Cauchi to join Kelly Grove Racing for 2022

The title-winning engineer will join the Melbourne-based Ford team as part of its transition form KGR to Grove Racing.

He will take on the team principal role for the new-look squad, which will be fully owned and operated by the Grove family, effectively replacing Todd Kelly.

“Once we went through the ownership changes, it was essential that we found the best possible person we could to help take on some of Todd's critical roles, and we believe we have found that person in Cauchi," said team boss Stephen Grove.

"He has vast experience and [we] know that he will fit well into the family culture of the team. We look forward to him starting with us in 2022."

The driver line-up Cauchi will be working with is yet to be formally confirmed. David Reynolds will stay for a second year, however the team is waiting on Motorsport Australia and Supercars to assess a Superlicence exemption for young Kiwi Matt Payne.

For Cauchi, the KGR move will bring a 14-year stint at T8 to an end. He started out in a data engineer role in 2007, before taking over as Jamie Whincup's race engineer in 2014.

That partnership yielded titles in 2014 and 2017, before Cauchi moved over to Shane van Gisbergen's car for the current campaign.

“I'm very excited and grateful to Brenton and Stephen [Grove] for the opportunity to join Grove Racing in 2022," said Cauchi.

“It's a new role and a thrilling opportunity in a team with a deep and long history in the sport, and I am looking forward to being a part of this new chapter in their story."

Triple Eight will need an all-new race engineer line-up next season, with Wes McDougall, who has been engineering Whincup, also on his way out at the end of the year.

Brad Jones Racing's engineering manager Andrew Edwards is being closely linked to a role at Triple Eight as part of the re-shuffle.