Exclusive: James Courtney

After 20 years, one championship, 15 wins, 76 podiums, and 603 races, James Courtney has seen the checkered flag waved on his Supercars full-time drive.

The 2010 champion isn’t stepping away completely, though. Courtney is signed already with Team 18 for the Enduros next year, extending his career into a 21st season.

He’ll reunite with the two men that delivered him his championship, Adrian Burgess and Charlie Schwerkolt, which he won on the streets of Sydney.

“Probably that year, 2010, would be the race at Homebush, (the Sydney 500) on the Saturday more so than the actual championship,” Courtney reflected.

“There’s been plenty of cool times.”

Looking back across his career, Courtney cites an opportunity to test F1 cars with Jaguar as the personal highlight.

“Racing wise, I think probably getting to the pinnacle, the F1 was probably the peak,” he said.

“Back in Supercars, there's been some pretty cool wins. I think a couple of wins here in Adelaide.”

Last weekend, Courtney finished off his second season with Blanchard Racing Team at the BP Adelaide Grand Final. While the results were solid, they didn’t quite hit the mark.

“Not too bad, the results could have been slightly better, a bit more speed,” he said.

From his title-winning year in 2010 to his Adelaide victories and an F1 test, Courtney leaves behind a legacy that etched his name into Supercars, and Australian motorsport, history.