WAU boss 'felt like a proud Dad' in Wood's Taupō breakthrough
WAU CEO Bruce Stewart sings praises of Kiwi young gun Ryan Wood
Ryan Wood claimed first career podium on home soil at Taupō
21-year-old has been with WAU since standout Super2 campaign in 2023
Walkinshaw Andretti United CEO Bruce Stewart has sung the praises of rising star Ryan Wood after he claimed his first career Supercars podium at the ITM Taupō Super 440.
Wood was a breakout performer in New Zealand, claiming his first career podium in the first race of the weekend, sharing the rostrum with childhood friend Matt Payne, in what was the latest step in a remarkable rise through the ranks.
The Wellingtonian burst onto the Australian scene in 2022 with a standout campaign in the Porsche Sprint Challenge, as part of the Team Porsche New Zealand Scholarship Program.
Wood drove for Le Mans winner Earl Bamber's team with backing from the Giltrap Group, finishing second behind Tom Sargent, who drove for the team run by Supercars' newest race winner Cameron Hill.
The then-teenager also impressed in a Toyota 86 cameo at that year's Repco Bathurst 1000, and was set to graduate to Carrera Cup with Earl Bamber Motorsport in 2023.
However, a chance to drive a WAU ZB Commodore at an evaluation day proved a pivotal moment in the Kiwi's career.
In November 2022, Wood was evaluated alongside Joey Mawson, Kaleb Ngatoa, Matt McLean, and 2025 Supercars rookie Aaron Cameron.
Wood stunned Team Principal Carl Faux, who was also in attendance at Winton for the evaluation, and knew they had uncovered a star in the making.
"Carl Faux at an evaluation day, I asked him, 'How's that young kid Wood going?'" said Stewart on Supercars' Cool Down Lap podcast.
"We didn't have him for the next year, he had a Porsche and Giltrap association, and he said, 'He's special.' I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, they're all special mate.'
"And he was like, 'No no, this kid is like once every 10 years type stuff. He is super quick and he has something.' So long story short, Porsche and the Giltrap family helped us bring Woody in in 2023 in Super2, and we all know what he did there."
Although he didn't win the 2023 Dunlop Super2 Series, Wood was arguably the find of the season, winning five of the 12 races and claiming four pole positions on his way to third behind Kai Allen and Zak Best.
Wood had already secured his Supercars promotion well before then, being announced to replace Percat before the 2023 enduros at Sandown and Bathurst.
Fast forward to 2025, and Wood has proven to be more than just a wingman for his two-time Bathurst winning teammate Chaz Mostert, currently heading the qualifying head-to-head battle with Mostert six to four.
Stewart revealed that Mostert also played a big role in bringing Wood into the WAU fold, with the two-time Barry Sheene Medallist relishing in his mentoring role of the 21-year-old according to Stewart.
"I feel like a proud Dad, he's done so well, but I just know he's shooting for the stars. He's on the way, and he's got the best teammate and mentor in Mozzie.
"When we were trying to work out if we were going to do it or not, Chaz rang Ryan Walkinshaw and myself and said, 'I love this kid, we've got to bring him in, help him take the next step. He reminds me of me.'
"That was just amazing to hear that from Chaz. That fosters an amazing relationship on the track, and Woody's starting to qualify [well] and not always been the second [car] and all of that kind of stuff.
"But there's no egos, it's just all for the team, and it's really, really cool."
The 2025 Repco Supercars Championship continues at the Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440 from May 9-11. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
