2023 OTR SuperSprint The Bend Official Program

2023 OFFICIAL PROGRAM

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

1

CONTENTS OFFICIAL PROGRAM

18-20 AUGUST 2023, THE BEND MOTORSPORT PARK, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

08

PRE ROUND UPDATE The battle for the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship is alive and well! Here’s how things are shaping up heading to The Bend ...

04

WELCOMES

06

EVENT SCHEDULE

12

2023 DRIVER & TEAM POINTS

2

The Bend Motorsport Park, OTR and the South Australia Government welcome you to The Bend.

A full run down of what’s on the track so you don’t miss your favourite category.

The latest pointscores in the Repco Supercars Championship leading into this round.

OTR SUPERSPRINT

42

600 ROUNDS OF RACING We take a look back at the pathway to a major milestone being celebrated this weekend - the 600th round in championship history.

14

SUPERCARS ENTRY LIST

16

SUPERCARS DRIVER PROFILES

60

CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

Your quick-reference guide to car numbers, drivers, teams and cars for this weekend’s round.

An in-depth look at each of the 25 drivers in this year’s Repco Supercars Championship field.

The best of the best, we give you the guide to the ‘top of the pops’ in all of the categories that matter.

50 62

SA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

South Australia has a rich history as being part of the ATCC/Supercars Championship. From Mallala to The Bend, we recap it all.

SUPPORT CATEGORIES

Who’s driving Porsches and V8 SuperUtes as well as GT World Challenge Australia, TCM and Toyota 86s ...

56 74

A MATTER OF NUMBERS

There’s a range of significant milestones and achievements beyond the 600th championship round ...

TRACK MAP

Your quick reference guide to what’s where around The Bend Motorsport Park facility.

2023 OTR SUPERSPRINT OFFICIAL PROGRAM The 2023 OTR SuperSprint Official Program is published by AN1 Media Pty. Ltd for The Bend Motorsport Park

Editor: Aaron Noonan Editorial Contributors: Connor O’Brien, Richard Craill Editorial Assistant: Shane Rogers Design: Daniel Goonan/TWOSIXONE Design Advertising: Jaylee Noonan Statistics: AN1 Data

Photos: Mark Horsburgh/Supercars, Ross Gibb, Nathan Wong, AN1

Images archive (Dirk Klynsmith, Graeme Neander, Dirk Klynsmith, Justin Deeley, Scott Wensley, Trevor Thomas, Ian Smith/AUTOPIX), Australian Racing Group, Tayler Burke Thanks to The Bend Motorsport Park and its staff, as well as Supercars staff, its teams and media/PR staff and all support categories for assisting in providing content for the 2023 OTR SuperSprint Official Program.

Publisher: AN1 Media Pty. Ltd, PO Box 6040, Cromer, Victoria 3193 Phone: +61 3 9585 1981, Email: info@an1media.com

© The material contained in the 2023 OTR SuperSprint Official Program is protected by Australian and international copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the prior permission of the publisher.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

3

2023 OTR SUPERSPRINT

WELCOME WELCOME to the newly renamed Shell V-Power Motorsport Park for what is proudly our seventh Supercars Championship event.

The Bend has enjoyed its busiest 12 months since Supercars last visited, with over 310 days on track in 2022 and the new Dragway at The Bend facility nearing completion.

This year’s event promises to take the fan experience to the next level with the first iteration of the Rocking the Murray Concert on Saturday night and the best support category lineup in OTR SuperSprint history promising more on and off-track action than ever before.

We have listened to our fans and have invested heavily in the things that matter to them with more catering and bar options available and free access to the turns 1, 17 & 18 grandstands.

While you are at The Bend, I invite you to explore the attractions of this beautiful region: the Langhorne Creek wineries, Monarto Zoo and the paradise that is the Coorong.

I hope you have a wonderful experience, and I hope that you visit The Bend again soon to enjoy one of the many unique experiences on offer at The Bend.

Dr Sam Shahin

Managing Director Shell V-Power Motorsport Park

OTR IS pleased to continue our sponsorship of the OTR SuperSprint event this year, in what promises to be the strongest line-up of racing categories to date, including the Touring Car Masters.

The OTR SuperSprint at the newly named Shell V-Power Motorsport Park showcases three outstanding days of car racing, vintage motoring, and family activities, in one of South Australia’s most beautiful regions.

The event will include for the first time a brilliant Saturday evening ‘Rocking the

Yasser Shahin

OTR Founder

4

OTR SUPERSPRINT

Murray’ concert with live music by rock legends The Choirboys and Kingswood.

As South Australia’s largest private employer, OTR makes life easy for our guests by offering a great range of products and services. At OTR we never close, and we continue to support the wonderful work of our communities and charity partners through OTRGive.

On behalf of the OTR team, I hope you enjoy a great weekend of motorsport at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend.

WELCOME to The Bend Motorsport Park for this year’s OTR SuperSprint.

High-octane excitement awaits as Supercars return to South Australia – a state that knows and loves motorsport.

Fans have so much to enjoy across three days from 18 to 20 August, including entertainment from legendary Australian band The Choirboys and award-winning musicians Kingswood. Hot Wheels, the Silver Sharks aerial stunt show, an expanded Family Zone, and a new Karting Championship will add to the fun.

It’s great to see our state’s Murray River, Lakes and Coorong region welcome the Repco Supercars Championship for a seventh time.

It is even more important to provide reasons to visit this year, after the regional community was hit hard by a once-in-a-century flooding

event in their usually peak summer period.

There are plenty of accommodation options across the region. Fans can camp trackside at The Bend – one of just two circuits nationally where this is possible – or book a family getaway at BIG4 The Bend. Those seeking a luxury option will love Rydges Pit Lane, which celebrates motorsport at its very best.

Time in this beautiful part of South Australia is also a chance to enjoy its many attractions.

Stop by Monarto Safari Park for the largest open-range safari experience outside of Africa. Explore the mighty Murray, stopping for a meal at one of its many cafes, hotels and restaurants. Call in at a boutique distillery. Get back to nature and relax.

We wish you a brilliant long weekend of motorsport and regional discovery at the OTR SuperSprint.

