TRIPLE Eight will have a slightly unusual case of double duties at the 2024 Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
The powerhouse team has confirmed to V8 Sleuth that Wes McDougall will pick up the team manager responsibilities for the #888 Supercheap Auto Camaro at the enduros, in addition to race engineering the car.
As was the case last year, Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup will be team manager for the wildcard entry’s single-driver outing in Darwin, where Cooper Murray will make his top-tier debut.
Whincup will cede that role come Sandown given he’ll be co-driving with Broc Feeney in the Red Bull Ampol #88, with McDougall picking up the slack.
Murray, who will be joined by Craig Lowndes for the enduros, will test the Supercheap Chevrolet tomorrow at Queensland Raceway.
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The car he’ll drive, 888A-060, is notable for reasons good and bad.
It was in that chassis that Shane van Gisbergen crossed the line first in each of the opening three races of the Gen3 Supercars era, although the first of those ended up being a disqualification.
After repeated steering complaints, van Gisbergen was shifted out of the car mid-season into the newer 888A-063.
888A-060 was reallocated to the 2023 wildcard program which comprised of Lowndes/Zane Goddard, and the duo placed 10th at Sandown and 24th at Bathurst (affected by a gearshift tower breakage). The car has not raced since but was used for off-season wind tunnel testing at Windshear in the United States.
Yet another ex-Red Bull Ampol Camaro could appear at Sandown and Bathurst, with Matt Chahda Motorsport investigating the option to use Feeney’s 2023 car.
For Murray, tomorrow’s test comes six days after he accepted the punishment of disqualification for his role in a Perth Super2 rollover crash for Cameron McLeod.
