Defending Supercars champion announced as Ford squad Dick Johnson Racing’s new driver for 2025

Defending Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki next move has been confirmed in a major coup for a Blue Oval squad and his new boss guarantees a return to the top.

Dick Johnson guarantees his team will restore Brodie Kostecki to his Supercars Championship-winning best after the blockbuster move from Erebus Motorsport to Dick Johnson Racing was made official on Thursday.

Reigning series champion Kostecki, 26, will pilot a Ford Mustang for the first time in the main game when he partners veteran Will Davison at DJR in 2025.

It is a partnership that co-owner Ryan Story declared was “without doubt one of the strongest in pit lane”.

But a bullish Johnson went one step further, promising the Kostecki-Davison partnership would restore the team to its former glory after two middling seasons for the three-time Supercars Teams’ Champions.

Brodie Kostecki and Will Davison will partner in 2025. Picture: Kass Brumley/EDGE Photographics

“Our team has been through a lot of different drivers over many seasons and I can assure you that next year will be the rebirth of this team to where it has been in the past,” Johnson said.

“We’re throwing everything at it and as far as I’m concerned, the best people for the job are the two drivers that we’ll have.

“I guarantee we’ll get him (Kostecki) back to his best. We’ll throw everything at it. We’ve had dominant drivers before and we’ll have dominant drivers again.”

Johnson said the team had “taken a back seat” in the formative stages of Gen3 as it navigated the complexities of homologation and adapting to a new product: “But from this point on we’re up front.”

Kostecki’s Erebus departure was foretold a long way out after the much-publicised friction between he and the team’s management, which led to him sitting out the opening two rounds of the season.

After claiming six race wins and a maiden Supercars Championship last year, Kostecki has featured just once on the podium in 2024 and finds himself ranked 23rd with four race weekends left on the calendar.

A new era begins for @ShellVPowerRT!

DJR has confirmed reigning Supercars champion @BrodieKostecki will join the team in 2025 🤩 #RepcoSC#Supercarspic.twitter.com/kosuEBlbaS

— Supercars (@supercars) August 29, 2024

Johnson said it quickly became clear to the rest of pit lane that Kostecki “wasn’t going to stay with Erebus” and from there the race was on to snag the West Australian’s prized signature.

It all came to a head on Thursday at Norwell Motorplex on the Gold Coast, where the two teams completed a curious - if not humorous - ceremonial hand-off of Kostecki to DJR.

“It’s a dream I guess you could say,” Kostecki said of signing with DJR.

“I first met DJ when I was five or six years old, so to be able to join a team with such a rich history of success … is a very surreal feeling.”

With Erebus team boss Barry Ryan standing alongside him, Kostecki played down previous reports of a rift between the two parties, declaring “the relationship is fine”.

“It’s no secret that I went through some issues, but it’s great to be able to finish off the rest of the season and to be able to get advice from Barry, who gave me my first opportunity, and (team owner) Betty (Klimenko) as well.

“They’ve been very supportive of me. Betty really wants another Bathurst trophy, so I’ll do my best to deliver.

“(This is) not a fresh start, just building on what I’ve been building on my whole life. I’m very hungry for success and so is the team I’m going to be joining.”

Johnson is determined to see Brodie Kostecki back to success. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Ryan has long harboured frustrations with how the early season drama was reported and he reiterated as such again on Thursday.

“Sometimes in sport you need to part ways and Brodie has made the decisions he wants to move on,” the Erebus boss said.

“We’re obviously not happy with the way it was reported at the start of the year but we know what happened and we can move on from that now and we have. There’s four races to go and Brodie wants to win Bathurst more than anyone.”

Erebus will fill Kostecki’s seat with rising Super 2 star and Triple Eight enduros driver Cooper Murray.

The team boasts a rich history of unearthing young talent and Ryan said Murray “will be ready to start winning races” from the beginning of next season.

In doing so, he appeared to make a tongue-in-cheek passing shot at Kostecki, with whom he will still have to share a garage until mid-November.

Cooper Murray will replace Kostecki for Erebus. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

“The three (young) drivers in the past - Anton, Will (Brown) and Brodie - have all been race winners … so we’re pretty confident we can pick the right drivers,” he said.