The Hon Peter Malinauskas MP Premier of South Australia

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

5

2023 OTR SUPERSPRINT

EVENT SCHEDULE FRIDAY 18 AUGUST 2023 START

FINISH CATEGORY SESSION

7:00 Promoter

Gates Open

10:00 10:20 S5000

Practice 1

11:00 11:20 Toyota 86

Practice 1

9:30 9:50 Touring Car Masters 10:30 10:50 V8 SuperUtes 11:20 11:30 Promoter 11:35

12:00

Porsche Carrera Cup

12:10 12:30 Touring Car Masters 12:40 13:00 S5000

13:10 13:30 V8 SuperUtes 13:30 13:40 Promoter

13:45 14:05 Toyota 86 14:15

14:40

Porsche Carrera Cup

15:20

15:40

Touring Car Masters

14:50 15:10 S5000 15:50

6

17:20

OTR SUPERSPRINT

Supercars

Practice Practice

Entertainment

Practice 1

Qualifying Practice 2

Qualifying

Entertainment Practice 2

Practice 2

Qualifying

Trophy Race (7 laps)

Supercars Official Activities

SATURDAY 19 AUGUST 2023 START

FINISH CATEGORY SESSION

6:30 Promoter 7:05

7:25

Supercars

8:10

8:30

Touring Car Masters

7:35 8:40

8:00 9:00

S5000

Gates Open

Safety Car & Course Car Experiences

Race 1 (25 minutes) Race 1 (7 laps)

V8 SuperUtes

Race 1 (7 laps)

9:10 9:30 Toyota 86

Qualifying

9:45 10:15 Supercars

Practice 1

10:35 10:55 Porsche Carrera Cup 11:05

11:30

Qualifying

S5000

Race 2 (25 minutes)

11:40 12:10 Supercars

Practice 2

12:10 12:20 Promoter

Entertainment

12:30

12:50

Touring Car Masters

13:40

13:55

Supercars

Qualifying Part 1 – Race 20

Supercars

Qualifying Part 3 – Race 20

13:00 14:00

14:20

14:35

14:50 15:20 16:00

16:15

16:30

13:25 14:15

14:30

14:45

15:10 15:45 16:15

16:25

17:25

Race 2 (7 laps)

V8 SuperUtes

Race 2 (9 laps)

Supercars Promoter

Toyota 86

Qualfiying Part 2 – Race 20

Entertainment & Pit Lane Walk

Race 1 (7 laps)

Porsche Carrera Cup

Race 1 (11 laps)

Supercars

Supercars Official Activities

Supercars

Race 20 (20 laps)

Supercars

Pit Exit Closed/Grid Walk

17:30 Supercars

Podium

17:30 Promoter

Rocking The Murray Concert

SUNDAY 20 AUGUST 2023 START

FINISH CATEGORY SESSION

7:00 Promoter 7:35 7:55 Supercars 8:00 8:20 V8 SuperUtes 8:30 8:55 Toyota 86 9:05 9:30 S5000 9:45 10:00 Supercars 10:10 10:25 Supercars 10:25 10:35 Promoter 10:40 11:20 Porsche Carrera Cup 11:30 11:50 Touring Car Masters 12:00 12:20 V8 SuperUtes 12:50 Supercars 13:45 13:55 Promoter 14:05 14:25 Toyota 86 14:35 15:00 Porsche Carrera Cup 15:20 15:35 Supercars 15:35 15:45 Supercars 15:50 16:45 Supercars 16:55 Supercars

Gates Open Safety Car & Course Car Experiences Race 3 (7 laps) Race 2 (9 laps) Race 3 (25 minutes) Qualifying – Race 21 Qualifying – Race 22 Entertainment & Pit Lane Walk Race 2 (20 laps) Race 3 (7 laps) Race 4 (7 laps) Race 21 (20 laps) Entertainment Race 3 (7 laps) Race 3 (11 laps) Supercars Official Activities Pit Exit Closed/Grid Walk Race 22 (20 laps) Podium

Note: All times are local New South Wales time, AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

PRE-ROUND PREVIEW

ALL ROADS LEAD

TO THE BEND

There’s a myriad of subplots forming amid this year’s championship chase. As CONNOR O’BRIEN reports, there’s just as much focus on next year as there is on 2023 as the teams get set to roll out at The Bend Motorsport Park …

I

T’S been a wild ride in the Repco Supercars Championship since the final lap was turned at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight event at the end of July.

All eyes at The Bend Motorsport Park will be on Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus and how it handles the news which broke earlier this month that star driver Will Brown is set to defect to archrivals Triple Eight Race Engineering next year.

Tensions have often been high this season between Erebus and Triple Eight, with flashpoints coming in Perth, Darwin and Sydney Motorsport Park.

Now, to what degree has Triple Eight upset the apple cart?

Brown enters the OTR SuperSprint right in the title fight, 41 points adrift of teammate Brodie Kostecki.

8

OTR SUPERSPRINT

Can the Coca-Cola-backed team now keep it together in the face of an almighty silly season curveball?

Right behind Brown in the points standings is none other than the man he’s set to replace next year, Shane van Gisbergen, who looked back on-song at Eastern Creek after a chassis swap.

Van Gisbergen’s #97 Red Bull Ampol Camaro set the pace for much of the weekend, helping him to re-pass Triple Eight teammate Broc Feeney in the championship pecking order.

Adding to the Triple Eight/Erebus crossover is that both van Gisbergen and Kostecki headed to the world stage last weekend to race in the NASCAR Cup Series in Indianapolis.

Elsewhere in the pitlane there is plenty more silly season intrigue lingering in the background as the Repco Supercars

Championship enters its last SuperSprint round of 2023.

There’s been no shortage of chatter relating to the 2024 line-ups at Walkinshaw Andretti United, Team 18, Tickford Racing and Grove Racing, adding various subplots into play.

One team that appears to be thriving amid roster stability is Brad Jones Racing, which saw Andre Heimgartner be somewhat in the hunt for victory in both SMP races. Heimgartner now has four podiums and a pole in the past six races to help him be within striking distance of Chaz Mostert for a top five championship ranking.

What’s more is the other side of the lead BJR garage is firing too. Bryce Fullwood qualified sixth and fourth at SMP and has seven top 10 finishes in the past eight races (the one exception being an 11th).

PRE-ROUND PREVIEW

Andre Heimgartner, above, scored his first pole for Brad Jones Racing last time out in Sydney. David Reynolds, below, has slipped back to 16th in the championship after a mechanical failure put him into the wall at Sydney Motorsport Park.

As has become the norm in Gen3, parity will be a talking point.

A select few Ford drivers proved quite competitive in Sydney, especially on the Saturday night as Mostert and Cam Waters duked it out in top three, while Anton De Pasquale snatched a Sunday podium with a stellar late-race charge.

Mustang teams however remained unconvinced that there has been enough progress, with straight-line speed a growing concern. That at least shouldn’t be a major factor until Sandown, with The Bend perhaps an opportunity for the Blue Oval.

That’s because the South Australian circuit is generally kind on tyres; it has also historically been a happy hunting ground for Ford, although how much of the form guide can be carried over from Gen2 to Gen3 is questionable.

There will be three Supercars sprint races this weekend at a location where action has been aplenty in recent years, from Fabian Coulthard’s thrilling victory back in 2020 to the frightening start-line shunt between Andre Heimgartner and Thomas Randle last year.

It’s the last chance for teams to gain momentum heading into a bumper end to the season covering Sandown, Bathurst, Gold and Coast and Adelaide, so expect nothing to be left on the table.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

9

PRE-ROUND PREVIEW

Can Cam Waters clinch victory at The Bend? The Monster Mustang driver - pictured above leading Mark Winterbottom and Anton De Pasquale in Sydney - won the seasonopener in Newcastle. Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen, below, jets back into Australia for this round after his second United States trip to taste some NASCAR racing action.

