Penrite secures new race numbers
Penrite has secured new numbers for the 2023 Supercars Championship that have special meaning for the 96-year-old brand.
The Australian Oil Company joined the championship as a full-time team sponsor at the 2015 Bathurst 1000. Over the years, the company has transitioned from Erebus Motorsport to Kelly Racing, which became Grove Racing.
Along the way, Penrite wanted to secure race car numbers 19 and 26. Together, they form the year that Les Mecoles established Penrite at 16 years of age.
Brand Manager, Jarrod Harding, said Penrite has always celebrated its Australian history, which is why its cars fly the national flag. “We are equally as proud of our family-owned company’s history and the year 1926 is very important to us.”
Harding said a picture of the Fujitsu Supercar team, which featured small Penrite stickers, prompted the number change. The cars were numbered 25 and 26. “I thought how cool it would be for us to one day have our own Penrite sponsored team with the race numbers 19 and 26,” said Harding.
David Reynolds and rookie Matt Payne will race using #26 and #19 respectively, with #10 retired from the championship. Current team driver, Lee Holdsworth, will also end his almost two-decade, full-time Supercars career at this weekend’s Adelaide 500.