“We’re really confident Cooper is the next kid. I actually think he could be a year ahead of some of those guys because he’s got his wildcard opportunity, which was rare back then.

“So if we can shortcut a year and get him to win the championships in 2026 and try to undercut Brodie (who won in his third season), that’ll be the maximum goal.”

Meanwhile, Story confirmed Anton De Pasquale’s move to Team 18 - news of which dropped on Wednesday - came as a result of DJR’s decision to target Kostecki for 2025.

“We’re excited he (De Pasquale) has got a terrific opportunity for him and we wish him all the best,” Story said.

“The difficult decision for us was to let Anton go - he’s been a great driver for us the past few years - but the easy decision was to pair Will and Brodie together.”

Supercars champion excited for ‘new chapter’ with Ford squad

Defending Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki has hailed the start of a “new chapter” after his move to Ford squad Dick Johnson Racing was confirmed.

Less than a year after his maiden championship win with Erebus Motorsport, Kostecki, 26, was on Thursday announced as DJR’s big signing for 2025.

Kostecki will race alongside Supercars veteran Will Davison, 41, who will continue with DJR for a fifth season next year, in a driver combination which team principal Ryan Story labelled “one of the best on the grid”.

The driver change comes after DJR’s Anton De Pasquale was announced as former series champion Mark Winterbottom’s replacement at Team 18 from next season earlier this week.

Brodie Kostecki won the 2023 Supercars championship. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Young gun Cooper Murray, who will team with Craig Lowndes in a Triple Eight wildcard for the endurance races this year, has been announced as Kostecki’s replacement at Erebus Motorsport on a multi-year deal.

Kostecki’s move to DJR follows a bumpy period since his first championship win at the end of last season.

He sat out the opening two rounds at Bathurst and in Melbourne after a highly-publicised breakdown in relations with Erebus, which emerged on the eve of the Supercars season.

Kostecki belatedly launched his title defence at Taupo in New Zealand in April and now sits 23rd in the driver standings.

The Perth-born driver said he was looking forward to embarking on a new phase with DJR.

“I am excited to join the Shell V-Power Racing Team, a team with such a rich history of success,” Kostecki said.

“This partnership represents a new chapter for me, and I look forward to working alongside Will and the entire team.”

Kostecki was a six-time race winner last year and was also a runner-up at the Bathurst 1000 en route to his breakthrough championship win with the Camaro squad.

Since making his full-time Supercars debut in 2021 with Erebus Motorsport, Kostecki has finished inside the top-10 each year in the series.

Brodie Kostecki will drive for Ford squad Dick Johnson Racing in 2025. Picture: Kass Brumley/EDGE Photographics

Supercars legend Dick Johnson said landing Kostecki was a coup for his eponymous squad.

“Brodie is one of the top drivers in the series and we’re excited to bring him on board the Shell V-Power Racing Team,” Johnson said.

“He’s an impressive young man and I’ve certainly got a soft spot for anyone who has as much mechanical sympathy and understanding of the car as he does.

“With the combination of Will and Brodie, we look forward to chasing wins and returning to the top next season.”

Team principal Story said the Kostecki and Davison combination would be one of the best in pit lane.

“Our 2025 line-up is one of the best on the grid and a clear statement of intent from us and the commitment we have to our organisation, partners and supporters for the future,” Story said.

“Together, Will and Brodie will push each other further and make each other better.

“We acknowledge and thank Anton De Pasquale for his contribution to the team and wish him well for the future. The hard decision was to let Anton go, the easy decision was to pair Will and Brodie together.”

Two-time Bathurst winner Davison will edge closer to two decades full-time in Supercars next year and said he was thrilled to continue with the team where he launched his career, but rejoined in 2021.

“I’m proud and excited to continue with the Shell V-Power Racing Team which feels like home and holds a special place in my heart,” Davison said.

“We know we have a strong foundation within our group, and we will be pushing and doing whatever it takes to get ourselves back on top. I’m looking forward to working with Brodie, I know he’ll be a great addition to the DJR family.”

Originally published as Defending Supercars champion announced as Ford squad Dick Johnson Racing’s new driver for 2025