THERE’S BEEN NO SHORTAGE OF CHATTER RELATING TO THE 2024 LINE-UPS AT WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI UNITED, TEAM 18, TICKFORD RACING AND GROVE RACING

10

OTR SUPERSPRINT

KEEP YOUR PACE UP AND BOOK NOW!

THEBEND.COM.AU OFFICIAL PROGRAM

11

2023 REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP

POINTS STANDINGS 2023 REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS POINTS POS

DRIVER TEAM CAR

1 Brodie Kostecki Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 2 Will Brown Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 3 Shane van Gisbergen Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 4 Broc Feeney Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 5 Chaz Mostert Mobil 1 Optus Racing Ford Mustang GT 6 Andre Heimgartner R&J Batteries Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 7 Cameron Waters Monster Energy Racing Ford Mustang GT 8 Jack Le Brocq Truck Assist Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 9 Bryce Fullwood Middy’s Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 10 Mark Winterbottom DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 11 Will Davison Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustang GT 12 Scott Pye Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 13 Anton De Pasquale Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustang GT 14 Tim Slade Nulon Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 15 James Golding Nulon Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 16 David Reynolds Penrite Racing Ford Mustang GT 17 James Courtney Snowy River Racing Ford Mustang GT 18 Thomas Randle Castrol Racing Ford Mustang GT 19 Matthew Payne Penrite Racing Ford Mustang GT 20 Todd Hazelwood CoolDrive Racing Ford Mustang GT 21 Macauley Jones Pizza Hut Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 22 Cameron Hill Truck Assist Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 23 Nick Percat Mobil 1 NTI Racing Ford Mustang GT 24 Jack Smith SCT Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 25 Declan Fraser Tradie Racing Ford Mustang GT 26 Zane Goddard Supercheap Auto Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

POINTS 1590 1549 1536 1523 1348 1308 1261 1159 1076 1056 1033 972 958 943 920 884 816 815 769 751 724 709 659 633 552 76

2023 REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM POINTS `

POS

TEAM

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus Red Bull Ampol Racing Brad Jones Racing (Cars #8 and #14) Tickford Racing (Cars #5 and #6) Team 18 Walkinshaw Andretti United Shell V-Power Racing Team Truck Assist Racing Nulon Racing Penrite Racing Tickford Racing (Cars #55 and #56) Brad Jones Racing (Cars #4 and #96) CoolDrive Racing * Supercheap Auto Racing *

* Denotes single car team

12

OTR SUPERSPRINT

POINTS 3139 3059 2354 2077 2028 2007 1991 1868 1813 1653 1307 1297 721 76

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

13

2023 OTR SUPERSPRINT

ENTRY LIST

ENTRY LIST 2023 OTR SUPERSPRINT

NO DRIVER TEAM

2

Nick Percat

Mobil 1™ NTI Racing

4

Jack Smith

SCT Motorsport

3

Todd Hazelwood

CoolDrive Racing

5

James Courtney

Snowy River Racing

8

Andre Heimgartner

R&J Batteries Racing

6 9

11 14 17

Cam Waters

Monster Energy Racing

CAR Ford Mustang GT Ford Mustang GT

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Ford Mustang GT

Ford Mustang GT

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Will Brown

Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus

Bryce Fullwood

Middy’s Racing

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Anton De Pasquale Will Davison

Shell V-Power Racing Team

Shell V-Power Racing Team

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Ford Mustang GT Ford Mustang GT

18

Mark Winterbottom

DEWALT Racing

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

20

Scott Pye

Team 18

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

19

Matthew Payne

23

25 26

31

Cameron Hill

56 96

97

99

David Reynolds Jack Le Brocq

35

88

Chaz Mostert James Golding

34

55

Tim Slade

Thomas Randle

Declan Fraser Broc Feeney

Macauley Jones

Shane van Gisbergen Brodie Kostecki

Penrite Racing Nulon Racing

Mobil 1™ Optus Racing Penrite Racing

OTR SUPERSPRINT

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Ford Mustang GT

Ford Mustang GT

Nulon Racing

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Truck Assist Racing

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Truck Assist Racing Castrol Racing Tradie Racing

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Ford Mustang GT

Ford Mustang GT

Red Bull Ampol Racing

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Red Bull Ampol Racing

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Pizza Hut Racing

Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus

Note: Entry details subject to change after deadline for this program had closed.

14

Ford Mustang GT

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

15

NICK PERCAT AGE 34 YEARS FROM ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA LIVES MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

2011 BATHURST 1000 WINNER 2016 ADELAIDE 500 WINNER

@nickpercat @nickpercat

Mobil 1™ NTI Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2010 RACES 307 PODIUMS 14

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

138 4 2

THIS year marks a major change for Nick Percat, his first season in the Repco Supercars Championship at the wheel of a Ford after 288 championship race starts exclusively driving Holden Commodores.

This season is his second with Walkinshaw Andretti United after a relatively difficult 2022 in which he finished 15th in the championship.

The highlight of last year for the 2011 Bathurst winner was undoubtedly his second-place finish as part of a WAU 1-2 in the Saturday race at his home event, the VALO Adelaide 500.

16

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 4

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6 4th 5th

Percat made his Supercars Championship debut at the 2010 Phillip Island 500 co-driving a Walkinshaw Racing Commodore and this year marks his 10th season as a full-time driver in the championship.

He spent four years (2010-2013) as an endurance co-driver with the Walkinshaw team under the Bundaberg Racing and Holden Racing Team banners before getting his first full-time season in 2014 at the wheel of a Walkinshaw-run Commodore.

From there he spent two seasons (20152016) with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport and five seasons (2017-2021) with Brad Jones

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

BEST FINISH 19 BEST QUAL 0 23rd

9th 7th

Racing, which included two race wins at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2020 and two pole positions – in 2020 in Townsville and 2021 at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Percat has made 12 Bathurst 1000 starts and, in addition to his win alongside Garth Tander in 2011, finished third in 2014 with Brit Oliver Gavin and again in 2016 alongside Cameron McConville.

He won the 2009 Australian Formula Ford Championship and finished runner-up to Craig Baird in the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship in addition to spending three seasons competing in the Dunlop Series.

TODD HAZELWOOD AGE 27 YEARS FROM ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@toddhazelwood @toddhazelwoodracing

2017 DUNLOP SUPER2 SERIES WINNER 2014 MIKE KABLE YOUNG GUN AWARD WINNER

CoolDrive Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2017 RACES 178 PODIUMS 1

ROUNDS 78 BEST FINISH 3rd POLES 1

TODD Hazelwood has made the move for 2023 to driving the CoolDrive Racing Mustang for the Blanchard Racing Team.

Hazelwood is hardly a stranger to racing in CoolDrive’s distinct blue colours given he drove under its banner in a Holden Commodore (then run by Brad Jones Racing) as co-driver to Tim Blanchard in the 2017 endurance races at Sandown, Bathurst and the Gold Coast.

