Hazelwood to stay in #99 for AusGP

Todd Hazelwood will remain racing the #99 Erebus Motorsport Camaro at the second round of the Supercars season as Brodie Kostecki stays on the sidelines.

Due to an offseason dispute between Kostecki and Erebus, the reigning drivers champion was substituted for the season-opening Bathurst 500.

Having already been in line to co-drive for Erebus, the defending teams champions called up Hazelwood to fill in at Mount Panorama.

The 2017 Super2 champion finished 11th and 13th in the two 40-lap races after a Top 10 Shootout appearance in Saturday’s opener.

After coming to grips with an “information overload” at his first meeting for Erebus, Hazelwood will get a second opportunity at Albert Park the team has confirmed as the Kostecki situation remains unresolved.

“Erebus Motorsport remains firmly committed to respecting Brodie’s privacy and we are unable to provide further updates at this time,” read a team statement.

“Todd Hazelwood will continue to represent the team in car #99 at the Australian Grand Prix event.

“We would also like to express our thanks for the support we have received in recent weeks. Your messages mean the world to us.”

Todd hazelwood inside the Erebus Motorsport garage. image: Mark Horsburgh / LAT Images)

Hazelwood’s unexpected opportunity to return to the Supercars grid arrived after he lost a full-time seat for the first time in his career when BRT let him go at the end of 2023.

Reflecting on his first weekend with the current champions, the South Australian believed the results did not reflect the potential pace and more can be unlocked when his next chance to drive would arise, which is now confirmed as the Melbourne SuperSprint.

“Just seeing all the little one percenters show why they are a championship winning team.  The ingredients are still there today which is really cool to witness,” Hazelwood told AUTO ACTION at Bathurst.

“It was really cool to be part of an organisation that is capable of winning races and I have no doubt that if I was to do more races in the future, we can be on the podium and fighting for wins when we fully unlock the car.

“The potential is there, we just need to put it all together in the future if that is what transpires.”

The second round of the season, the Melbourne SuperSprint held at the Australian Grand Prix will see four races from March 21-24.

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