How Grove Racing Found his second Rising Supercar Star

At the end of June 2024, an option missed which would have been tied to the Rising Star otherwise Kai allen To Dick Johnson RacingAt that time, Allen was Defending Super 2 champions, and finished third in the series and ran in Sandown and Bathst for DJR as a patient co-operator, as well as along Will davison,

What was strange about this relationship, however, what happened next. It was confirmed that Alan would proceed to join the rival Ford team Grove racing For 2025, and he did so with the vocal blessings of DJR management.

DJR’s co-owner Ryan Story said in a statement, “He is going into a great team where he knows how to win and he will do a great job there.” “(We) are very excited and happy for him.”

At that time, it was a matter of time, just not working. What was less known – and of course less public – it was that when DJR released Allen, the team management was working hard not only on getting 2023 supercar champions Body CostekiBut he also worked with the engineering core Erebus motorsport And Bathst 1000 winning co-operators, Tod hazalwood,

It was quite understanding that, with such a big change, the DJR management would prioritize stability on the other side of the garage in the shape of the davisson. Finally, since joining the team in 2021, the third generation driver never finished the championship outside the top 10.

So it was that 19 -year -old Alan started his season with Matt Payne, who, at the age of 22, gave Grove a driver lineup, with a joint age, in the words of a crusty Pitlane Observer, “was smaller than some of Fernando Alonso.”

but while Brock Feni Along with opposition to sweep the three hidden valley races, Alan Darwin was putting his own flags in the soil.

His third place in one of the Saturday’s sprint race was quite impressive, but on Sunday, the way he handled many qualifying challenges, shot out a single-car top 10 and then to take his car speed and tires to another place-a week before the 20th birthday received the most intelligent praise in the-petalain.

Better yet, the driver who was passed to another in the closing laps was the team-mate payne, which joined Allen and Feni (which is sometimes easy to forget, is just 22).

This means that Allen has placed himself in 12th position in the drivers’ championship, only one place behind another emerging star, Wocinshaw Andreti United‘S Ryan WoodWith the closure of the second place after its fourth 200 point -plus round in succession, it may be well that Grove can lock both of his drivers in the new -2025 final system of the supercar, which is effective after Bathst 1000 in October.

One of the drivers who will insist on closing the distance to Allen and earning a place between the top 10, Davisson. Experienced left Darwin in 17th position in the issue, behind Alan from 113, and he and DJR would know that another bad round could end his final ambitions.

Team management recently confirmed that Davison has a contract for 2026, in response to questions that essentially come about the 42-year-old racing driver running in the middle region.

It seems that there will be any such question directed on Grove – potentially for a decade.

One year from those types of farewell words from DJR, it can be well that with Alan, the Melbourne team has pulled its second driver coup in the last three years.