This year marks Hazelwood’s sixth season in the Supercars Championship. He made his debut at Queensland Raceway in 2017 as a one-off wildcard entry in a Matt Stone Racing-

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6 7th 11th

run Commodore.

He joined the championship full-time the following season with MSR and stayed with the team in 2019 before embarking on two seasons with Brad Jones Racing across 2020 (when he scored a breakthrough pole position in Townsville and his first podium at Sydney Motorsport Park) and 2021.

Hazelwood moved back to MSR last year as part of its two-car team alongside Jack Le Brocq.

He is a product of the Supercars pathway system having spent four seasons in the Dunlop Series with MSR between 2014 (the

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 20th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

4th 9th

year he won the Mike Kable Young Gun Award for best first-year driver) and 2017. Hazelwood finished fifth in the 2015 series and third in 2016 (the year he also won the Privateers Cup Award) before going one step further the following season.

Hazelwood won the Dunlop Super2 Series in 2017 (including two round wins) and clinched the crown in the final round of the season with overall victory on the streets of Newcastle.

It set up his graduation into the Supercars Championship and he’s been a permanent part of the grid ever since.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

17

JACK SMITH AGE 24 YEARS FROM GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND LIVES YARRAWONGA, VICTORIA

2017 V8 TOURING CAR SERIES WINNER 2018/19 BNT V8s NEW ZEALAND CHAMPION

@_4jacksmith

SCT Motorsport THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2019 RACES 124 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS 50 BEST FINISH 10th BEST QUAL 10th

YOUNG gun Jack Smith is in his fourth straight season in the Repco Supercars Championship this year as part of the four-car line-up from Albury-based Brad Jones Racing.

He joins Andre Heimgartner, Bryce Fullwood and Macauley Jones in BJR’s squad of drivers as the team retains the same four pilots from 2022 into 2023.

Smith made his Supercars Championship debut at Symmons Plains in Tasmania in 2019 as a wildcard and competed in additional rounds of that year’s championship, also as a wildcard entry.

He co-drove a Matt Stone Racing Commodore with Todd Hazelwood in the

18

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2019 RACES 14 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS 5 17th 19th

Sandown, Bathurst and Gold Coast endurance races held later that year before stepping into the championship on a full-time basis in 2020 at the wheel of a BJR-run Commodore. Smith finished 22nd in the 2020 championship, 21st in 2021 and 24th last year.

A product of the Supercars ladder system, he won the V8 Touring Car Series in a BJR Commodore in 2017, concurrently racing a newer model BJR-run VF Commodore in that year’s Dunlop Series.

Smith competed in the Dunlop Series in 2018 and 2019 and finished 10th in the final points in each of those two seasons.

Prior to his involvement in Supercars,

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 24th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

14th 12th

Smith raced in the Australian Formula 4 Championship for open wheelers and in the Australian GT Trophy Series at the wheel of a MARC car.

He also finished third in the Invitational Class of the 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race and won the 2018/19 BNT V8s Championship in New Zealand.

Smith started his 50th Supercars Championship round last time out at Sydney Motorsport Park and sits 24th in the championship points entering the round at The Bend.

He finished 19th and 15th in the pair of races at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

JAMES COURTNEY AGE 43 YEARS FROM PENRITH, NEW SOUTH WALES LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@jcourtney @jamescourtneyracing

2010 SUPERCARS CHAMPION 2014, 2015 ADELAIDE 500 WINNER

Snowy River Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2005 RACES 545 PODIUMS 65

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

240 15 10

THE ever-smiling James Courtney returns to the Repco Supercars Championship this season for his fourth straight year at the wheel of a Tickford Racing Mustang.

The 2010 Supercars Champion during his time with Dick Johnson Racing, Courtney is this year competing in his 18th season as a full-time driver in the Supercars Championship.

Courtney came to Supercars with impressive international credentials. A twotime world karting champion, he also won the British Formula Ford Championship and was a race winner in the British Formula 3 Championship before a huge accident at

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 1

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6 3rd 4th

Monza in Italy while testing a Jaguar Formula 1 car in 2002 changed the course of his career.

He raced in Japan and won the 2003 Japanese Formula 3 Championship and then shifted to racing in the SuperGT series.

Courtney’s Supercars Championship debut came in the 2005 endurance races as a codriver with the Holden Racing Team. He then joined the championship full-time, replacing Marcos Ambrose at Stone Brothers Racing for 2006.

He spent three seasons with SBR (including two Bathurst 1000 podium finishes and his first championship race win at Queensland Raceway in 2008) before moving on to spend

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

17 1 17th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

3rd 5th

two years with Dick Johnson Racing in its Jim Beam-backed Fords.

Courtney joined the Holden Racing Team in 2011 and stayed with the Walkinshaw-run team right through to 2019. In that time he and the team won seven championship races, including three at the Adelaide 500.

He signed to drive for Team Sydney but only competed in Adelaide in 2020 before leaving the team.

Courtney stepped into a Boost-backed Ford Mustang at Tickford Racing after the COVIDenforced pause of that year’s championship and has remained with the team ever since with 2023 his third full season with the team.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

19

CAM WATERS AGE 29 YEARS FROM MILDURA, VICTORIA LIVES MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

2017 SANDOWN 500 WINNER 2015 DUNLOP SERIES WINNER

@cam_waters @camwaters94

Monster Energy Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2011 RACES 242 PODIUMS 43

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

112 9 21

NOW in his eighth season in the Repco Supercars Championship, Cam Waters has proven himself to be one of men to beat in the modern era of Supercars racing and has become the main strike weapon for Tickford Racing.

The Melbourne-based Ford team is again running four cars in the championship this year with Waters joined in the driver line-up

by James Courtney, Thomas Randle and newcomer Declan Fraser.

Waters made his Supercars Championship debut as a teenager at Bathurst in 2011 sharing a car with Grant Denyer after winning the Shannons Supercar Showdown TV series.

20

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 5

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

6 2 2

He spent the following years in the Dunlop Series, eventually winning the title in 2015 driving a Prodrive Racing Australia (now known as Tickford Racing) Falcon FG. Waters finished runner-up in that year’s Sandown 500 alongside Chaz Mostert and took over Mostert’s #6 Falcon for the Gold Coast, Pukekohe and Phillip Island rounds after its regular pilot was injured in a qualifying crash at Bathurst.

He graduated full-time to the Supercars Championship in 2016 at the wheel of a Monster Energy-backed Falcon and has been part of the furniture of the championship ever since.

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 1 7th

RACE WINS POLES

1 2

Waters’ first championship pole position came in Western Australia in 2016 and he and Kiwi Richie Stanaway teamed up to win the Sandown 500 the following year in a dominant display.

Voted the ‘Drivers’ Driver’ of the 2020 season by his peers, Waters has shone at Bathurst in recent years.

