Supercars’ top contenders to buy remaining RECs

This week Supercars announced it would put its two shelved Racing Entitlements Contracts (REC) on the market.

If sold, the Supercars grid would be able to expand to 26 cars, marking the first time since 2018 the championship has had as many full-time entries.

With the tender process now open, who will be first in line to acquire the two shelved Racing Entitlements Contracts?

Tickford Racing

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Tickford Racing found themselves in a sore spot late last year when Brad Jones bought the Racing Entitlements Contract formerly owned by Phil Munday.

With four cars to run and only three RECs in hand, the Campbellfield-based went to Supercars to see if it could acquire one of the shelved licences.

Not even a pitch to lease a REC with no dividends could convince Supercars to temporarily take one off the shelf. Ultimately, that forced the team to downscale to a three-car effort.

It’s no secret that Thomas Randle is waiting in the wings to go full-time with the team, possibly as soon as 2022. Though that’s likely reliant on Tickford Racing getting its hands on a licence.

Team boss Tim Edwards would no doubt like to take the team back to being a four-car set-up.

Garry Rogers Motorsport

With news emerging that Supercars would be putting its two contracts on the market, rumours soon swirled that the Dandenong South-based Garry Rogers Motorsport was interested.

On the record, the team has said it has no interest in acquiring one or both shelved licences at the moment.

For the longest time, the team has had a never-say-never attitude with regards to rejoining the championship.

The team gave back one of its RECs to Supercars at the end of 2018, ending a spell in the category dating back to the mid-1990s.

While the team has said no, for now, it’s not out of the realms of possibility that the team might make a move on one or both RECs.

Matt Stone Racing

Matt Stone was vocal in his desire to expand his Yatala-based operation to three cars for the 2021 season.

That would have seen Jake Kostecki and Zane Goddard go full-time alongside Garry Jacobson.

However, just like Tickford Racing, the team couldn’t get its hands on another Racing Entitlements Contract.

With a Super2 programme on the side and Aaron Seton waiting in the wings, it’s not inconceivable to think the team might like to get its hands on another REC for 2022.

Stone has been forthcoming in his desire to revive the SuperLite programme that saw Kostecki and Goddard share an entry in the championship throughout 2020.

Erebus Motorsport

In the past, Erebus Motorsport team boss Barry Ryan has been vocal in his desire to expand the Betty Klimenko-owned team to a three-car set-up.

Much of that chatter surrounded the signing of Will Brown whilst having David Reynolds, who had been on a 10-year contract, and Anton De Pasquale in their ranks.

With both Reynolds and De Pasquale at Kelly Grove Racing and Dick Johnson Racing respectively, the need to expand in 2021 was negated.

An expansion in 2021 seems unlikely at this stage with two rookies in Brown and Brodie Kostecki already in their arsenal and a fledgling crop of Erebus Academy drivers not yet ready to make the step up.

Blanchard Racing Team

While technically in only its first year of Supercars competition, the Blanchard name is an established one in the championship.

Tim Blanchard operated his Racing Entitlements Contract out of the Albury-based Brad Jones Racing stable from 2017 to 2020 before going out on its own for 2021.

That’s seen the newly named Blanchard Racing Team go solo out of the CoolDrive Auto Parts headquarters in Box Hill.

Although still in its infancy, the team has expressed a desire to expand to a two-car set-up.

At the moment, the team is the sole one-car operation on the Repco Supercars Championship grid.

Peter Adderton

Boost Mobile owner Peter Adderton has made no bones about the fact that he’d like to start his own Supercars team.

Adderton has had a long-running relationship with touring car racing in Australia, dating back to the 1990s.

The telco mogul was one of the figureheads in starting the Australia Super Touring Championship, which ultimately folded in the early 2000s.

Adderton has long sponsored Supercars teams and drivers, but never to the point of establishing a team himself.

With Gen3 on the horizon, Adderton remains an interested spectator. His commitment, it would seem, hinges on more details emerging surrounding the next generation of rules.

Paul Morris

Former team owner Paul Morris has previously stated his interest in filling his Norwell Motorplex garages with some Supercars.

An owner-driver throughout the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s, Morris pulled out of the main championship in the early 2010s to focus on the feeder Super2 and Super3 Series.

Much like Adderton, Morris is a keen observer of the Gen3 regulations and believes the only way he’d revive the Paul Morris Motorsport name was if costs were cut drastically.

Super2 Series teams

It’s not inconceivable that one or two Super2 Series teams could look to make the step up to the Supercars Championship ranks.

Of the top teams, Eggleston Motorsport is known to have shown some interest in making the leap.

Matt White’s team MW Motorsport has previously made wildcard appearances in the Supercars Championship and has been a dominant force in recent years.

After all, the equipment used in the Super2 Series is largely identical to that seen in Supercars, albeit on a smaller scale. A step up isn’t off the table.

Interested parties need to formally express their interest by close of business (17:00 AEST) on Friday, April 23.