Supercars: James Courtney excited to be driving for first Sydney-based team in 15 years
Motorsport heartland Western Sydney has been starved of a Supercars team team for 15 years. But that has now changed with the introduction of Team Sydney and their driver James Courtney couldn’t be happier.
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James Courtney has returned to where it all began.
The kid from Penrith who used to race go-karts around Oran Park is back in town and he’s racing for Supercars’ first Sydney-based team in 15 years.
Courtney joins Jonathon Webb’s Team Sydney — formerly Queensland-based Tekno Autosports — after nine years with Holden squad Walkinshaw Andretti United and said he is thrilled that his home town will finally have a team to barrack for.
“Being Penrith born and bred, to be part of the group bringing Supercars back to Sydney is fantastic for me,” Courtney said.
“Western Sydney is the heartland of our fanbase. We have a bigger percentage per capita of viewership from the region compared to anywhere else in Australia.”
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Webb announced plans to re-brand Tekno and expand the team to two cars at Bathurst last year.
“It was something talked about in my family five years ago, now we finally have the opportunity to do it. We’ve always been Queensland-based for the race team but we’re Sydney at heart,” Webb said.
Team Sydney will operate out of a temporary facility at Sydney Motorsport Park after this month’s season-opening Adelaide 500.
The Western Sydney track will host the city’s only Supercars round this year — the Sydney SuperNight from August 28-30.
With many of Sydney’s motorsport tracks closing over the years — including Oran Park, Amaroo Park and, most recently, Sydney Speedway — Courtney said a local team would mean a lot to the region.
“Sydney’s been starved of top tier motorsports, it’s very dominated by the ball sports. It’s good to give our fans here something to grab a hold of and support” Courtney said.
“Previously anyone aspiring to work within Supercars, whether it was engineers or mechanics, they had to go to Brisbane or Melbourne,”
“It’s great to be able to give people — myself when I was younger, people interested in motorsports - the opportunity to work within the sport at a higher level, in Western Sydney.”
Speculation has soared over summer that Webb would name New Zealander Chris Pither as Team Sydney’s second driver at Tuesday’s 2020 Supercars Championship launch in Circular Quay.
But Webb and Courtney remained tight-lipped on the matter as they showed off their Coca-Cola liveried #19.
“Between now and Adelaide, in about ten days time, we’ll do a full team announcement,” Webb said.
While Tekno Autosports failed to record a single top 10 result last year, 2010 Supercars champion Courtney is confident Team Sydney will surprise fans this season.
“Realistically, the championship is a big call, but I think we will be able to achieve some upset race wins,” Courtney said.
“Honestly for us in this first year, if we can finish regularly in the top six that’s great.”
Teams head to The Bend track in South Australia for the Supercars’ pre-season test day on February 18 before heading to Adelaide for the opening round of the championship from February 20-23.
Tekno Autosports, Matt Stone Racing and Team 18 have moved into two-car operations and Brad Jones Racing has expanded to four.
Refreshed McLaughlin ready to take up where he left off
Scott McLaughlin has finally escaped the Supercars bubble, admitting the relentless pressure of life in the fast lane can “burn you out’’.
After enjoying a solid break following a tumultuous 2019, the two-time champion is now back in Australia and is determined to become the fourth driver in history to achieve a championship three-peat.
The DJR Team Penske driver spent the off-season travelling around the US and tying the knot with American partner Karly Paone.
“Mentally, I’ve had a really good break away from it all,” McLaughlin said at Tuesday’s 2020 season launch.
“Today’s the first time I’ve seen the other drivers which is great. Team-wise I’ve just been training as I normally go.”
McLaughlin’s 2019 title win was plagued with controversy, most notably after his team was accused of using one of its car to slow its opponents down at the Bathurst 1000.
But time away from the sport over summer has served the Kiwi well.
“I never used to do it, I used to be stuck in my own little bubble of Supercars and racing, but as you do more events...” McLaughlin said.
“The rookies right now they’re probably like, ‘all I want to do is get out there’ and I was like that too,”
“But you do need to have time away from it because it does burn you out, it’s important to get away and be a normal 26-year-old every now and then.”
While he was in the US, team owner Roger Penske invited McLaughlin to test drive an IndyCar at Sebring International Raceway in Florida.
“It’s just cool to extend the portfolio of my racing, what you can drive ... the grip is just amazing, the power and breaking capabilities of the car was impressive,” McLaughlin said.
“But I can’t wait to get back into the Ford Mustang.”
After winning two Supercars titles and last year’s Bathurst 1000, speculation has mounted that McLaughlin will soon take his racing to the US.
McLaughlin didn’t rule the move out, but said his current focus was on achieving a Supercars three-peat.
“It’s all up in the air, we don’t really know at the moment,” McLaughlin said.
“I just want to do the best job for my team and my sponsors, my personal deals. Where I go, that’s up to the powers that be, to sort that out.”
- Jocelyn Airth