The Bathurst 1000 pole-sitter in 2020 and 2022, he has finished on the podium in each of the last three years in the ‘Great Race’ at the wheel of Tickford’s Monster Energy Mustang.

Waters also finished runner-up in the Supercars Championship in 2020 and 2022 and sits seventh in points entering The Bend.

ANDRE HEIMGARTNER AGE 28 YEARS FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@andreheimgartner @AHRacing

2021 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 9 WINNER – THE BEND 2017/18 NZ TOURING CARS CHAMPION

R&J Batteries Racing THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2014 RACES 235 PODIUMS 15

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

103 1 3

NEW Zealander Andre Heimgartner is a man on the move in the #8 R&J Batteries Racing entry for the Albury-based Brad Jones Racing.

This year marks Heimgartner’s eighth fulltime season in the championship and comes after a stellar 2022 with BJR. He finished 10th in the championship pointscore (the best of his Supercars Championship career) and had four podium finishes, including two on home soil at Pukekohe in New Zealand.

The 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia runner-up also had a lucky escape at The Bend when he ploughed into the back of the stalled Mustang of Thomas Randle.

DEBUT 2018 RACES 15 PODIUMS 2

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS 6 1 1

Both drivers emerged unscathed from the frightening accident.

Heimgartner made his Supercars Championship debut in 2014 driving a Super Black Racing wildcard entry at Bathurst alongside countryman Ant Pedersen.

He raced for the team full-time in 2015 and made the move to driving a Holden Commodore for Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport in 2016.

The Kiwi moved to racing a Porsche in the Carrera Cup series for 2017 but was called up to replace the injured Ash Walsh in a Brad Jones Racing Commodore at Bathurst alongside Tim Slade.

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 6 6th

BEST FINISH POLES

2nd 1

The duo drove together again on the Gold Coast and a podium result caught the eye of Kelly Racing, who signed him up for 2018 to replace the retiring Todd Kelly at the wheel of one of its Nissan Altimas.

He spent two years driving a Nissan before the team moved to Ford Mustangs for 2020 and brought in new partners in the Grove family in 2021.

Heimgartner broke through for his first Supercars Championship race win that year at The Bend Motorsport Park in one of the team’s Mustangs and moved on to BJR for 2022.

He sits sixth in the championship after finishing runner-up in the last race in Sydney.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

21

WILL BROWN AGE 25 YEARS FROM TOOWOOMBA, QUEENSLAND LIVES TOOWOOMBA, QUEENSLAND

5-TIME SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP RACE WINNER 2016 TOYOTA 86 SERIES WINNER

@willbrown38 @willbrownmotorsport

Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2018 RACES 93 PODIUMS 13

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

39 5 4

A LACONIC lad from Toowoomba in Queensland, Will Brown has quickly carved himself an impressive resume in Australian motorsport. This year is his third year in the Repco Supercars Championship with Erebus Motorsport after a stunning rookie season in 2021.

In that year he scored his first Supercars Championship race win and pole position (both at Sydney Motorsport Park), was fastest in qualifying for the Bathurst 1000 and finished an impressive eighth in the championship. Brown made his Supercars Championship debut in 2018 co-driving an Erebus Commodore with Anton De Pasquale

22

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2021 RACES 6 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

2 6th 3rd

in that year’s Sandown, Bathurst and Gold Coast races and returned in the same role for the 2019 races.

He co-drove with David Reynolds for Erebus at Bathurst in 2020 before taking over the seat in the team’s #9 entry when Reynolds left at the end of the season.

Brown’s history in the junior categories is indeed impressive. He won the Australian Formula 4 Championship and Toyota 86 Racing Series in the same year – 2016 – that he also finished runner-up in the Australian Formula Ford Series.

He moved into the Dunlop Super2 Series in 2017 with Eggleston Motorsport and won

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 9 2nd

RACE WINS POLES

4 3

the Mike Kable Young Gun Award for the best first-year drivers.

Brown spent three years learning the ropes of Supercars with the Eggleston team before making the move to drive an Image Racing, Erebus-supported Commodore in the 2020 series.

He finished runner-up to Thomas Randle in the COVID-shortened season (there were only three rounds held).

The versatile young racer also won the Invitational Class in the 2017 Bathurst 12 Hour and won the inaugural TCR Australia Series in 2019 at the wheel of a HMO Customer Racing Hyundai.

ANTON DE PASQUALE AGE 27 YEARS FROM MELBOURNE, VICTORIA LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@antondepasquale @antondepasquale86

2021 ARMOR ALL SUPERCARS POLE AWARD WINNER 2013 AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD CHAMPION

Shell V-Power Racing Team 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2018 RACES 173 PODIUMS 31

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

74 9 16

THIS year marks Anton De Pasquale’s sixth season in the Repco Supercars Championship and his third driving one of Dick Johnson Racing’s Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustangs.

He’s proven blindingly fast in qualifying and already amassed 15 championship pole positions, 10 of which were claimed in the 2021 season in which he was awarded the ARMOR ALL Pole Position Award for most pole positions in that year.

He made his Supercars Championship debut at the wheel of one of Erebus Motorsport’s Commodores at the 2018 Adelaide 500 and spent three seasons with

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 4

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

6 1 2

the Melbourne-based team. De Pasqaule also scored his first Supercars race win with the team, at Hidden Valley in Darwin in 2020.

De Pasquale’s championship progression continues; he finished 20th in 2018, 14th in 2019, eighth in his last year with Erebus in 2020, sixth with DJR in 2021 and fourth in 2022.

He’s also proven to be a Sydney Motorsport Park expert in his time in Supercars, claiming five race wins there in 2021 and seven poles there across 2021 (six) and 2022 (one).

The young gun was a winner in junior open wheeler categories before he raced in Supercars. He won the Australian Formula

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 2 13th

RACE WINS POLES

1 1

Ford Championship in 2013 and headed to Europe to follow his racing dreams.

De Pasquale won the 2014 Formula Renault 1.6 Northern European Cup but ran out of sponsorship funding and was forced to return home.

He linked with Paul Morris to drive a Falcon in the 2016 Dunlop Series and returned the following year in a newer generation car to finish fourth in the series and win two rounds at Phillip Island and Sydney Motorsport Park.

De Pasquale has endured a tough 2023 so far, however a win in Townsville has helped somewhat and he now sits 13th in the championship points.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

23

BRYCE FULLWOOD @brycefullwood AGE 25 YEARS FROM DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY @brycefullwoodracing LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

2019 DUNLOP SUPER2 SERIES WINNER 2019 DUNLOP SUPER 2 BATHURST 250KM RACE RUNNER-UP

Middy’s Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2018 RACES 120 PODIUMS 1

ROUNDS 49 BEST FINISH 3rd BEST QUAL 3rd

THE only current Supercars Championship driver to originally hail from Darwin in the Northern Territory, Bryce Fullwood is back with Brad Jones Racing this year for his second straight season with the Albury-based team.

