EARL BAMBER JOINS RED BULL FOR 2018 ENDURANCE CAMPAIGN

Earl Bamber will join Shane van Gisbergen for the enduros – Photo: Rhys Vandersyde

The Red Bull Holden Racing Team has announced that Earl Bamber will join Shane van Gisbergen as co-driver in the no. 97 Commodore for the 2018 season of endurance.

The 27-year-old New Zealander has an exceptional list of on-track achievements, including two 24 Hours of Le Mans wins from just three starts, and is no stranger to Mount Panorama, having won his class twice at the Bathurst 12 Hour from only three attempts.

Bamber replaces van Gisbergen’s 2017 co-driver Matt Campbell, whose overseas racing commitments prevent him from joining the six-time Bathurst 1000-winning squad for a second year.

Fresh from winning the World Endurance Championship as a Porsche factory driver, Bamber is thrilled that his 2018 racing calendar allows him to him to finally tick a long-anticipated item off his bucket list and drive in the Great Race.

“I am super excited to be joining Shane and the Red Bull Holden Racing Team in 2018,” said Bamber.

“It has been a goal of mine for many years to participate in the Bathurst 1000 and I’m happy to be joining one of the best teams and drivers in pit lane.

“Shane and the Red Bull Holden Racing Team are the benchmark in Supercars and I look forward to supporting Shane in his 2018 championship bid.”

World Endurance Champion Earl Bamber – Photo: LAT

While Triple Eight Race Engineering Managing Director Roland Dane is excited to see the partnership of van Gisbergen and Bamber, he is extremely grateful to Campbell for his hard work and commitment during the 2017 season and is delighted to confirm that the team is working towards him driving Triple Eight’s V6 twin-turbo wildcard entry at the 2018 Bathurst 1000.

“Matt Campbell did a tremendous job with us throughout our 2017 endurance season and we understand that his commitments with Porsche come first at this stage,” said Dane.

“In the meantime, we’re working with him to hopefully include him in the driver line-up for the planned wildcard V6TT entry at Bathurst in 2018.

“Earl has an outstanding international racing portfolio and has plenty of enthusiasm to get behind the wheel with Shane and the team.”

Following his PIRTEK Enduro Cup win in 2016, van Gisbergen finished fourth this year and will be looking to better this with his Kiwi compatriot and good friend behind the wheel of Holden’s Next-Generation supercar.

“It’s a shame Matty’s calendar doesn’t link up with our Supercars season but getting Earl on board is something I’m really confident in,” said van Gisbergen.

“I grew up racing against Earl so I not only know him as a friend but know him as a good driver too.”

Meanwhile, Paul Dumbrell will again join Jamie Whincup for the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600 for the pair’s seventh year together. The 2012 Bathurst-winning combination will be looking to make amends for several near misses across their last few endurance campaigns as they aim to take Whincup to his eighth Supercars Championship title.

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