Erebus signs Supercars rookie De Pasquale for 2018

Even before last week's confirmation that Wood will step down from his full-time drive at the end of the current season, De Pasquale was rumoured to be the front-runner for the second Erebus seat after completing a rookie evaluation day with the team.

His signing has now been formally confirmed, the team announcing this morning that the Super2 regular will drive alongside David Reynolds for the 2018 Supercars season.

“It’s a dream come true and I’m very lucky to get this opportunity, so I will take it with two hands,” said the former Australian Formula Ford champion.

“I’m very excited to be joining Erebus on a multi-year deal.

"I really enjoyed my first taste with the team at the evaluation day and they have a lot of potential still to come.

“I’ve already worked with the team so I’m not going in blind, I have a good idea of who everyone is and also what they expect out of me.

“There will be a jump from Super2 and an element of the unknown, but you get that when you step up in anything you do.

“I believe with the right crew around me, and especially having David as my teammate, I have the best opportunity to learn as quickly as possible and keep moving forward.”

Erebus' Head of Engineering Alistair McVean said signing De Pasquale was a simple decision based on his performance during the evaluation day.

“He is clearly a talented driver and what we have experienced with Anton so far has been very impressive,” he said.

“His feedback was clear, concise and accurate, and most of all he was fast and mistake-free.

“We were impressed by his ability to push Dave to the point where Dave had to stretch himself to go another level to go faster; it was clear from this point on that Anton was a star of the future.”