Further silly season news has been confirmed as Tickford Racing will downsize to two entries for 2024, providing the opportunity for Blanchard Racing Team to expand from a one-car operation.
The former factory Ford team has run a quartet of entries since 2013 initially through customer associations with Charlie Schwerkolt, Rod Nash (now a current co-owner), Tony Lentino and Jason Bright before running four under its own RECs in 2018. Returning to three entries for 2019, Tickford Racing again added a fourth ahead of this season.
Announcing the downsize this morning, Tickford Racing Team Principal Tim Edwards said in a statement:
“Tickford Racing has committed to running a two-car team in the 2024 Supercars Championship.
“The sole motivation behind the decision is to focus all the team’s energy and resources toward again becoming a Championship-winning team in the 2024 season and beyond.
“The business has been working on a number of strategic plans on how best to position Tickford Racing into the future for greater success in all its racing programs.
“Further information on what the team will look like in 2024 will be released in due course.
“The entire Tickford Racing team remains focused on the 2023 Championship, especially as we head into the enduros, and maximising our results at the last four events of the year.”
It is believed Cameron Waters and Thomas Randle will remain in the team as veteran James Courtney has been linked to the newly expanded Blachard Racing Team to partner rookie Aaron Love, while Declan Fraser’s destination is unknown.
Recently the squad has bolstered its Super2 team to two entries for rookie Brad Vaughan and Elly Morrow, while adding the ‘Tickford Autosport’ program to its portfolio to support developing drivers as speculation grows surrounding an entry to GT racing for 2024.
Upon this news, the Blanchard Racing Team revealed its bid for a second Teams Racing Charter was successful and will enter two Ford Mustangs next year.
The Melbourne-based operation has run a single entry since breaking away from Brad Jones Racing at the beginning of 2021 it has run as a single-car team.
“We are incredibly excited to be expanding BRT into a two-car team for the 2024 season,” said Tim Blanchard, Co-Principal at the Blanchard Racing Team.
“Expansion was always part of our five-year plan when we started the team, and after taking steps in that direction this year with the Wildcard and Super2 programs, we feel the timing is ideal.
“Starting as a one-car team was right for us initially, but we are now in the position where we need two cars’ worth of data for development purposes, and to also expand the business to create greater depth in staffing and other resources.
“This in turn, will ensure BRT will become even more competitive and sustainable moving forwards.
“We will announce drivers, sponsors, and other key components of the expansion in the coming weeks, but we are well advanced in the preparation for 2024 while still focussed on finishing this year strongly.”
A second Blanchard Racing Team Mustang is already being completed as the squad enters a Wildcard into the Penrite Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000 this year for current Super2 driver Love alongside returnee Jake Kostecki.
As stated earlier in this story, Courtney is heavily linked to partner Love in the team’s two entries leaving current driver Todd Hazelwood on the market.