performance and a winning attitude.
"Bathurst 1000 is an iconic race, so adding two brilliant new drivers to the already successful Shell V-Power Racing Team will give fans more reasons to cheer them on and we hope will see similar success to the team at previous Bathurst events.
"We wish Simona and Kai, along with Will, Alex, Anton and Tony all the best for the upcoming endurance event and look forward to a sea of Shell red and yellow on the podium."