This year marks Fullwood’s fourth season in the Repco Supercars Championship as a full-time driver.

He made his Supercars Championship debut in the 2018 endurance races at Sandown, Bathurst and the Gold Coast with Matt Stone Racing as co-driver with Todd Hazelwood in a Matt Stone Racing Commodore.

24

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2020 RACES 12 PODIUMS 1

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

4 3rd 7th

The following year, 2019 (the same year he also won the Dunlop Super2 Series), Fullwood was signed by Kelly Racing to co-drive a Nissan with Kiwi Andre Heimgartner in the three endurance rounds.

That opened the door to a full-time seat in the Supercars Championship as Chaz Mostert’s teammate at Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2020.

The emerging racer scored his first podium finish that season at The Bend Motorsport Park and he continued in the team’s #2 Commodore in 2021, a year highlighted by fifth-place in the Repco Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama alongside Warren Luff.

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 9th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

5th 3rd

Fullwood first appeared on the Supercars scene as a teenager back in 2015 competing in the Dunlop Series at the wheel of an ex-Paul Morris Motorsports Commodore.

He spent five seasons in the category including three (2016, 2017, 2019) racing Falcons and Nissan Altimas for MW Motorsport and one (2018) in a Falcon, and later, a Commodore run by Matt Stone Racing.

Fullwood won four rounds of the seven held in 2019 on his way to winning the Dunlop Super2 Series and finished on the podium in all bar one of them.

He starts his 50th Supercars Championship round this weekend.

WILL DAVISON AGE 40 YEARS FROM MELBOURNE, VICTORIA LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@willdavison__ @willdavisonofficial

2009, 2016 BATHURST 1000 WINNER 2012 ADELAIDE 500 WINNER

Shell V-Power Racing Team 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2004 RACES 537 PODIUMS 79

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

240 22 28

WILL Davison is in his 18th season as a full-time driver in the Repco Supercars Championship in 2023, his third successive year driving a Ford Mustang for the Shell V-Power Racing Team.

He’s no stranger to Dick Johnson Racing given he started his full-time Supercars career with the team in 2006.

Davison’s actual Supercars Championship debut came in 2004 in a Team Dynamik Commodore at Winton and, after joining DJR as a co-driver in the 2005 endurance races, he joined full-time in 2006 and spent three years with the famous Ford team.

The opportunity to replace Mark Skaife

DEBUT 2018 RACES 10 PODIUMS 4

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

4 2nd 2nd

lured him away from Dick Johnson Racing to the Holden Racing Team for 2009, the year he won Bathurst with Garth Tander, finished runner-up in the Driver’s championship and helped HRT clinch the Team’s Championship as well.

He moved to Ford Performance Racing and spent three years with the factory Ford team (2011-2013) before two seasons at Erebus Motorsport (2014-2015) and two at TEKNO Autosports (2016-2017) that included a Bathurst 1000 win in 2016 alongside team owner Jonathon Webb.

A move to 23Red Racing for 2018 lasted until COVID struck in early 2020 when

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 1 11th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

3rd 5th

sponsor Milwaukee Tools and team owner Phil Munday pulled the plug, forcing Davison to the sidelines.

He picked up a Bathurst co-drive alongside Cam Waters in a Tickford Mustang and they finished second, vaulting Davison back into a seat in the championship with DJR in 2021 as teammate to Anton De Pasquale.

Davison finished fourth in the 2021 pointscore in his first season back with the Queensland-based squad and showed plenty of pace in 2022 to take nine pole positions and win three races on his way to finishing fifth in the championship. He sits 11th in the points heading into this round.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

25

MARK WINTERBOTTOM AGE 42 YEARS FROM SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES LIVES MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

@markjwinterbottom @markjwinterbottom

2015 SUPERCARS CHAMPION 2013 BATHURST 1000 WINNER

DEWALT Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2003 RACES 612 PODIUMS 118

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

270 39 36

THE most experienced driver in the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship field, Mark Winterbottom is this year marking his 20th straight season as a full-time competitor in the championship.

So closely linked to Ford for so many years during his time with Ford Performance Racing and Prodrive/Tickford Racing, this is the fifth year for Winterbottom driving for Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt.

After four years in IRWIN-backed Commodores, this year marks a change for him with new backing from DEWALT and a brand new Chevrolet Camaro race car.

The 2015 Supercars Champion,

26

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6 4th 3rd

Winterbottom made his debut in Supercars as an endurance driver with Stone Brothers Racing in its second car alongside Mark Noske at Sandown and Bathurst in 2003.

He’s been full-time in the ‘main game’ since 2004 and, after spending two seasons with Mark Larkham’s team, moved to Ford Performance Racing for the 2006 season.

His first Supercars Championship race win came that year alongside Jason Bright in the Sandown 500 and he became part of the furniture at the Melbourne-based Ford team as it morphed into Prodrive Racing Australia and then Tickford Racing.

All up Winterbottom spent 13 seasons

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 1 10th

RACE WINS BEST QUAL

1 3rd

with the team through to the end of 2018, a stint highlighted by winning Bathurst in 2013 and the championship in 2015. He won nine races in his championship-winning season, including the Sandown 500 alongside Steve Owen.

Winterbottom won the 2003 Konica V8 Supercar Series (now known as Super2) at the wheel of a Stone Brothers Racing-run Falcon before his graduation into the Supercars Championship.

Winterbottom took his 39th championship race win at Hidden Valley in Darwin, the first race win in the Repco Supercars Championship for Team 18.

MATTHEW PAYNE AGE 20 YEARS FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@matthewpayne_7 @matthewpayne.racing

2021 NZ TOYOTA RACING SERIES WINNER 2022 MIKE KABLE YOUNG GUN AWARD WINNER

Penrite Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2022 RACES 20 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS 8 BEST FINISH 6th BEST QUAL 5th

MATTHEW Payne continues his rapid rise up the motorsport ladder with his first full-time season in the Repco Supercars Championship in 2023.

The young New Zealander only raced a Supercar for the first time in November 2021, while this year will be just his third full season racing cars since stepping up from karting.

He graduated to circuit racing in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series, winning the three-race 2021 title and finishing third in the New Zealand Grand Prix.

Payne was also the first recipient of the Team Porsche NZ scholarship under the tutelage of multiple Le Mans 24 Hours winner

DEBUT 2023 RACES 0 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

0 N/A N/A

Earl Bamber, leading to a drive in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2021.

He impressed with back-to-back poles at The Bend Motorsport Park and Townsville and put in an assured drive to victory at the latter round, finishing sixth in the standings overall.

Payne’s form saw him recruited as the foundation driver of the Grove Junior Team in mid-2021, with the goal of graduating to the Repco Supercars Championship with the squad in 2023.

There were indications he’d move to the ‘main game’ sooner than that, but Grove Racing elected to field him in a Nissan Altima in the second-tier class in 2022.

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 19th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6th 5th

The extra season behind the wheel of a second-tier machine paid dividends with Payne sharpening his skills.

