Red Bull Ampol Racing announce Richie Stanaway as #97 co-driver for 2023.
Red Bull Ampol Racing is excited to welcome Richie Stanaway to the team, joining three-time Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen as co-driver of the #97 Chevrolet Camaro for 2023.
His signing comes after an impressive performance at the 2022 Bathurst 1000 where he teamed up with Supercars legend Greg Murphy as a wildcard entry, qualifying fourth and finishing the race just outside of the top ten.
Stanaway boasts an impressive racing resume in both his native New Zealand and abroad. In 2009, he was crowned New Zealand Formula Ford champion, and backed it up with the German ADAC Formula Masters championship in 2010. The following year, he was crowned German Formula 3 champion before progressing to win races in GP3 and reach the podium in Formula Renault 3.5.
A step up to Formula 1’s major support category GP2 – now known as Formula 2 – in 2015 netted him two race wins, including the feature race victory in Monaco. Richie made his debut in the Supercars Championship in 2016 and won the Sandown 500 in 2017
Richie Stanaway – Driver
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the team in 2023. It’s a huge opportunity for me and I’m so grateful to work with such an amazing team.
“It’s the best possible outcome for me after doing the wildcard program at Bathurst last year. To drive for, arguably, the best team in the field with the best driver in the category is the best-case scenario as a co-driver – I can’t ask for much more than that.
“For now, it’s about preparing as best as I can and getting my racing mileage up as much as possible. I’ll continue to do a lot of simulator work to stay sharp – that was the main way I prepared for Bathurst in 2022.
“It’s quite refreshing going from having to do the primary driving last year at Bathurst with minimal preparation to having a co-driver role without being in a car a lot of the time. It was quite a big ask to come back last year and take on the primary driver role, obviously because I hadn’t been racing much over the last three years. It’s given me confidence having done that now and stepping into this co[1]driver role.
“I want to thank Boost Mobile and Peter Adderton for their support, as well as Greg Murphy who I drove with last year. They’ve been instrumental in getting me back on the right track which has led to this opportunity. I also want to thank the team at Triple Eight for putting their faith in me and giving me this amazing opportunity.”
Shane van Gisbergen – Driver
“It’s exciting to team up with Richie this year. It was great to see him come back last year, and he did an awesome job at Bathurst with Murph [Greg Murphy].
“This year’s enduro season, especially given the Sandown 500 is back, should give him a chance to get acquainted with the team, a feel for the car and an understanding of how we all work – it’s going to be cool.
“He’s been in some good equipment before as a co-driver and winning Sandown back in 2017. I think with Triple Eight, he has every opportunity to help us get a good result, and I think he’ll be a huge asset for us.
“Richie will attend all of our test days and ride days, and probably a few races throughout the year as well, just to learn how we approach things and become a part of the team as early as possible, so when it comes time to drive he’ll be ready to go.”
Jamie Whincup – Team Principal, Red Bull Ampol Racing
“The team and I are delighted to have Richie teaming up with SVG for this year’s Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
“Triple Eight’s ethos is about providing the necessary resources to support talented drivers in reaching their full potential, which I think we’re yet to see with Richie. His performance at last year’s Bathurst 1000 is a testament to what he can achieve in this sport.
“He’ll be an exciting addition to the team, and I can’t wait to see what this Kiwi-combo can achieve come enduro season.”
