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Autosport
Autosport
Sport
Andrew van Leeuwen

Klimenko key to shock Brown switch as van Gisbergen Supercars replacement

Brown emerged as a key contender for the Triple Eight seat, which will be vacated by NASCAR-bound Shane van Gisbergen, over the Sydney SuperNight weekend.

It now appears that a deal will go ahead, with Brown and T8 well advanced with negotiations.

The move will require Brown to break his existing contract, given he is technically locked in at Erebus until the end of 2024.

That was seen as a major sticking point given there is little love lost between Erebus CEO and the T8 organisation, particularly amid their tense battle for both the drivers' and team's Supercars titles this year.

Autosport understands that Erebus majority owner Klimenko has been pivotal in helping Brown orchestrate his early exit.

Whether there will be a financial element to the contract release is not clear.

Erebus has been the surprise of the 2023 season with both Brown and Brodie Kostecki in title contention.

The front-running form has seen Erebus boss Barry Ryan come to blows with T8 on a number of occasions, most recently in Sydney when he was fined for swearing on TV after van Gisbergen moved Brown aside while they battled over third place in Saturday's race.

Will Brown, Erebus Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (Photo by: Edge Photographics)

Brown has been a career Erebus driver so far, having made his main series Supercars debut with the team as a co-driver in 2018.

He was then promoted to a full-time seat in 2021 after David Reynolds left the team a year into a 10-year deal.

The Brown move is the latest in what is proving to be a fascinating Supercars silly season.

While it sets T8 up for 2024, it leaves Erebus with a vacant and very competitive seat.

The team will now join the driver market along with the likes of Grove Racing, which is likely to have a free seat thanks to a Reynolds/Team 18 deal.

Walkinshaw Andretti United is thought to be deciding between Fabian Coulthard and Ryan Wood for its #2 entry, while Cam Waters – the subject of much early silly season speculation, will stay put at Tickford for at least another year.

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