He led the points early in the season and eventually finished third in the series and won the Mike Kable Young Gun Award for his efforts as best first year driver in Supercars racing.

To cap his graduation, Payne finally made his ‘main game’ debut at last year’s Repco Bathurst 1000, impressing alongside veteran Lee Holdsworth in finishing sixth in one of the Grove’s team Penrite Mustangs.

Payne currently sits 19th in the championship points entering The Bend.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

27

SCOTT PYE AGE 33 YEARS FROM ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA LIVES MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

@scottpye19 @scottpye19

2010 BRITISH FORMULA FORD CHAMPION 2017, 2018 BATHURST 1000 RUNNER-UP

Team 18 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2012 RACES 331 PODIUMS 10

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

144 1 1

THE arrival of Gen3 for this year represents a fresh start for Scott Pye at Team 18 in his fourth season with the Melbourne-based team.

Pye very nearly signed off last season with the ultimate race-winning reward at his home event in Adelaide, where he qualified on the front row for the Saturday race and came agonisingly close to breaking through for Team 18’s very first Repco Supercars Championship race win.

Pye joined Charlie Schwerkolt’s Team 18 outfit in a new second entry for the 2020 season as teammate to Mark Winterbottom and scored a podium finish at Hidden Valley,

28

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6 6th 4th

the team’s first since becoming a standalone squad in 2016.

He ended his first season with the squad one place ahead of teammate Winterbottom in ninth in the final championship pointscore.

Prior to his time in Supercars, Pye raced karts and then Formula Ford in 2007 before he won races in both the British Formula Ford and Formula 3 Championships.

He returned home in 2012 and burst into Supercars driving for Triple Eight in the Dunlop Series, finishing runner-up overall and winning the Mike Kable Young Gun Award.

His first year in the ‘main game’ in 2013

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 12th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

5th 9th

with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport was tough, though a top 10 finish at Bathurst was a highlight and enough to get him a gig with Dick Johnson Racing the following year in 2014.

Pye became a co-driver when Team Penske arrived and scaled the squad back to a single car in 2015, though Marcos Ambrose’s decision to step back again handed Pye the full-time seat.

He headed to Mobil 1 HSV Racing in 2017, the team that became Walkinshaw Andretti United a year later, and scored his breakthrough maiden Supercars win with the team in 2018 at Albert Park.

TIM SLADE AGE 38 YEARS FROM HORNSBY, NEW SOUTH WALES LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@_timslade_ @TimSladeRacing

2008 SUPERCARS PRIVATEERS CUP WINNER 2012 BATHURST 12 HOUR RUNNER-UP

Nulon Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2009 RACES 418 PODIUMS 17

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

191 2 2

TIM Slade has joined emerging squad PremiAir Racing for the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship after spending the past two seasons racing for the Blanchard Racing Team in a single-car Mustang team.

Slade began his career in open wheelers and he finished second in the 2006 Australian Formula Ford Championship after also dabbling in Formula 3.

Slade progressed to the Fujitsu Series (now known as Super2) in 2007 and the following year ran his own team to claim the Privateers Cup and a race and round win at Wakefield Park.

His persistence captured the attention

DEBUT 2018 RACES 10 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

4 4th 3rd

of Supercars team owner Paul Morris and, with the help of long-time backer James Rosenberg, Slade was rewarded with a fulltime championship drive and he scored top 10 results alongside Morris in the Phillip Island and Bathurst endurance races.

A shift to Stone Brothers Racing in 2010 yielded further improvements, taking his first podium finish in 2011. A career best of fifth in points followed in 2012, before the Ford squad transformed into Erebus Motorsport for 2013.

He crossed the floor to Holden for the 2014 season, spending two years piloting Walkinshaw Racing Commodores then joining Brad Jones Racing in 2016, the year he broke

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 14th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6th 4th

through and won both races at the Winton round.

He finished 2016 eighth in the championship, but the following years proved tougher and left Slade with little more than a handful of podium finishes to show for his toil.

Unable to land a full-time drive for 2020, Slade secured a co-drive with DJR Team Penske, helping Scott McLaughlin secure his third Supercars title at Bathurst.

He returned to the Supercars grid full-time with the drive in the Blanchard Racing Team’s CoolDrive Mustang in 2021 before the move to PremiAir Racing this year.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

29

CHAZ MOSTERT AGE 31 YEARS FROM MELBOURNE, VICTORIA LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@chazmozzie @chazmozzie

2014, 2021 BATHURST 1000 WINNER 2017 SUPERCARS ENDURO CUP WINNER

Mobil 1™ Optus Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2013 RACES 315 PODIUMS 85

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

137 21 23

ONE of the Repco Supercars Championship’s biggest stars has returned to his roots in 2023 as Chaz Mostert is now back behind the wheel of a Ford.

After three seasons of racing Holdens, Walkinshaw Andretti United’s off-season manufacturer switch puts Mostert back aboard a ‘blue oval’ machine for the first time since 2019.

Mostert moved to WAU in 2020 after eight years with Tickford Racing along with his engineer Adam DeBorre and the 2021 season saw them deliver a breakthrough victory at Symmons Plains plus further wins at Hidden Valley and Bathurst, where he and co-driver

30

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 5

ROUNDS BEST FINISH POLES

6 2nd 2

Lee Holdsworth took a dominant victory.

Mostert finished a career-best third in that year’s championship, a result he repeated in 2022. During his formative years he won the 2010 Australian Formula Ford Championship and made his Dunlop Series debut the same year with Miles Racing.

He competed in the series with them fulltime in 2011 but was then snapped up by Ford Performance Racing (now Tickford Racing), finishing third overall in the 2012 series.

He began 2013 driving an ex-FPR Falcon for MW Motorsport in the Dunlop Series before receiving a ‘main game’ call-up to join Dick Johnson Racing and broke through for his

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 4 5th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

2nd 2nd

maiden race win at Queensland Raceway.

The FPR-contracted Mostert returned ‘home’ to drive its #6 Ford in 2014, when he took a famous last-lap Bathurst win with Paul Morris.

A year later Mostert was mounting a serious title challenge when a horror qualifying crash at Bathurst left him with a broken leg and wrist, sidelining him for the rest of the year.

He returned for the start of 2016 and proved a regular front-runner for the Ford team over the next four seasons before moving to WAU in 2020.

Winless so far this year, Mostert is the topplaced Ford driver in 2023, fifth in the points.

DAVID REYNOLDS AGE 38 YEARS FROM ALBURY, NEW SOUTH WALES LIVES MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

@daffidreynolds @davidreynoldsv8supercar

2017 BATHURST 1000 WINNER 2007 PORSCHE CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA CHAMPION

Penrite Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2007 RACES 423 PODIUMS 40

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

192 7 16

THE rise of Grove Racing in 2022 allowed David Reynolds to remind the Repco Supercars Championship of his reputation as one of its most formidable racers.

