Rookie of the Year signs long-term deal with Grove Racing

Grove Racing is excited to confirm that 2025 Repco Supercars Championship Rookie of the Year, Kai Allen, has committed to the team on a new long-term deal, securing one of the category’s brightest young talents, until the end of 2030.

In his first Supercars’ season, the 20-year-old consistently demonstrated maturity beyond his years, blending outright speed with intelligent race craft and remarkable composure against a very experienced field.

One of the standout performers of the season, Allen enjoyed a breakout year in the #26 Penrite Racing entry, highlighted by being the youngest driver to qualify for the Supercars Championship Grand Final. Five podium finishes across the year secured him an impressive 4th place in the Drivers’ Championship, underlining his status as one of the sport’s most exciting emerging talents.

Throughout the 2025 campaign, Allen showed continuous development as the season progressed, capitalising on key opportunities and converting them into strong race results and valuable championship points. His performances, alongside teammate Matt Payne, played a pivotal role in securing Penrite Racing, 2nd place in the Supercars Teams Championship.

Stephen Grove, Team Owner of Grove Racing, praised Allen’s impact on the team and the category,

“Kai is a generational talent and delivered everything that we could have asked for and more in 2025. He has approached his first Supercars season with humility, determination and a serious hunger to improve every time he gets in the car. The team have loved working with Kai and are excited by the possibilities ahead. His performances in 2025, have laid a strong foundation for what we believe will be a long and successful career at this level of the sport and we are thrilled by his loyalty and commitment to Grove Racing”.

Reflecting on his extension, Allen said he was grateful for the opportunity and support that he has received since joining the Grove Racing Team.

“My first season in Supercars was a dream and I am thrilled to be extending my partnership with Grove Racing until 2030.  I can’t thank Stephen and Brenton enough for the opportunity and trust that they have instilled in me over the past year. The future at Grove Racing is incredibly exciting.  The belief, the people and the direction that we are headed in gives me a lot of confidence.  I feel like we are building something really special and I can’t wait to keep growing together and see where this journey takes us. Having the Penrite Racing fans behind me means everything.  Whether it’s at the track, online or watching from home, their support gives me extra motivation each time I get into the car.  I can’t wait to get back into Car 26 in the new year to keep working.”

Across the Paddock, Allen has rapidly earned respect for his professionalism, strong work ethic and willingness to learn. In 2026, he will partner with Race Engineer, Riccardo Corte, who has joined Grove Racing following 11 years at Ferrari, where amongst other roles he served as Lewis Hamilton’s Performance Engineer.