Caruso joins Team 18 for Bathurst
Michael Caruso has signed with Team 18 for this year's Bathurst 1000.

The Holden squad has unveiled its entire Bathurst line-up for 2020, with Caruso joining fresh from a two-year stint as an enduro driver at Tickford Racing, and James Golding retained for a second enduro campaign.
The pairings, however, are yet to be made official, leaving which of the co-drivers will partner Mark Winterbottom and Scott Pye open for now.
The Caruso deal leaves Dean Fiore, who partnered Pye to a fine sixth at Bathurst last year, without a Team 18 seat this year.
Caruso and Fiore have their own Bathurst history, the pair having tackled the Great Race together five times during Caruso's Nissan Motorsport stint.
According to Caruso the Team 18 move was a no-brainer, particularly as the squad looks to build on a promising 2020 campaign by bolstering its engineering stocks.
“When you come here and see how the team operates and the progress being made behind the scenes, it was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse,” said Caruso.
“[Team owner] Charlie [Schwerkolt] is very motivated about his motor racing, he’s been very successful in the past, he understands what it takes to achieve that success and you can see what he’s building with the guys and girls here in the team.
“When you look at the names that are here, you’ve got Phil Keed and now with Richard Hollway joining, it’s an amazing leadership group with Steve Henderson as Team Manager as well – you can see everyone in the core group gets along and I think that’s a crucial part to it all.
“I’m locked away to race TCR for the next two years, which is pretty exciting because that keeps me actively driving, but I will be keenly watching the boys here at Team 18, and hopefully being a part of the team throughout the year to understand how they work so when I roll up to Bathurst, we’re ready to go.”
Golding, who finished eighth at Bathurst alongside Winterbottom last year, said that continuing with a competitive team is crucial to his goal of a full-time Supercars return.
"The team’s continuing to [become] stronger race-on-race and that’s what you look for as a driver, you want to be with a team with that kind of attitude and progression," he said.
“It’s great to see some new people onboard and some very experienced people at that. I’ve worked with Richard Hollway and Michael Caruso in the past and I get along well with both of them.
“I have the ultimate focus of getting back in a full-time seat. Unfortunately nothing lined up for 2021, but that remains my focus, and I think Team 18 is a great platform to show what I can do as well as racing the S5000 to keep my name out there.
“It’s all about being in the right place at the right time, and I think Team 18 is the right place to show what I can do as a driver and I hope to make the most of this opportunity.”

Supercars will assess new Australian GP date
Croke replaces Story as DJR team principal

Latest news
Rolex 24: Ganassi Cadillacs top final GTP practice at Daytona
Renger van der Zande produced fastest lap for Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac in the new GTP class’s final systems check before tomorrow’s 61st Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
Harvick still 'the guy' at SHR, but Briscoe finding his voice
It wasn’t that long ago Chase Briscoe was just hoping to secure a fulltime ride in the NASCAR Cup Series and he could soon be the veteran driver at one of the sport’s top organizations.
WEC assessing Sebring alternative for US round from 2024
The FIA World Endurance Championship has admitted that it is examining alternatives to Sebring for the US round of the series from 2024.
Taylor: "Worn out" error reset button better than Rolex 24 limp mode
Ricky Taylor has zero worries over the pace of the new Acura ARX-06, but believes the new GTP cars will encounter several sensor issues over the course of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
Motorsport.com writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022.
Why Courtney and Tickford are a dream match
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing.
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.