FROM winning the first two teams’ championships on offer in Super2 to leading out of Round 1 last year, Eggleston Motorsport’s dry spell has come as something of a surprise.
The team responsible for Paul Dumbrell’s 2014 title triumph and Kai Allen’s nine years later has slipped into a 12-race winless run during which time Tickford Autosport has taken over the mantle as the benchmark operation.
But as much as the Egglestons aren’t content with middling results, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation behind the ongoing rebuild.
“I think whenever you make a wholesale change to your driver line-up, like what happened last year, there’s always going to be a period where everybody has to find their feet,” team co-owner Rachael Eggleston told V8 Sleuth.
EMS’ 2024 campaign revolved around the quartet of Allen, Cooper Murray, Cameron Crick and Jordyn Sinni.
The latter was the only incumbent still around in ’25, as Zach Bates, Cody Burcher, Bradi Owen and Elliott Cleary all came aboard.
Burcher, Owen, Cleary and Bayley Hall represent their 2026 roster.
“You can’t expect to necessarily always stay where you are when you have such significant change,” Eggleston continued.
“Our program has only continued to improve – we have got excellent people, hugely respected engineers, the cars roll out spot on – things just take time.
“I guess you can liken it to an AFL team when they get a younger or less experienced list and you have got to work your way through that process”
“Everybody is quick to go ‘they’re nowhere anymore’.
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The Eggleston Commodore of Bayley Hall. Pic: Ross Gibb
“As frustrating as it can be at times when you’re not on top regularly, we know what it takes and the process to be followed. We have done it successfully before and we will return to the pointy end of the grid.
“Sydney (Round 1) was very average by our standards and we are certainly not intending to see a repeat of that.
“But I think there was also some positives, like Bradi Owen I was really impressed with… he dug within himself after a disappointing Saturday and came out and did an awesome job on the Sunday. We were so stoked with that, for him, for everybody.”
EMS will stick with four cars for Round 2 this weekend in Darwin, but may yet expand to five at some point later this season.
“Generally it has got to be part of a bigger picture if you’re not doing the full season, whether that be preparing for 2027 or enduros or whatever,” said Eggleston.
“There’s still a few things to work through but ideally we’ll have five at some events.”
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