Porsche works driver Estre lands Bathurst 1000 Supercars deal

The Frenchman will join a four-man roster that includes regular Grove drivers David Reynolds and rookie Matt Payne, as well as reigning Bathurst winner Garth Tander who was lured to the Groves from Triple Eight.

The Penrite-backed team is yet to confirm the exact line-ups for the freshly-revived Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000.

While Sandown will be a fresh challenge for Estre, he does have significant Mount Panorama experience thanks to a pair of Bathurst 12 Hour starts in 2018 and 2019. He took a best finish of fifth in 2018.

"I'm really glad to join the Penrite Racing team for this year for the enduros as a co-driver," said Estre.

"It is a championship I always loved, and I remember watching races with my grandpa on the sofa being a really young kid in France.

"I can't wait to be in Sandown and Bathurst and drive this awesome car!"

Grove Racing owner Stephen Grove said Estre was the ideal candidate for the drive once it became clear that his fellow Porsche works ace Matt Campbell would be unavailable.

Campbell partnered Reynolds for his third Bathurst 1000 last season, but was eliminated in an early crash triggered by Zane Goddard.

"When the IMSA calendar came out and it was evident there would be a clash with Matt Campbell, it was vital that we signed the best possible endurance driver we could find," he said.

#92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR - 19 GTE-PRO: Kevin Estre

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

"Kevin is an incredible talent and someone who’s had great success at the highest level for a long period of time.

"His raw speed was our first attraction to him, however his experience in long-distance races meant that he was the perfect fit.

"He’s used to working with some of the most accomplished racing teams in the world and we can’t wait to see what he brings to Penrite Racing.

"Having driven at Bathurst before and being a big fan of Supercars, we were confident that there would be a relatively short learning curve for someone of his stature and professionalism."

Team principal David Cauchi said the return to the two-enduro format meant it was critical to land two top co-drivers.

"Penrite Racing are privileged to have a driver of Kevin’s calibre join our endurance line-up this year," he said.

"With the return of the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and the amount of points on offer at both endurance events, it is extremely important to our championship to have Kevin onboard alongside Garth.

"We couldn’t be happier with our endurance driver line-up in 2023."