David Reynolds will drive for the newly-named Kelly Grove Racing this season after leaving Erebus at the end of last year.
The Bathurst winner will switch to a Ford Mustang for the first time and drive the number 26 car, with Erebus’ former sponsor Penrite following him to the team formerly known as Kelly Racing.
He will team up with young gun Andre Heimgartner as Kelly Grove Racing released the first images of its new livery for the upcoming season.
Reynolds’ former engineer Alistair McVean is also reuniting with him at his new team as the team prepares for round one of the Supercars championship at Bathurst.
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Coulthard to lead Team Sydney
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“I’m unbelievably happy to be joining Kelly Grove Racing for the 2021 season and beyond,” Reynolds said. “It’s obviously a very exciting time for the team with the recent investment from the Grove Group and I believe the team has the resources and firepower to achieve great things this year and continue building on some of the success we saw last year.”
“I think we’re on the cusp of something really awesome at Kelly Grove Racing, the infrastructure and culture that’s in place has already really impressed me and I’m excited for the 2021 season. I’m also looking forward to working with André as his teammate, we’ll definitely push each other and hopefully get the two Mustangs up the pointy end.
“It’s awesome for me to have a few familiar faces also join the team with Alistair to engineer my side of the garage and obviously Penrite continuing to back my car which is awesome. Penrite have been a big supporter of mine over the years, they’re family to me so I’m looking forward to continuing that great relationship.”
The 2021 Supercars Championship kicks off on Friday on the hallowed bitumen around Mount Panorama.
For the first time ever, Bathurst will open the season. And this weekend’s meet will be a single-driver sprint event, no less – the first in 25 years at the famous venue.
And while we’re back at the same course that hosted last season’s finale (the first time that back-to-back scenario has occured in 50 years!) one thing will look very different from 2020: Three-time reigning champion Scott McLaughlin won’t be around to defend his Supercars crown after moving to IndyCar.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Repco Mt Panorama 500.
Winterbottom celebrates 30-yrs in racing
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THE FORMAT
This year’s season opener will see two 40-lap races – one each on Saturday and Sunday – which cover a tick under 250km each.
There will be two practice sessions on Friday, as well as a Qualifying session and a Top 10 Shootout ahead of each race.
The full weekend schedule can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Every practice, qualifying and race session will be broadcast live with no ads breaks during racing in 2021 on Foxtel and Kayo.
Bathurst to open 2021 season
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TEAMS AND DRIVERS
Scott McLaughlin headlines the list of driver changes, leaving Dick Johnson Racing to their IndyCar counterparts.
He’s replaced by Will Davison, who alongside Anton De Pasquale features in a brand-new DJR line-up – one of three teams to have all-new drivers.
The two others are Team Sydney and Erebus Motorsport. Meanwhile Tickford Racing downsized to three cars after Lee Holdsworth left the squad.
2021 will be legendary driver Jamie Whincup’s final season in Supercars before he moves into management, and the 38 year old Triple Eight Race Engineering driver is keen to add to his seven titles and 122 race wins.
When McLaren announced the signing of Daniel Ricciardo, it was described as a “multi-year agreement” but there was no specifications around the length of the deal..
The Aussie superstar though has now revealed those details and it shows just how much faith he has in McLaren’s chances moving forward.
Speaking to mediaahead of the launch of the 2021 McLaren F1 car, Ricciardo said his deal would run through until the end of the 2023 season.
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Ricciardo wants a fast start at McLaren
2:29
“I guess I can say – I’ll say it anyway, I’ve got nothing to hide – it’s three years,” Ricciardo said, per Sky Sports.
“So, it’s certainly enough time to get this thing going.
“I feel I’m coming here with a bunch of momentum behind the team as well, not only results, but I think some really good stability in the team and the infrastructure.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown revealed earlier in 2020 that they had been seeking out Ricciardo since he left Red Bull in 2018.
But the man himself said at the time, he was not completely sold on the move for a few key reasons.
“When I talked to McLaren a couple of years ago back in 2018, I don’t think Andreas was there yet, James Key wasn’t, so there were still quite a few moving parts,” he added.
“Ultimately not only the results weren’t quite there on track yet, but they were trying to figure out their own structure and I think they’ve established that now.”
The 31-year old will line up alongside the much younger Briton Lando Norris (21) and while he admits he cannot predict the future, he sees enough promise to be confident at McLaren.
“We don’t have a crystal ball. Leaving Red Bull or leaving Renault, it’s obviously what I feel is right,” Ricciardo said.
“Do I know 100 per cent how it’s going to turn out? I don’t, but I certainly feel like McLaren have done the right things particularly the last few years to set themselves up for these rule changes coming in ‘22.
“Obviously, I feel I’m coming here with a bunch of momentum behind the team as well.
“Not only results, but let’s say some really good stability in the team and infrastructure.
I’m basically just fitting into the puzzle as opposed to trying to put it all together. I’m certainly feeling good about it.”
Daniel Ricciardo has already got McLaren fans excited about the forthcoming season after testing the new MCL35M for the first time.
The Aussie got behind the wheel for the first time on Wednesday in wet conditions at Silverstone and was immediately impressed with what he saw and felt.
McLaren will be powered by Mercedes engines again for the first time since 2014 having been powered by Honda and then Renault since.
Their last world championship was powered by a Mercedes and there a high hopes that their next one will be too.
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And Ricciardo appeared to share that optimism on his first day in the cockpit as raced around the home of the British Grand Prix.
“Feels fast,” he said. “Been a while.”
He was speaking as he was driving around Silverstone in the rain, adding “pretty good stuff” before muttering “that was fun” as he returned to the pit lane.
It was a more positive experience than the first time he went to sit in his new car, when his hips were too wide for him to get into the more tightly-spaced 2021 chassis.
“It’s pretty normal,” Ricciardo said. “I do have wide hips. I’m pretty thick-boned, I guess – but I got in!
“It was the first mock-up of a seat, and with the dimensions they had, and assumed what would be okay for me, wasn’t quite okay.
“Fortunately, it was just the seat. It wasn’t the actual keel itself which is too narrow. So since then I have been able to get in a seat, and I do fit.”
