MOTORSPORT: Garth Tander joins Triple Eight

Supercars stalwart Garth Tander has announced a surprise move to the Red Bull Holden Racing Team as an endurance driver for 2019, after losing his full-time seat at Garry Rogers Motorsport.

The category veteran will partner Shane van Gisbergen in the Pirtek Enduro Cup this season, having signed a two-year deal with Triple Eight.

Only yesterday it was confirmed 41-year-old Tander would lose his seat at GRM – the outfit where he made his start in the main category in 1998 – to Kiwi up-and-comer Richie Stanaway, who brought across backing from new sponsor Boost Mobile.

With van Gisbergen’s 2018 co-driver Earl Bamber unavailable this season due to Porsche commitments, Tander’s ousting from GRM held a silver lining, allowing him to neatly transition from full-time racer to co-driver.

“Triple Eight have clearly been the class team in Supercars for the best part of the last decade, their results speak for themselves,” said Tander, the 2007 category champion.

“When the opportunity arose to join the team alongside Shane for the enduros it was clearly the best way for me to transition from a full-time driver to a co-driver in this next phase of my career.

“I’m really looking forward to joining the team, hopefully bringing some experience and speed along with me, but mostly looking forward to learning from my new teammates, Shane, Jamie (Whincup) and Craig (Lowndes).”

A three-time Bathurst winner, Tander is a welcome addition into the Red Bull fold, and is already being touted as a key ingredient in team-mate van Gisbergen scoring a breakthrough win at Mt Panorama.

According to team boss Roland Dane, the signing was a straight-forward one.

"As soon as we heard that Garth would be taking a step back from full-time driving, it made sense to find out whether he had any plans for the enduros locked in yet," he said.

"It’s happened very quickly, but we’re extremely happy to be welcoming him to the team.

"On paper it will be a very good partnership.

"Shane and Garth are a similar height, Garth is obviously very experienced in not just a Supercar but a Holden and they both know how to handle pressure when it matters the most.

"With Bathurst being the first enduro on this year’s calendar, we should be in a good position to come in as well prepared as possible."

Meanwhile, GRM will field James Goulding and Stanaway as its full-time drivers in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship for 2019. Stanaway’s arrival coincides with the announcement of Boost Mobile as naming rights sponsors in a ‘multi-year partnership’.

Stanaway endured a tumultuous rookie season at Tickford Racing in 2018, finishing second-last in the full-time drivers championship. His contract was torn up a year early, before GRM threw the Kiwi a lifeline.