South Australian Blake Purdie has confirmed a full season in Monochrome GT4 Australia for 2026 with Supercars rising star Jobe Stewart to join him in the Purdie Racing Audi R8 GT4.
Not only has Purdie secured the services of Stewart in his bid to win the Silver Cup, but the entry has been handed a major boost following the acquisition of the highly esteemed motorsport outfit, Team BRM to help run the car in 2026.
It is a major step up for Purdie, who was one of many drivers to debut in the growing Monochrome GT4 Australia series last year alongside Daniel Price. The pair had an almost perfect start to the year – a class podium and victory at Phillip Island giving them title contender status for the rest of the year.
Although they eventually ended the season sixth in class, they showed plenty of pace in the Audi R8 GT4 throughout the five rounds they attended – giving Purdie some confidence ahead of this year.
Outside of Monochrome GT4 Australia, Purdie’s journey has seen him turn into a proven race winner having scored plenty of race wins and podiums at a national level since graduating from karting.
His first taste of victory came in his first season racing cars where he stormed to the Miniature Race Cars Championship title courtesy of one win and four podiums, before another win and podium in the shortened Australian Prototype Series 2021 season saw him end up third.
Staying in open wheelers, Purdie went on to race in the S5000 Australian Drivers Championship from 2021 where he collected eight podiums across three seasons in the category, as well as five podiums during the 2024 Australian F4 season, which helped him secure fifth in the championship.
His new teammate has just as strong a racing resume having come to national attention last year following an epic performance as a co-driver in the Bathurst 1000 alongside current Erebus Motorsport teammate Cooper Murray
A byproduct of the the Erebus Motorsport Academy pathway that began in karting, Stewart began his circuit racing career in the TGRA GR Cup in 2021 and ended up third on the standings in 2022 following a highly consistent year where he picked up five podiums along the way.
Stewart’s rapid rise up the ranks continued in 2023 when a breakout year saw him win the Super3 Series in his rookie season after standing on the podium 11 out of 12 races – four of which being on the top step. In 2024 he had the first of two seasons in the Super2 Series where he continued to impress with a race victory at Bathurst and multiple podium finishes helping him finish fifth in the standings.
His consistency in the series last year led to the Supercars co-drive with Murray in the Endurance Cup, where the pair ended up seventh at The Bend before an unforgettable fourth place at the Bathurst 1000 – his decent form earning the rising silver driver the call up for a full-time seat at Erebus in this year’s Supercars championship.
The pair will complete a number of test days in South Australia prior to the 2026 Monochrome GT4 Australia season opener at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as part of the LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Phillip Island on 27-29 March.
QUOTES
Blake Purdie
#48 Purdie Racing Audi R8 GT4
“I’m really excited for the season. Last year was a bit of a redemption story in some ways – we came out strong in the first round and had some great pace, but the results didn’t quite fall our way across the rest of the year. Hopefully this year will be a different story with Jobe alongside me,” Purdie said.
“Jobe is a very talented driver. He’s still early in his national career, but over the last 12 months he’s really proven himself as a very capable driver.
“We’ve known each other for years and he’s one of my closest mates in racing. We grew up racing together, so I think it’ll make for a really strong pairing this season.
“Originally we were looking at running in Silver-Am, but once we saw how strong the Silver field was shaping up to be this year it became a really attractive option. The competition looks tough, which makes it exciting.”
“If you ask any Silver pairing, they’ll say they’re going for the win – and that’s exactly what we’re aiming for. We’ve got confidence in the package and in the pairing that we can fight for strong results.
“We’ve also joined Team BRM this year. They already run GT3 cars and that’s ultimately where I’d like to end up, so it made sense for us to align with them and hopefully create some opportunities for the future.”
Jobe Stewart #48 Purdie Racing Audi R8 GT4
“Racing in Monochrome GT4 Australia is going to be awesome. I’ve never driven anything like a GT4 car before – I’ve only raced in Toyota 86s, Super2 and Supercars – so jumping into something with traction control and ABS will be a bit different,” Stewart said.
“The car showed great pace last year and Blake and Daniel won at Phillip Island, so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to hopefully continue that form this season.”
“Blake and I have been mates since we were about eight years old. We grew up karting together, so when he called me about the chance to join him, I jumped straight at it.”
“The Monochrome GT4 Australia category is really growing as well, and it’s cool to see drivers from different categories coming in, including a few more young guys this year.”
“I think we definitely have the potential to fight for the championship, but the main thing is to start strong in round one and see how everything plays out. With so many different manufacturers in the field you never quite know what you’re going to get each weekend, which makes it really exciting. It’s something completely new for me and I’m keen to get stuck into it.”