Brad Jones Racing has officially confirmed that Chris Pither will return to its #21 Holden for this year's Pirtek Enduro Cup.
The Kiwi joins Dale Wood in the Advam-backed Holden, having paired with previous full-timer David Wall in the entry for the last two years.
Pither tested the car in early June and, despite early discussions with Super Black Racing, had been widely expected to take the BJR seat.
Tim Blanchard also had a brief steer of the #21 Holden at Winton last month, but is understood to now be locked in at Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.
Official confirmation of the LDM seat will complete the Pirtek Enduro Cup line-ups for all 25 full-time V8 Supercars entries.
Pither says he is looking forward to improving on the 19th place Pirtek Enduro Cup finish achieved alongside Wall last year.
“I'm looking forward to getting back into the number 21,” said Pither.
“For sure the familiarity is advantageous and the miles I've been doing recently has definitely put me in a better position than I was last year for sure, so I'm really looking forward to racing and hopefully we'll be in for a good result.”
Pither competes full-time in the Dunlop Series for BJR, winning the round at Townsville in July and sitting fourth in the points standings ahead of the Bathurst event.
“I really feel like I'm driving well at the moment, the first race win and round win (in Townsville) was awesome,” he said.
“It's a combination of seat time, improving the car and I'm probably driving it better than I ever have as well.”
Team owner Brad Jones praised Pither's Dunlop Series efforts, where he races as part of a three-car BJR outfit alongside Jason Bright's co-driver Andrew Jones and Brad's son Macauley.
“He's doing an awesome job in the Dunlop Series at the moment and that's a great confidence booster leading up to the Enduros,” said Brad Jones of Pither.
“Hopefully he can carry that confidence through to us and we'll have a great result. He's a good bloke too, really easy to get along with and that's important!”
Pirtek Enduro Cup entry list
No. | Team | Primary Driver | Co-Driver | Car |
1 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Jamie Whincup | Paul Dumbrell | Holden |
2 | Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Warren Luff | Holden |
4 | Erebus Motorsport V8 | Lee Holdsworth | Craig Baird | Mercedes |
5 | Ford Pepsi Max Crew | Mark Winterbottom | Steve Owen | Ford |
6 | Ford Pepsi Max Crew | Chaz Mostert | Paul Morris | Ford |
7 | Jack Daniel's Racing | Todd Kelly | Alex Buncombe | Nissan |
8 | Team BOC | Jason Bright | Andrew Jones | Holden |
9 | Erebus Motorsport V8 | Will Davison | Alex Davison | Mercedes |
14 | Lockwood Racing | Fabian Coulthard | Luke Youlden | Holden |
15 | Jack Daniel's Racing | Rick Kelly | David Russell | Nissan |
16 | Wilson Security Racing | Scott Pye | Ashley Walsh | Ford |
17 | Wilson Security Racing | David Wall | Steven Johnson | Ford |
18 | Team JELD-WEN | Jack Perkins | Cameron Waters | Ford |
19** | Dragon Motor Racing | Kristian Lindbom | TBA | Holden |
21 | Advam Racing | Dale Wood | Chris Pither | Holden |
22 | Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Greg Murphy | Holden |
23 | Repair Management Australia | Russell Ingall | Tim Blanchard^ | Holden |
29* | Dragon Motor Racing | TBA | TBA | Holden |
33 | Valvoline Racing GRM | Scott McLaughlin | Alexandre Premat | Volvo |
34 | Valvoline Racing GRM | Robert Dahlgren | Greg Ritter | Volvo |
36 | Norton Hornets | Michael Caruso | Dean Fiore | Nissan |
47 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Tim Slade | Tony D'Alberto | Holden |
55 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | David Reynolds | Dean Canto | Ford |
97 | Team Tekno V.I.P. Petfoods | Shane van Gisbergen | Jonathon Webb | Holden |
111* | Super Black Racing | Andre Heimgartner | Ant Pedersen | Ford |
222 | Walkinshaw Racing | Nick Percat | Oliver Gavin | Holden |
360 | Norton Hornets | James Moffat | Taz Douglas | Nissan |
888 | Red Bull Racing Australia | Craig Lowndes | Steven Richards | Holden |
^unconfirmed pairing
*Bathurst entry only
** Sandown and Bathurst entry only