{"id":276134,"date":"2026-02-10T02:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T02:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/276134\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T02:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T02:32:16","slug":"supercars-news-blanchard-racing-team-confirms-triple-eight-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/276134\/","title":{"rendered":"Supercars news: Blanchard Racing Team confirms Triple Eight deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Blanchard
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBRT will link up with T8 this season. Image: InSyde Media <\/p>\n

That\u2019s the word from team boss Tim Blanchard, who hopes aligning with the heavyweight will propel his team up the Supercars pecking order.<\/p>\n

BRT hit rock bottom three events into the 2025 season, locking out the back row for every race in Taupo, before strengthened ties with Walkinshaw Andretti United helped lift them into the pack.<\/p>\n

That relationship was always doomed to end with the now Walkinshaw TWG Racing outfit\u2019s switch to Toyota, and Blanchard has found an eager new partner in freshly minted Ford homologation team Triple Eight.<\/p>\n

The former GM factory squad has lost all three of its previous customers \u2013 PremiAir Racing, Matt Stone Racing and Brad Jones Racing \u2013 amid the off-season manufacturer movements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be working with Triple Eight for the next few years,\u201d Blanchard told Speedcafe, confirming a deal first revealed by Speedcafe last September<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a very similar thing with Walkinshaw for the last two years and with all the changes in the off-season, we\u2019ll be changing our technical support to Triple Eight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deal gives BRT access to setups and data from the Red Bull Ampol Mustangs, as well as briefings with Triple Eight engineers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Blanchard will have T8 setups to look at in 2026. Image: Richard Gresham<\/p>\n

Blanchard confirmed drivers Aaron Cameron and recruit James Golding will start the season in the same Pace Innovations-built chassis BRT campaigned last year.<\/p>\n

BRT had purchased an Erebus Motorsport chassis in early 2025, but sold that on to Dick Johnson Racing when it became clear the GM team would be ending its customer program.<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no rush to secure chassis from Triple Eight, which has been flatout building Mustangs to cover its two main cars and in-house customer Objective Racing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll start with our current chassis. We\u2019ll probably need to upgrade them at some point in the next year or two, especially when Super2 goes to Gen3 [in 2028],\u201d said Blanchard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably the final deadline on it but at the moment we feel like there\u2019s other areas we can get a greater gain from focusing our efforts than new chassis.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn theory they\u2019re all the same and there\u2019s no difference with who the manufacturer is. But if we feel there\u2019s an issue or we need to make a change, then we will.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recruitment of driver Golding from PremiAir and engineer Tony Woodward from BJR has fast-tracked BRT\u2019s understanding of the Triple Eight customer system.<\/p>\n

Broc Feeney reacts to first Ford Mustang laps<\/a><\/p>\n

BRT finished 11th in last year\u2019s teams\u2019 championship, ahead only of BJR\u2019s second garage, with its retiring star James Courtney 19th in the drivers\u2019 standings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re reasonably confident going into the new season. The preparation is probably the best it\u2019s ever been for BRT in our six years,\u201d said Blanchard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of disruption in the sport in the off-season, teams changing, manufactures changing, complete driver line-ups changing.<\/p>\n

\u201cApart from one or two teams we\u2019ve had the least disruption in the off-season, so I think that can probably work in our favour, because we have a bit to catch up from where we were.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know, everyone goes into Round 1 full of hope but I feel like we\u2019re in the best position we\u2019ve been to get some strong results. I\u2019m quietly confident we\u2019ll hit the ground running.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golding will have has first drive of a BRT Mustang during a filming day at Calder Park this week, with the team to reveal its new colours on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Cameron is set to race with Liqui-Moly backing, while the Blanchard family\u2019s CoolDrive business switches to the car of recruit Golding.<\/p>\n


\"\"\/
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