Will Brown signs with Triple Eight in Supercars

Triple Eight Race Engineering have signed Will Brown to the Red Bull Ampol Racing team on a three-year deal, replacing Shane van Gisbergen. The 25-year-old will leave Erebus Racing at the end of this season of the Repco Supercars Championship.

The deal means Brown and van Gisbergen will both exit their current contracts one year early; the former to take up one of the most coveted seats in Supercars and the latter to pursue a full-time drive in the NASCAR Cup Series. Van Gisbergen won on his debut in the US stock car series in July and backed that up with a Top 10 finish in his second start.

“As we’ve made clear from the very start, Triple Eight wholeheartedly supports SVG’s decision to showcase his world class talent abroad,” said Red Bull Ampol Racing Team Principal, Jamie Whincup, of van Gisbergen’s impending departure.

Brown’s path to Red Bull Ampol Racing comes after three years with Erebus Motorsport in Supercars and four years in the Super2 championship before that, mixed with co-drives in the enduros. Although he won a race in his debut Supercars season, this year has been the Queenslander’s best, with four race wins and five other podiums at time of writing.

The switch from Erebus Motorsport (Coca-Cola Racing) to Red Bull Ampol Racing should be a straightforward one for Brown, as both teams run the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

“Will has been on our radar for many years, since he was driving an ex-Triple Eight car in the Super2 championship,” Wincup explained. “He is exciting to watch on track, very personable and most importantly, a really good fit to our Triple Eight culture. The fact Broc [Feeney] and him grew up racing together and are friends away from the circuit is a bonus.”

Despite some poor results at the OTR SuperSprint round in August, Brown remains in championship contention this year and was fourth overall at time of writing, while van Gisbergen was second.

Brown’s seat at Erebus Motorsport will be filled by Jack Le Brocq, who was a co-driver for the team in 2015. The length of Le Brocq’s deal has not been revealed.

Photos: Russell Colvin