Grove Racing forms most experienced 2022 line-up

Grove Racing has formed the most experienced line-up on the 2022 grid with the signing of Lee Holdsworth.

Holdsworth’s full-time comeback was confirmed on Friday, less than two weeks after his Repco Bathurst 1000 victory.

The 38-year-old veteran will partner David Reynolds at the Braeside team, which will compete in 2022 as a fully-owned Grove outfit.

Holdsworth is a veteran of 476 starts, and Reynolds 369 starts.

Together, they combine for 845 races and 386 rounds. Both are the most of any 2022 line-up, ahead of Team 18.

Mark Winterbottom (558 races and 250 rounds) and Scott Pye (279 races and 124 rounds) combine for 837 races and 374 rounds.

Such is the experience at the Grove Racing and Team 18 squads, that they both combine for more race and round starts than the two four-car operations of Tickford Racing and Brad Jones Racing.

Red Bull Ampol Racing ended the season with a combined total of 1001 races and 454 rounds.

However, Jamie Whincup’s retirement has opened the door to Super2 champion Broc Feeney, who has made just two starts, both in Bathurst.

As it was in 2021, Erebus Motorsport will field the most inexperienced line-up; however, Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki buried the ‘rookie’ tag in quick time.

Brown and Kostecki scored their first podiums in 2021, the latter third in the Great Race. Brown also took a pole and won a race at Sydney Motorsport Park. They finished eighth and ninth overall in 2021.

The 13-event 2022 Repco Supercars Championship will commence in Newcastle next year. Tickets for the event are on sale now.

The 13-round draft calendar was released during the Repco Bathurst 1000 weekend.

Combined race starts for 2022 team line-ups

845: Grove Racing (Holdsworth 476, Reynolds 369)837: Team 18 (Winterbottom 558, Pye 279)747: Tickford Racing (Courtney 493, Waters 188, J.Kostecki 48, Randle 18)602: Shell V-Power Racing Team (Davison 483, De Pasquale 119)566: Team Sydney (Coulthard 470, Jacobson 96)514: Walkinshaw Andretti United (Mostert 261, Percat 253)450: Red Bull Ampol Racing (van Gisbergen 448, Feeney 2)429: Brad Jones Racing (Heimgartner 182, Jones 111, Smith 70, Fullwood 66)364: CoolDrive Racing (Slade 364)259: Matt Stone Racing (Le Brocq 135, Hazelwood 124)76: Erebus Motorsport (Brown 40, B.Kostecki 36)

Combined round starts for 2022 team line-ups

386: Grove Racing (Holdsworth 214, Reynolds 172)374: Team 18 (Winterbottom 250, Pye 124)341: Tickford Racing (Courtney 220, Waters 92, J.Kostecki 21, Randle 8)274: Shell V-Power Racing Team (Davison 220, De Pasquale 54)268: Team Sydney (Coulthard 214, Jacobson 44)235: Walkinshaw Andretti United (Percat 118, Mostert 117)204: Red Bull Ampol Racing (van Gisbergen 202, Feeney 2)196: Brad Jones Racing (Heimgartner 83, Jones 54, Smith 30, Fullwood 29)171: CoolDrive Racing (Slade 171)123: Matt Stone Racing (Le Brocq 65, Hazelwood 58)35: Erebus Motorsport (Brown 19, B.Kostecki 16)