Peter Adderton has posted in support of departing Penrite Racing driver Richie Stanaway, offering a potential wildcard entry for the 2025 Bathurst 1000 should the Kiwi fail to secure a full-time drive.
Adderton was a driving force behind Stanaway’s 2o22 Bathurst wildcard entry with Greg Murphy and is a big supporter of the Kiwi.
“For all those people who think I am wrong about Richie, I will, as I always have, put my money where my mouth is,” Adderton posted on social media.
“If he doesn’t get another full-time drive, I will put him in a Boost Mobile Australia wild card next year with the sole purpose of showing he has what it takes in the right team environment.
“I will also try to secure an NZ driver who is currently Overseas as his partner for the 2025 Bathurst 1000.”
Adderton purchased a Gen3 Camaro from Triple Eight Race Engineering in late 2022. Just six months later, he sold it to PremiAir Racing to use as a spare car because he was unable to obtain a Teams Racing Charter from Supercars, which is required to compete full-time.
Stanaway, an internationally acclaimed talent whose accolades include the 2011 German Formula 3 Championship title, GP3 and GP2 race wins, and 2023 Bathurst 1000 success with Shane van Gisbergen, will depart Grove Racing after the 2024 season.
He currently sits 14th in the Supercars standings, with a best result of fourth in the season-opening Bathurst 500, but has failed to reach the heights of star teammate Matt Payne this season.
Stanaway has indicated he is unsure of his future in the sport, but is a free agent in a driver market that is expected to feature several significant changes come the silly season.
Anticipated moves include Brodie Kostecki’s departure from Erebus and a potential shake-up of Shell V-Power Racing’s lineup.
Others to support the departing Kiwi include veteran James Courtney, who indicated that Stanaway needs a two-year deal to show his true potential.
Stanaway has five rounds remaining in the 2024 Supercars Championship to bring himself into contention for a seat elsewhere, beginning with the Tasmania SuperSprint on August 16-18.
He will partner with Dale Wood for the Sandown 500 on September 13-15 and again on October 10-13 as he seeks to defend his Bathurst 1000 crown.
Stanaway’s tenure at Penrite Racing will come to an end after the Boost Mobile 500, sponsored by Adderton, on October 25-27 and the Adelaide 500 on November 14-17.
