Supercars news: Ryan Wood locks in long-term future with WAU only halfway through debut campaign

Supercars rookie Ryan Wood is only halfway through his maiden campaign, but his team at Walkinshaw Andretti United has already seen enough to lock in his long-term future.

Kiwi rookie Ryan Wood is determined to “repay the faith” after locking in his long-term future at Walkinshaw Andretti United just seven races into his Supercars career.

While he is only halfway through his debut campaign in Supercars, WAU has moved quickly to tie up the New Zealand young gun with a multi-year contract extension.

Wood was already contracted for next year, but has now had his tenure at the Ford squad extended until at least the end of 2027.

Having earned a promotion to the main game following a successful Super2 campaign with WAU last year, Wood has already impressed in his rookie season.

The 20-year-old from Wellington has finished fourth twice with a season-high qualifying of second.

Wood’s deal shores up WAU’s driver line-up for the foreseeable future after dual Bathurst champion Chaz Mostert signed a long-term contract extension with the team late last year.

Ryan Wood with teammate Chaz Mostert. Picture: Getty Images

WAU co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw said he had no hesitation signing up Wood long-term, having predicted after the first round that he could be a future Supercars champion.

“We are really excited to share the news that we’ve locked in our future with Ryan,” Walkinshaw said.

“It wasn’t a tough decision for any of us, we had another year left on Ryan’s existing contract, but we are extremely confident of the future we have together. There wasn’t any reason not to get it locked away as soon as possible.

“He’s already showed results far beyond his experience in his first six months in the category, sometimes we have to remind ourselves of just how young he is, and how early into his racing career he is.

“Not only is he an outstanding talent on track with an incredibly bright future, but he is fantastic for our team culturally as well – we love having him here. We can’t wait to see him alongside Chaz long into the future.”

Ryan Wood has locked in his long-term future with Walkinshaw Andretti United. Picture: Getty Images

Wood said he hoped he could repay the faith the team had shown in him.

“It’s so awesome to be able to extend with the team, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, and it’s really nice to know it’s all locked away, and my focus can be on racing and developing,” Wood said.

“It was a pretty easy decision to be honest, from the moment I walked in here it felt like home, and it’s a really cool feeling to have that same support and trust back from everyone here.

“The word family gets thrown around a lot, but it’s the perfect way to describe how we operate. I think we are building something special here at Walkinshaw Andretti United, and I’m really excited to see what we can do in the next few years together.

“I’m looking forward to repaying the faith everyone has shown me from the start.”

Wood will return to action in the Tasmania SuperSprint at Symmons Plains Raceway this weekend.

Originally published as Supercars news: Ryan Wood locks in long-term future with WAU only halfway through debut campaign