TEAM 18 has announced the signature of Supercars champion James Courtney for 2026 and beyond.
Courtney will join the squad’s co-driving ranks alongside Lee Holdsworth next season, the latter having helped David Reynolds to a runner-up finish in this year’s Bathurst 1000.
Team 18 is yet to confirm pairings – i.e. whether Reynolds and Holdsworth will remain intact, which would make for an Anton De Pasquale/Courtney combination.
Courtney’s arrival, following the final two rounds of his full-time career with the Blanchard Racing Team, means Harri Jones is out unless he can land the incoming Supercheap Auto wildcard drive along Craig Lowndes.
Either way, it’s a long-awaited reunion for Courtney, team owner Charlie Schwerkolt and team principal Adrian Burgess – the trio having combined for a famous Dick Johnson Racing title boilover 15 years ago.
“It’s really special to welcome James into the Team 18 family. This is a massive signing for Team 18, a real coup,” said Schwerkolt.
“James is a proven champion and one of the sport’s most respected and recognisable names, and there was no shortage of interest in his signature once he announced his retirement.
“It took a lot of convincing, but we made it clear from the start how much we wanted him.
“Securing someone of his calibre shows our intent as a team and where we want to go, we’re here to win races and to proudly represent Chevrolet as the homologation partner moving forward.
“It’s our job to prepare a package that can go out there and get the job done.
“To reunite with James after the success we shared in 2010 is something really special.
“We’ve stayed great friends since that championship year, and to now have him join what we’ve built at Team 18 for the next chapter of his career feels like things have come full circle.
“Now comes the fun part, deciding who he goes with! Between James and Lee as our co-drivers, and Anton and Dave as our main drivers, we’ve got one of the strongest four-driver line-ups in pit lane to take on the Great Race next year.”
It is worth noting that announcement imagery involved Courtney in Snowy River Caravans-branded clothing, with it widely expected the sponsor will follow him to Team 18.
Team 18’s confirmation of Courtney and Holdsworth follows Walkinshaw Andretti United (Jaxon Evans and Fabian Coulthard) and PremiAir Racing (David Russell and Nash Morris) naming their 2026 co-drivers.
Pic: Supplied