An Erebus Motorsport data engineer has been axed from the team after being charged by the police on counts of assault and making a false report.
The 20-year-old man - who has not been named in the police report - had initially claimed that he had been assaulted by three men on William Street in the early hours of Monday morning, following celebrations for his team’s Bathurst 1000 victory with Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood.
This led Erebus to offer a “substantial reward” to anyone who could provide assistance to the investigation into the incident.
But CCTV footage, which has since been shared publicly, showed the man repeatedly hitting himself while being followed by a woman. Both parties were taken to a Bathurst hospital and paramedics were called to the scene.
A New South Wales police communication explains: “Following police inquiries, yesterday (Thursday 17 October 2024) the man was served a future court attendance notice for common assault (DV) and false representation resulting in police investigation.
“He will appear in Bathurst Local Court on Wednesday 11 December 2024.
“Police will allege in court the man assaulted a woman known to him, and was not assaulted himself but made a false report to police.”
In a statement supplied to Autosport, the team confirmed: “Erebus Motorsport was advised by NSW Police that charges would be laid and his employment has been terminated.”
Autosport has also learned that the person concerned had only been hired in early September this year.
Kostecki and Hazelwood had claimed their first Bathurst 1000 victory on Sunday, with this the first outright victory of the latter’s Supercars career.
Having started from pole, the pairing dominated the 161-lap race which saw just one safety car intervention.
Late pressure was applied by Broc Feeney in the Triple Eight-run Chevrolet Camaro he shared with Jamie Whincup, although no opportunity to launch a pass presented itself.
The win was Erebus’ first in the Great Race since 2017, when it triumphed with David Reynolds and Luke Youlden at the wheel.
