Kiwi squad abandons late Bathurst 1000 entry

The former Supercars outfit was aiming to make a late entry into the series’ blue riband event, with plans to run Porsche Supercup regular Jaxon Evans and Carrera Cup Asia star Chris van der Drift in a Triple Eight-built Holden Commodore.

However team owner John has called off the ambitious plan, conceding there's not enough time to bring it together.

“Bathurst is a special place for TKR and the very place TKR debuted at with the late Jason Richards in 2000, as the first ever Kiwi team to have ever competed in the Supercars championship,” John said.

“But today I have made a decision in conjunction with our sponsors and with the support of Supercars that time is against us in the preparation to get the Team Kiwi Racing entry onto the grid at the level we require, in time for the 2019 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, which is due to commence in a little over two weeks.

“We achieved our financial targets in a little over 72 hours from the time of our last press release and we also sourced very talented staff to lead the engineering and mechanical side of the project. 

“We had even organised a test date and our sign-writers to sign-write the TKR All Black Machine later this week, not to mention flights, accommodation, rental cars, uniforms, overalls and so much more already booked and paid for.

“Despite the fantastic effort from all involved, we have simply run out of time to have all aspects of this campaign to a point that we were not rushing things to see Team Kiwi Racing on the grid in the manner that was fitting of our brand and of the championship.

"It has been a tough call, but the right one nonetheless.”

Team Kiwi is now aiming to complete a partial campaign in the 2020 Supercars season, with both the opening round in Adelaide and the Bathurst 1000 on John's radar.

“We fully intend to be on the grid at Adelaide for the opening round of the 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship as a wildcard entry or with our own REC,” he said.

“I have already spoken with our major sponsors, many supporters and crew to announce this decision and of our focus to not only be on the grid at the opening round of the Supercars championship in 2020, but at a number of Supercar events throughout the 2020 season which is also TKR’s 20th anniversary season."

TKR competed in Supercars between 2000 and the start of the 2009 season, when its Racing Entitlements Contract was bought by Dean Fiore's Triple F Racing outfit.