LAST year Steve Owen was less than two seconds away from claiming what would have been his maiden Bathurst 1000 win, but when it comes to this year’s 161-lap epic he is confident he has the team-mate to help him lift the Peter Brock Trophy.

That team-mate is 2014 Bathurst 1000 victor Chaz Mostert.

Last week it was announced that Mostert will share his Supercheap Auto Racing Ford Falcon FG X with Owen for the three rounds of this year’s Endurance Cup.

Bathurst’s Great Race is the premier event in the endurance season and Owen has attempted to finish on the top tier of the podium on 17 previous occasions.

He has come close – last year’s second placing as co-driver for Mark Winterbottom adding to a prior runner-up finish and a third – but as of yet Owen has not been part of an outfit to claim the chequered flag.

Mostert has far less Bathurst 1000 experience than Owen, having made his debut in 2013, but he has enjoyed a measure of success at the Mount.

As well as winning the Peter Brock Trophy two years ago, earlier this year he took out the Bathurst Six Hour alongside Nathan Morcom.

“It’s fantastic to drive with Chaz as well. He’s one of those drivers who just has a natural talent and even though he’s only been in the category for a few years, he approaches his racing like he’s been in the category for ages, so it’ll be great to work with him,” Owen said.

“I think it helps to have been both a full-time driver and a co-driver, you’ve got the best of both worlds if you need to conserve and have a longer run. I’ve got the experience to do that and hopefully still the speed to go quickly. We’ll see how we go.”

Mostert is just as happy at the prospect of having Owen as his co-driver.

Owen has been part of the Prodrive set-up for the past three years, having co-driven for Winterbottom and Will Davison.

The man who won the 2008 and 2010 Development Series crowns has also driven for Dick Johnson Racing and Triple Eight in the past.

“To have Steve, he’s already been in the team for a few years now, obviously the only difference now is that he’s driving with me instead of Frosty [Winterbottom], he’s going to suit in just fine,” Mostert said.

“I’m obviously a little bit bigger driver than Frosty, so we’ll see if we can get him a bit more comfier in the car and let Steve do his job. I am very pumped to have him on board and looking forward to the year ahead.”

Prodrive team principal Tim Edwards also believes a level headed driver such as Owen will be beneficial for Mostert.

“Steve has a wealth of experience in the category and has a really good relationship with the team, which is great,” he said.

“It made sense to put these two together for a lot of reasons, but his knowledge of car setup and his calm approach to his racing will be positive for Chaz as well.”