Mount Gambier is fast becoming a hub for major supercars franchise Erebus Motorsport as it looks to the future.
Blue Lake city fabricator James White has built chassis for Erebus Motorsport since 2016, but a recent deal between the franchise and Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) will see him expand his operations to make chassis for the rival team.
White’s chassis have gone down in Erebus Motorsport history as part of Brodie Kostecki’s drive to victory in the Repco Supercars Championship last year, as well as the #1 Chiko-backed Chevrolet Camaro driven by Kostecki and Todd Hazlewood when they won the Repco Australia Bathurst 1000 in October.
Erebus Motorsport chief executive Barry Ryan said he was excited by both White’s skills and the up and coming talent of local driver Jobe Stewart.
“We decided to build the business we need to do some manufacturing to try to get some more income … so (DJR) were the first team that reached out to say they wanted to buy them,” Mr Ryan said.
“James lives in Mount Gambier and we have always been comfortable with him living away from the team and he has set up a great little workshop in Mount Gambier.
“I consider him one of the best fabricators in Australia. It does prove they (chassis) can be built anywhere if you have the right people and the right equipment.
“You have to buy all the components off a certain supplier and then we basically just assemble it – but obviously you can assemble it different ways – so it all has to go together the same way, but the accuracy is what we have really targeted.
“We know ours are as perfect as you can get them.”
In an exclusive interview, Mr Ryan told The SE Voice Dunlop Super2 superstar Stewart will be signed as a co-driver for the 2025 Repco Supercars Season at The Bend 500 and Bathurst.
“Jobe will be in the second year of Super2 which he’ll be aiming to win the championship and we will be aiming to try and help him win the championship,” he said.
“We are going to sign him as a co-driver next year in one of our main cars so it is going to be a big year for Jobe and you can sort of call it a career defining year.
“We are really looking forward to giving him a chance in a main series car and with the Super2 program we really think he’s got the potential to be one of the best drivers in that series next year and hopefully try and win that championship and try and help us win a couple of endurance races including Bathurst.
“It is an exciting time for him and an exciting time for us too to see Jobe come from this 14-year-old kid that used to race go karts that we helped out a bit and give the opportunity to actually race Bathurst in a main super car.
“If he can really step up and show us all what we know he can do, it could be a year where he really cements himself as a professional driver.
“We are looking for him to just keep doing what he’s doing, just be consistent, be fast and do not crash the car; three things he has been really good at in his career so far with us.
“We just want him to keep building on that, get that little bit faster, get that little bit more consistent and keep the car straight.”
Mr Ryan said he hopes Stewart is signed as a driver in the Repco Supercars Championship in the future – whether that is with Erebus Motorsport or another team.
“We would just be proud to see him get into the main game series and hopefully it’s with us but if it’s with someone else, it will still be a big tick in our box,” he said.
“We have two great drivers next year and there’s no reason why we will not keep those guys but it’s a performance sport so it’s all down to the performance and if Jobe looks like he is going to be a better person to have in the car for us then he will be with us.
“If there’s other teams that see the potential in him too then we will probably be fighting other teams for him.”
Mr Ryan also owns a house in Mount Gambier where his team stayed for around a month during COVID.
“I love the town. We have actually grown to have a bit of a soft spot for Mount Gambier and the people,” he said.
