Shell V-Power Racing chairman and co-owner Ryan Story will return to his role as Team Principal for the 2024 season, with celebrated race engineer Ludo Lacroix departing the team to pursue other opportunities.
Team Manager Ben Croke will rejoin Story for the reformation of the successful partnership that delivered the outfit multiple titles and Bathurst 1000 victories.
Story departed the role at the beginning of 2021 as he battled serious health issues but remained an integral part of the squad behind the scenes, retaining his ownership stake and role as non-executive chairman.
“Following a few years of health challenges, I’m delighted to return to the role of Team Principal,” Story said.
“We have a strong foundation upon which to build, and this restructure is all about looking towards the future for the ShellV-Power Racing Team.”
“Ludo will be sorely missed, and we cannot thank him enough for his contribution to our successes over many years. Mark and Perry, in particular, have led us through the Windshear program and addressed the imbalances that faced us in 2023. I’m excited at the challenges ahead of us!”
Meanwhile, Dick Johnson was thrilled to welcome back Story, saying, “Ryan is like a son to me, and to welcome him back into this role means the world to all of us.
“We have great people, the best supporters and the best partners in the business. Bring on 2024!”
Shell V-Power Racing also announced a host of other changes for the upcoming campaign, including the appointment of Perry Kapper as the Race Engineer for Anton De Pasquale and Mark Fenning as the Director of Engineering.
“2023 was a challenging year for us and certainly not at the level we aspire to be,” said DJR CEO David Noble. “We have learnt an enormous amount this year not only about the cars but in particular about ourselves. We have spent time reviewing the year and considering change.
“We pay tribute to the enormous effort of our staff and particularly thank Ludo for his contribution over many years and respect his decision to step back. In welcoming back Ryan to the fold and to have the experience and depth of talent in Mark Fenning and Perry Kapper in our engineering department, we have begun our 2024 preparations in earnest.”
The 2024 Supercars season begins with the Bathurst 500 on February 23-25.
