From left: Stephen Grove, Brenton Grove and David Cauchi. Image: InSyde Media
Cauchi’s future has been the subject of rampant speculation since last month’s Great Race, after which the Grove team confirmed his end-of-year departure.
It’s a shock move just four years after leaving a near 15-year stint at the all-conquering Triple Eight to become team principal at the emerging Grove outfit.
Speaking publicly on the news for the first time since the announcement, Cauchi said parting company with the Melbourne-based team is his own choice.
“It’s completely a personal decision,” Cauchi told Speedcafe.
“This team is fantastic. [Team co-owners] Brenton and Stephen [Grove] have been nothing but good to me over the last four years and we’ve built a formidable team together.
“It’s purely a personal life choice for me, it’s as simple as that.”
Cauchi confirmed he’ll relocate from Melbourne to Queensland and that he must serve a notice period – believed to be a six-month countdown that has already begun.
“There’s a notice period and after that I’m just going to look at what opportunities come both within and outside the sport,” he said.
“But in the immediate future I’m moving back to Queensland and then we’ll assess what comes in the new year.”
David Cauchi is leaving Grove Racing. Image: Supplied
Cauchi has been strongly linked to a role within Supercars’ Queensland-based motorsport department.
However, it’s unclear what position he would fill, with Tim Edwards already embedded as the category’s chief motorsport officer.
Rival Supercars teams are also known to have come calling.
“Definitely there’s been interest, but at the moment there’s no decision on what I’ll do in the future,” he said.
Cauchi said leaving the Supercars paddock altogether is “absolutely an option” he’s considering, although denied he feels burnt out.
“I still really enjoy competing in this sport, I still want to see this sport grow. It’s one of the best categories in the world,” he said.
“But I’ve been doing this for 18 years and it’s time to look at what else I can bring to the world, and also for myself.”
The move to Grove Racing in 2022 was a personal challenge for Cauchi, stepping out of the comfort of race engineer duties at the category’s biggest team to lead the growth of another.
It was also shrouded in controversy as Triple Eight launched legal action claiming breach of contract at the start of the 2022 season, in a matter later settled out of court.
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The four-year tenure Grove netted a Bathurst 1000 win last month and could still yield a Supercars drivers’ title, with Kai Allen having qualified for the Adelaide Grand Final.
“It’s been everything I thought it would be and more. I put a lot of faith in Brenton and Stephen and they put a lot of faith in me,” Cauchi reflected.
“I think together, in four years we’ve achieved something that not a lot of other teams in the history of the sport have probably achieved in terms of growth.
“I’ve got everything to be proud of. I’ve been very privileged in my career, I’ve had a great career all the way through and achieved things most other people never get to achieve.
“I’m super proud of this team and what we’ve done in a very short space of time.”
Kelly Grove Racing finished eighth in the teams’ championship the year prior to Cauchi’s arrival, with its drivers’ 17th and 18th at the end of the season.
