GARTH TANDER TO JOIN PENRITE RACING IN MULTI-YEAR CO-DRIVING DEAL
Renowned Supercars star, Garth Tander is set to join Penrite Racing as co-driver from 2023.
The appointment of Tander will provide significant fire power to the team’s enduro campaign in the coming seasons, as well as play a crucial role in mentoring Matt Payne in his rookie season in the Repco Supercars Championship.
Tander has five Bathurst 1000 wins to his name, two have come more recently in 2020 and 2022 as co-driver to Shane van Gisbergen. He has also recorded a Sandown 500 win in 2016, with the event making a return to the calendar in 2023 as the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
With the introduction of the Gen3 specification Supercar for 2023, Tander will add significant experience in developing the Penrite Racing Ford Mustangs. Garth has previously worked with newly appointed Technical Director, Grant McPherson and Race Engineer, Alistair McVean, both of which have engineered Garth to victory at the great race.
Sebastian Tander will join the Grove Junior Team; a program designed to support young motorsport stars of the future. Sebastian, a talented young karter will be competing in the SP Tool Australian Kart Championship next year, as well as other marquee karting events, as he continues to forge his own journey in motorsport.
The junior program extends beyond financial support, with team members given the opportunity to experience motorsport at the highest level. Tander is the ideal role model for our junior drivers including Queensland State Champion in KA3 Junior Karting, Mika LeMasurier and FIA World Championship karter, Oscar Targett who is running a Grove backed car in the Porsche Sprint Challenge in 2023.
Tander is currently an expert analyst as part of the broadcast team for Supercars Media, providing viewers with a unique insight from a driver’s perspective.
His wealth of experience is a huge boost to the Braeside squad as he strengthens not only their enduro campaign but also the development of the all-new Penrite Racing Gen3 Ford Mustang while guiding the next generation of the teams’ drivers.
Grove Racing Team Owner, Stephen Grove said: “We identified the need for an experienced driver to work hand in hand with Matt in his first year. Garth was the obvious choice given his proven race winning pedigree and experience in developing race winning cars and teams.”
“On top of that, we understood the need to bring a calculated driver into the fold to assist with the development of Gen3 in the early stages of the season, as well as the opportunity to take the best possible driving line up into Bathurst.
“Sebastian has been incredibly fast this year and had been on our radar for a while. With Matt graduating into Supercars, we wanted another junior driver to join the program and Sebastian’s age and experience fit our requirements.
“He has the ability to learn and develop off Mika and Oscar, two drivers that have been through the same development curve in recent times. On top, Seb will benefit from exposure to our Supercar program and the drivers and engineers that come with it.”
Penrite Racing Team Principal, David Cauchi said: “To have an individual of his calibre elect to partner with us is a testament to the work the team have done over the past year and exemplifies the progress we have made.”
“Garth’s a terrific guy who I have had the pleasure of working with previously and his knowledge and experience will be invaluable to the team.”
Garth Tander said: “I’ve been fortunate enough to work in some great race teams in Supercars. What I have seen Stephen and Brenton Grove achieve in a very short time frame is seriously impressive.”
“When they asked me to be part of what they are building for the future, not only as a driver, but also to help mentor Matt Payne, who has already proven to be an immense talent and also help guide the Grove Junior Team it was something that grabbed my attention.
“I have worked closely with many within the team in the past, having worked with Alistair McVean, David Cauchi and Grant McPherson already, as well as a team mate to Dave Reynolds way back when he was a little tacker. Something big is being built here and I am honoured to be part of it.
“With the imminent arrival of Gen3 coming in 2023, I am excited to get started and help the team wherever I can.
“I would also like to thank everyone at Triple 8 Race Engineering for the last 4 years. To have the opportunity to win Bathurst in 2020 and 2022, with SVG, added another chapter to my career and that’s something I am very grateful for.”
The inaugural round of the Gen3 era is set to take place in Newcastle on the 10th to the 12th of March with Tander behind the wheel at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 in September and the Repco Bathurst 1000 confirmed for the 5th to the 8th of October.
