After James Courtney’s shock departure, Team Sydney have confirmed Alex Davison will replace the former Supercars champion for the rest of the 2020 season.

The news came barely 24 hours before qualifying starts for this weekend’s Melbourne 400, the Supercars’ second round held in conjunction with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

At 40, Davison – who has three career podiums to his name – will become the oldest Supercars driver on the grid at Melbourne which will mark his first round as a full-time driver since 2013.

The arrival of Davison – who had impressed in recent years as an enduro co-driver – provides much needed good news for Team Sydney following a rocky start to their debut season.

The Jonathan Webb-led venture endured rumours that they may not even contest last month’s season opener in Adelaide after losing one of their backers, businessman Rod Salmon, following their bold call to relocate from Gold Coast to Sydney and become a two-car outfit spearheaded by Courtney in 2020.

They defied the critics by fulfilling their commitments at Adelaide, only for Courtney to surprisingly pull the pin after just one round.

But Webb looked forward to a bright future after signing Davison, who will join Team Sydney’s second driver Chris Pither.

“Alex was in the forefront of our endurance cup drivers list. We’d been communicating prior to James’ departure from Team Sydney,” he said.

“When the opportunity arose for Alex to take a full-time seat in a Team Sydney Supercar, it was an easy decision to place him in Car 19 for the remainder of the season.

“The team is focused on the long haul. We know that the restructure our team has undertaken this season was not going to be easy.

“We are committed to the project and providing benefit to our Sydney base, our sponsor parties and followers.”

Davison – brother of two-time Bathurst champion Will – was a free agent after losing his enduro co-driver gig last season.

“I’ve missed racing Supercars a lot and am still as passionate and motivated as ever to go racing,” Davison said.

“I can’t wait to get on track Thursday and am looking forward to working and growing with Team Sydney throughout the year.”

Meanwhile, Courtney is believed to be working with sponsor Boost Mobile on a wildcard program entry for later this season.