TONY D’Alberto has called time on his Supercars co-driving career and will continue with the Shell V-Power Racing Team in an ambassadorial role.
The 40-year-old Victorian made the call after the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000, his 22nd start in the Great Race at Mount Panorama.
Of those 22 starts, TD suited up for the Shell V-Power Racing Team in 11 of them – exactly half of his Bathurst 1000 career starts.
This feat ensures he sits equal third on our team’s all-time Bathurst 1000 starts record, sharing the honour with John Bowe. TD and JB are headed only by Dick Johnson (26) and Steven Johnson (20).
TD informed Shell V-Power Racing Team management that he would not seek a contract extension, drawing to a close his time in the Repco Supercars Championship.
He cited a desire to focus on his broadening role at his family-owned Centaur Products, plus acknowledged the ever-increasing competitiveness of the Repco Supercars Championship and the commitment required from any driver to maintain the right standard.
"It wasn't an easy decision to make, but I felt that the time was right to call time on racing in the Supercars endurance events," TD said.
"I feel unbelievably privileged to have competed at the highest level of Supercars racing for 22 years straight. It has been a great ride.
"Having the opportunity to race with some outstanding teams and drivers, plus competing at huge events like the Sandown 500, the old Gold Coast 600 two-driver race and of course, the Bathurst 1000, was an honour.
"I know I always put everything into preparing for the co-driver roles. From ensuring I was in the best physical condition, to creating racing opportunities in other series like TCR Australia and GT World Challenge. Being match fit was important to me, and I know the teams I drove for, particularly DJR in recent years, always appreciated the effort.
"The demands for the right preparation for any driver in Supercars are at an all-time high. You need to be in a race car as often as possible, and you need to be physically and mentally prepared. If any of those elements are off, then you are not doing yourself or your team any favours.”
After finishing ninth in the opening endurance race with Rylan Gray at The Bend in September, the combo's Repco Bathurst 1000 campaign did not go according to his or the team's plans, but TD’s Mount Panorama enduro record will remain enviable amongst his peers.
Of his 22 starts in The Great Race, he scored two third place results – both with the Shell V-Power Racing Team – in 2017 with Fabian Coulthard and 2023 with Anton De Pasquale. He also claimed five top-six finishes and 10 top-10 finishes after making his debut with Tasman Motorsport in 2005.
"Two Bathurst 1000 podiums is a really nice reward for the efforts over the years, not just from myself but for my family who have always been there on my journey,” TD said.
"I certainly won't be a stranger to race tracks, whether I'm still competing myself or if I'm hanging out with my boys racing at the local kart tracks. The sport has given me a lot and I want to continue contributing as much as I can.
"I'd like to pay a special thanks to Dr Ryan Story and Dick Johnson for trusting me with their race cars over the past 11 years. To have driven just once for Australia's oldest race team would have been a major highlight. But to have been there with them for 11 years straight is a statistic that I'll look back on in years to come and pinch myself to realise it's actually real."
While his duties as a driver with the Shell V-Power Racing Team have ended, D'Alberto has accepted the opportunity to remain an ambassador for the famous Queensland race team. He will be on hand for promotional and commercial activities.
“Tony has been a loyal and steadfast servant of our team for an extraordinary 11 years, and we respect his decision to pull up stumps,” Dr. Ryan Story, Shell V-Power Racing Team executive chairman and co-owner, said.
“I was only reflecting with TD very recently that he joined us for 2016 after being the number one target of Scott Pye, our then steward of Car 17. And we never looked back really.
“The reason he was in our car for 11 years is pretty simple. He was fast and he was professional. Two very memorable Bathurst podiums tell part of that story. The way he fitted into this team from day one, respectful of everyone around him and a great team player, tells the rest.
“That is why we are delighted he will continue with us in an ambassadorial role. Tony is as comfortable among our fans and supporters as he is with our partners and their customers in our corporate suite. He is effortless and second to none in that arena.
“To extend the relationship, albeit without him strapping on the helmet and race suit, is something we are deeply appreciative of.
“A great innings behind the wheel and an enduring partnership extending beyond it. Thanks, TD, for everything, and we look forward to the next chapter.”
TD may have suited up for his final Supercars race, but he is not stopping his motorsport pursuits all together and will continue to pursue driving opportunities in other categories. Off the track, he will continue in his role as a director of Centaur Products – the automotive and composite manufacturing firm founded by his family.
The Shell V-Power Racing Team will announce a new co-driver for the 2027 Enduro Cup in due course.
