BRODIE Kostecki’s return to Erebus Motorsport will not include reuniting with co-driver David Russell for the Sandown and Bathurst endurance races.
Russell, 42, has been snapped up by PremiAir Racing and is now set to share the #31 Nulon Camaro with James Golding.
The Kostecki/Russell combination tackled the Bathurst 1000 together the last three years, chalking up finishes of third, fourth and second.
Russell was last December announced to be continuing as Kostecki’s co-driver at Erebus in 2024, but sought new pastures once the reigning champion was sidelined.
News of Kostecki’s immediate return came as a bombshell on Monday.
An announcement from PremiAir notes that “Russell and the team came to an agreement a number of weeks ago and are ecstatic to be now able to make the news public.”
It’s another major coup for the ambitious team owned by drag racer Peter Xiberras.
“We are very pleased to finally be able to announce that David is joining our team for our 2024 endurance campaign,” Xiberras said.
“He has won at Bathurst in basically everything except a Supercar, where he has come oh-so-close with a second place at the 2023 event alongside 2023 champion Brodie Kostecki.
“There is no doubt he is highly experienced when it comes to the Mountain and to Supercars, and we are very excited to see what he and Jimmy can do in the #31 this year.”
Russell has 14 career Bathurst 1000 starts, including seven with Kelly Racing and one-off outings for Fernandez Motorsport, Dick Johnson Racing, Tickford Racing and Matt Stone Racing.
“I am thrilled to finally announce that I am joining PremiAir Nulon Racing,” said Russell.
“Jimmy’s performance at Bathurst earlier this year was outstanding, and I am eager to partner up for some fantastic outcomes in the endurance races this September and October.”
Golding sits 13th in the championship after six races, having scored a best of fifth in the Sunday race at the Bathurst 500.
“I am looking forward to driving alongside Dave. He has a lot of experience that will add great value to our team,” Golding said.
“I haven’t worked or driven with him previously, so I am interested to see how he goes about it.
“Everyone is different because of the experiences they have had, so there is always something to learn from one another.”
PremiAir is yet to confirm a co-driver for Tim Slade, who was joined in 2023 by former Great Race winner Jonathon Webb.
Erebus meanwhile has one confirmed co-driver in Todd Hazelwood, who substituted for Kostecki during the opening two rounds and attended the champion’s return test on Wednesday.
