Team 18 adds Bathurst winner Steve Richards to Supercars line-up

The duo won Bathurst together in 2013 during a six-year spell sharing a Ford run by what is now the Tickford team.

Winterbottom made a shock brand switch when he signed for the new-look Team 18 ahead of 2019, with the Triple Eight-backed squad now running a single Holden Commodore.

Richards won Bathurst alongside Craig Lowndes at Triple Eight both last year and in 2015.

"Form guide-wise, to pick up the current Bathurst champion as a co-driver, that's as good as you can get," said Winterbottom.

"Richo and I have been mates for years and we've had a lot of cracks at Bathurst together, and had some really strong enduro campaigns, but unfortunately only have one win to go against our names together."

Richards has spent the past five seasons as part of Triple Eight's endurance line-up, which Winterbottom said will be a benefit to Team 18.

"Leading into the enduros this year, with Bathurst being round one, I think experience will be even more crucial than ever," he said.

"And Richo has that experience with a Triple Eight car, so he is the perfect asset to pick up with his ability, knowledge and talent.

"I think the credibility of the team is really good at the moment and people can see good things are happening.

"To land [Richards] is another benefit for the team. He'll play a role all year, come to tests, come into the workshop and he's another smart head we'll have at the team."

Richards added: "I'm really looking forward to what lies ahead.

"Frosty [Winterbottom] and I have always kept in touch and remained good friends since we finished racing together.

"I've got a lot of respect for him and his ability, and I'm really excited to team up again and hoping to replicate what happened for us in 2013."

Michael Caruso, whose split with Kelly Racing has now been confirmed, is also on the verge of announcing an endurance race programme.

Caruso has had a six-year spell with the Kelly-run Nissan programme but the team is having to adjust to losing its factory support.

The experienced driver had been poised to join Triple Eight as an endurance racer alongside Shane van Gisbergen, only for the deal to be canned due to Garth Tander's axing from Garry Rogers Motorsport.

Caruso is now heavily linked to a seat alongside former Garry Rogers Motorsport team-mate Lee Holdsworth in a Tickford-run Mustang.

A Holdsworth/Caruso line-up would require a rethink at Tickford, which is understood to have planned to run Super2 regular Thomas Randle in the long-distance races.