Erebus Motorsport’s new-look Holden hit the track at Winton Motor Raceway yesterday with an evaluation day for two of its junior drivers.

The day served as an opportunity to not only test Erebus Academy drivers Jaylyn Robotham and Reef McCarthy, but also run the wildcard since the chassis was rebuilt after Will Brown’s incident at the Bathurst 500 earlier this year.

“We took the opportunity to use the wildcard as part of our driver evaluation day as it was a good chance to run that car for the first time since the rebuild,” Erebus CEO Barry Ryan said. 

“We were already confident that everything would run smoothly and there were no problems so it’s nice to have that confidence validated.

“Jay and Reef both did really well, it was a different experience for both of the boys and is part of the learning curve.

“Swapping between their Super2/3 cars and the wildcard was something that they had to manage and something that they’re going to need to know if they want to take that next step.

“It was also great to get our wildcard crew together and back in the garage; they are all very experienced and stepped right back into their roles.”

Robotham and McCarthy completed 41 laps between them onboard the newly branded #51 Commodore, while also completing laps in their own cars as part of Image Racing’s program.

“I was nervous before jumping in the car though once I got behind the wheel my nerves settled and I could focus on adapting to the car,” Super3 driver McCarthy said of the wildcard.

“It was an awesome opportunity to get a feel for these cars and see what will be expected of me, especially since this is where I want to end up in a couple of years. 

“It was a great environment, everyone at Erebus kept it nice and casual which made it very easy for us to just do what we needed to do and have some fun out there.”

Similarly, Robotham found the experience highly valuable and is looking forward to further opportunities down the track.

“I could feel noticeable differences between both my Super2 car and the main game car,” Robotham added.

“It was great to drive them back to back and see the differences between them; it’s going to be really beneficial for me to make that next step and I hope I’ll get more opportunities like this in the future.”

With both wildcard drivers unable to attend, Erebus was given special dispensation to allow co-driver Jack Perkins up to 10-laps to assist with testing.

Robotham and McCarthy will head to Sydney Motorsport Park at the end of next month, currently sitting 11th and 2nd in their respective categories.

The Sydney SuperNight will be the last of four consecutive Supercars events held at Sydney Motorsport Park and kicks off November 19 – 21.