RAMIFICATIONS OF COURTNEY ANNOUNCEMENT

The ramifications of the James Courtney announcement – Photo: InSyde Media

Fallen star James Courtney’s decision to leave Walkinshaw Andretti United opens the way for a young gun to join Ford defector Chaz Mostert at the revamped Holden team.

By MARK FOGARTY

Multiple sources have indicated that Todd Hazelwood has been targeted to partner Mostert at a heavily reorganised WAU next year.

Mostert has agreed a multi-year deal with the once-storied Clayton squad on the basis of major investment in engineering talent to support technical director Carl Faux.

Moster’s done-deal move from Tickford Racing has not been announced – and may not be until after the end of the season – because of his contractual obligations.

Unless WAU and Tickford come to an agreement – which, ironically, could involve Scott Pye’s move to Campbellfield – there may be no confirmation of Mostert’s defection to Holden until the end of the year.

Although he was seriously squired by DJR Team Penske to replace Fabian Coulthard, Mostert chose the chance to lead WAU back to its HRT glory days.

Does Courtney’s departure make room for Chaz Mostert to join WAU? – Photo: InSyde Media

With Courtney out of the equation, Scott Pye has a small hope of staying, but many believe he has been doomed from the start of the season as WAU looked to revitalise its driver and engineering line-up.

Pye, who has significant personal backing, is now believed to be among the contenders for Lee Holdsworth’s The Bottle-O Mustang seat.

Jack Le Brocq is the hot favourite to replace Mostert, joining stayers Cam Waters and Will Davison.

Whatever happens, AUTO ACTION understands that Le Brocq will not continue with Tekno Autosport, which is enduring a nightmare back-of-the grid season.

Indeed, the future of the Webb family owned Tekno operation in Supercars is in serious doubt without an unlikely injection of major funding.

Courtney’s impending departure from WAU begs the question of where he is going.

Widespread speculation has him joining Mark Winterbottom at an expanded Team 18, with much made of JC’s championship-winning association with team owner Charlie Schwerkolt at DJR in 2010.

What people forget is that Courtney won the title despite a late-season implosion of the relationship between Schwerkolt and Dick Johnson, which resulted in an ugly split.

Schwerkolt had a deal all set to transfer Courtney to then Ford Performance Racing with big Pepsi backing.

It was all agreed until Courtney’s UK-based manager Alan Gow breezed into town and, at the very last minute, orchestrated a $1 million a year deal for his client to join Holden Racing Team.

Schwerkoltz was gutted and left in the lurch.

There were apocryphal stories that Pepsi made thousands of cans of cola featuring Courtney that had to be scrapped.

It is, apparently, an urban myth, but there is no doubt Pepsi was planning a big retail promotion around Courtney until he defected to Holden.

Courtney and Schwerkolt claim they’re still close friends – and Charlie is known to be a sucker for big-name drivers – but to believe all is forgiven stretches credulity.

But it seems Schwerkolt is willing to overlook that massive gazumping nearly nine years ago to field a (fading) all-star line-up, securing a second cheap-as-chips REC to accommodate Courtney.

Once-upon-star Courtney – and, more likely, Gow – saw the writing on the wall at WAU, assuming at the very least that with Mostert incoming and another serious pay cut looming, it was time to move on.

Could James Courtney reunite with Charlie Schwerkolt? – Photo: InSyde Media

If Schwerkolt’s expansion ambitions offer him a lifeline, why not?

In the late 2000s, Courtney was arguably the most talented driver in Supercars. But no longer.

He is fast on his day in the right car, but as the eldest driver in the series, his time at the top is limited – if not gone.

There has also been speculation that Schwerkolt with move his team to Sydney, taking advantage of offered Supercars financial incentives to base a squad in the Harbor City.

Added to that, it would promote the fact that Winterbottom and Courtney were outer western Sydney raised.

All very well, but both shun their roots, living respectively in Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Also, Schwerkolt lives on the Gold Coast, but his Waverley Forklifts business is based in Melbourne – and so is Team 18.

Even with financial incentives, moving the operation to Sydney makes no sense – and is actually not being contemplated.

In a truly front-running car, there is no doubt James Courtney can still do damage.

He doesn’t need the money – he’s been set for life since winning the title with DJR in 2010 – but does stepping down to an independent two-car operation give him a late-life opportunity to succeed?

Probably not. It will extend his Supercars career for another couple of years, at best. His chances of winning races will be even less than if he stayed – or was able to – with WAU.

There are drivers who, for whatever reason, just never fulfil their potential. Courtney is one of those.

His appeal as a personality is on the wane and, to be brutally honest, his best years are behind him.

Wherever he ends up, he will be an aging curiosity who should be looking at plum enduro co-drives as he transits to graceful retirement.

James Courtney is a Supercars champion who should end his career with dignity, not as an also-ran.

His effusive personality would make him a natural to join the Supercars broadcast commentary team.

Better that than declining into obscurity with a second-level team.

That may seem a harsh judgement on Schwerkolt’s aspirations, but the reality is that a small team – even with talented drivers – is going to struggle against the established powers.

As WAU moves to seriously regroup, Mostert and someone like Hazelwood are set to be agents of revival.

With Mostert leading the way, WAU will have no excuses not to be fast front-runners as he is Scott McLaughlin’s main rival as a driver.

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