JAKE Kostecki will make a surprise return to the Repco Supercars Championship after winning the race for the final seat in the 2023 enduros.
Kostecki, the cousin of championship leader Brodie, was ousted from Tickford Racing in controversial circumstances in the off-season.
Ever since responding to his departure on social media, Kostecki had maintained a low profile.
Now he’s back, having pipped Cooper Murray to join rookie Aaron Love in a Blanchard Racing Team wildcard for the Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000.
MORE: The complete 2023 Bathurst 1000 entry list
“I am super excited to be back racing in the Supercars Championship for the enduro season with the Blanchard Racing Team co-driving with my good friend Aaron Love,” said Kostecki.
“I am very thankful to the Blanchard family and BRT for the opportunity.
“Gen3 has brought new excitement to the sport, so I am looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of a Mustang and getting some good results.
“I’ve been close friends with Aaron for fair few years. He has done a fantastic job in the Carrera Cup dominating the front of the field and now in his first year in Super2, he’s finding his form very nicely, so I am looking forward to racing alongside him and helping out as much as I can.
“I’ll be going to the workshop soon to meet the whole team, do a seat fit with Aaron and get prepared as much as we can.
“With being the first year of Gen3 enduros, I am not sure what to expect but the team has done a great job building the car and getting organised for the program.”
Team owner Tim Blanchard was initially in line to partner Love, but has shifted across to the #3 CoolDrive Mustang of Todd Hazelwood after seeking permission from Supercars.
“We are excited to give Aaron his first opportunity in the main series and welcome Jake to BRT,” said Blanchard.
“Both are young guys wanting to make an impression and we are keen to support young drivers by giving them the opportunity.
“Expectations are realistic but Aaron has done a great job so far this year and Jake is experienced enough to know what to do, so they could surprise a few people.
“The wildcard program is another key step in the expansion of BRT.
“The resources in preparing a second car is not small but that’s why we are keen to utilise this program to develop the team.
“For myself, I am looking forward to joining Todd and experiencing the Gen3 car. We have driven together before and obviously worked together this year so it should be a fairly simple process which will hopefully work to our advantage.”
An all-Western Australian pairing, Love/Kostecki will shakedown their brand-new Mustang, named BRT002, later this month after The Bend SuperSprint (August 18-20).
Love, 21, last year utterly dominated Carrera Cup Australia in the rounds he contested and has impressed in the first half of his maiden Super2 campaign, already chalking up a pair of second-place finishes.
“I am really looking forward to the new opportunity to race in the main series and it’ll definitely feel surreal come the Sunday at Sandown, and definitely at Bathurst,” he said.
‘It’ll be another new challenge but I’m really looking forward to taking it on, and to have Jake in the car as well will definitely be really cool since we’ve been mates since racing in karts.
“The boys have been working really hard to get the car built and everyone is the team is really excited to see it go out on track.”
Like Dick Johnson Racing protégé Kai Allen, he has become eligible for a top tier debut following Supercars’ recent tweaks to its driver eligibility criteria.
Kostecki meanwhile has shown intermittent flashes of stunning pace over the years, including a Super2 pole position in Townsville (2019) and qualifying third in the main game at the 2022 Perth SuperSprint.
The 23-year-old’s recruitment effectively means the enduro grid is now settled, with all 56 seats for Bathurst filled.
Kostecki is the latest comeback story, following the likes of Jonathon Webb (PremiAir Racing) and Garry Jacobson (Tickford Racing).