Reynolds’ career to date is packed with success, winning the Australian Formula Ford and Carrera Cup titles en route to Supercars.

His Supercars debut came in 2007 as Cameron McConville’s co-driver at PWR Racing, and he drove a Tony D’Alberto Racingrun Holden in the 2008 Fujitsu (Super2) Series before graduating to the ‘main game’ in 2009 with Walkinshaw Racing.

Reduced to an endurance driver role for 2010, he returned to full-time duties with Kelly

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 1

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6 3rd 8th

Racing in 2011 then jumped across to Rod Nash Racing to drive its Ford Performance Racing-prepared Falcon in 2012.

The move delivered instant results as Reynolds finished a close second in the 2012 Bathurst 1000 and built himself into a championship contender by 2015, finishing third in the points that season.

He moved to Erebus Motorsport amid its shift from Mercedes-Benz to Holden in 2016 and won at Bathurst alongside Luke Youlden the next year.

His relationship with the team soured during a rough 2020 campaign and they agreed to part ways at the end of the season,

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 2 16th

BEST FINISH POLES

3rd 1

just one year into a much-publicised 10-year deal.

His 2021 move to what was then known as Kelly Grove Racing put him in familiar surroundings, having driven for then-Holden team Kelly Racing in 2011.

He finished on the podium at Sandown and led the resurgent Grove squad during 2022, delivering a pair of ARMOR ALL Pole Positions along with seven podium finishes that helped the team secure fifth in the Teams Championship.

Reynolds is currently in something of a slump - he hasn’t finished in the top 10 in the last 10 races straight.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

31

JAMES GOLDING AGE 27 YEARS FROM WARRAGUL, VICTORIA LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@jimmygolding @JamesGoldingMotorsport

2022 S5000 AUSTRALIAN DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER-UP 4th, 2016 DUNLOP SERIES

Nulon Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2016 RACES 111 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS 55 BEST FINISH 4th BEST QUAL 3rd

THE 2023 season marks James Golding’s first full-time Repco Supercars Championship campaign since 2019, completing a three-year fight to regain a seat in the ‘main game’.

A Formula Ford open wheeler racing graduate, he finished third in the 2014 national series and made his Dunlop Series debut at the end of that year in a Commodore after catching the eye of team owner Garry Rogers.

He became a full-time driver in the series in 2015 and enjoyed a solid season in 2016 in a Garry Rogers Motorsport-run Commodore, finishing fourth in the series with four podium finishes and two race wins at Phillip Island

32

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2018 RACES 7 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

3 14th 16th

and Sandown.

He also made his ‘main game’ debut as James Moffat’s co-driver in the #34 GRM Volvo S60 in that year’s Enduro Cup. However his first race at Sandown ended abruptly when a punctured tyre pitched him into the wall at the Esses at the end of the back straight on the opening lap.

More enduro outings and solo wildcard starts followed in 2017 before Golding stepped up to a full-time seat with GRM in 2018, impressing with a strong drive at Bathurst that netted an eighth-place finish.

However, GRM’s exit from Supercars at the end of the 2019 season left Golding without a

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 15th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

4th 3rd

seat and at a career crossroads.

He kept his skills sharp in the openwheeler S5000 category, winning races in cars developed and run by GRM, and kept his hand in Supercars with impressive endurance codrives with Team 18 in 2020 and 2021.

Golding was again scheduled to return to Team 18 for last year’s Repco Bathurst 1000 until a mid-season opportunity came up with PremiAir Racing, and a series of eye-catching performances across the second half of the season secured a full-time drive with the team for this year.

He sits 15th in the championship, just 23 points behind teammate Tim Slade.

JACK LE BROCQ AGE 31 YEARS FROM MELBOURNE, VICTORIA LIVES BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND

@jack_lebrocq @JackLeBrocq.com.au

2023 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 15 WINNER – DARWIN 2012 AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD CHAMPION

Truck Assist Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2015 RACES 189 PODIUMS 3

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

85 2 1

JACK Le Brocq remains with Matt Stone Racing for the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship.

Le Brocq joined the Gold Coast-based squad last year following two years at Tickford Racing and two years with TEKNO Autosports.

His first season with MSR last year was highlighted by strong qualifying performances, including the team’s first frontrow start at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.

Coming up through the ranks of karts and Formula Vee, Le Brocq won the Australian Formula Ford Championship in 2012. He then caught the attention of Supercars team owner Betty Klimenko, who drafted him into her Erebus Motorsport squad’s academy to drive

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 1

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6 2nd 4th

Formula 3 and GT machinery.

He made his Supercars Championship debut at Sandown in 2015 sharing one of the team’s E63 AMGs alongside Ash Walsh.

By that point Le Brocq had completed nearly two Dunlop Super2 Series seasons, debuting in 2014 in an Image Racing-run Falcon and then an MW Motorsport Ford in 2015.

Le Brocq moved to Tickford Racing for 2016 and finished runner-up in the series in addition to finishing fourth at Bathurst codriving a Falcon with Cam Waters.

In 2017 he moved back to MW Motorsport for the Super2 Series and became Nissan’s

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 1 8th

RACE WINS POLES

1 1

first Super2 race winner at Symmons Plains.

He also competed as a wildcard entry in a selection of Supercars Championship events and served as Todd Kelly’s endurance codriver.

Le Brocq moved into the ‘main game’ with TEKNO Autosports in 2018, finishing the season as the best of five rookies, but a difficult second year led to a return to Tickford and a breakthrough win in 2020.

His second race win in Darwin earlier this year was a first for the Matt Stone Racing Truck Assist team and he currently sits an impressive eighth in the Repco Supercars Championship points.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

33

CAMERON HILL AGE 26 YEARS FROM CANBERRA, ACT LIVES CANBERRA, ACT

@cameron_hill11 @cameronhill11

2021 PORSCHE CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA CHAMPION 2022 BATHURST 6 HOUR WINNER

Truck Assist Racing THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2022 RACES 20 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS 8 BEST FINISH 8th BEST QUAL 5th

CAMERON Hill is among the ranks of Dunlop Super2 Series graduates in 2023 stepping up to the Repco Supercars Championship, the Canberra young join joining Matt Stone Racing at the wheel of a Camaro.

Hill won a host of state and national titles in karting before graduating to Formula Ford in 2014, where he romped to the Australian title a year later.

He continued his strong form into the Toyota 86 Racing Series, winning more races than any other driver in the class across 2016 and 2017 while posting a pair of top-three championship finishes.

His success led to an opportunity in

34

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2023 RACES 0 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS 0 N/A N/A

Porsche Carrera Cup Australia and he progressed each year. Hill finished ninth in the points in his rookie season, sixth in 2019 and became champion in 2021, including a streak of six race wins.

His rise through Australian motorsport, from junior open-wheel racing to Carrera Cup, came in cars entered and prepared by his own family-run team.

However, for his step up to Super2 last year, Hill landed a plum seat driving a Commodore for reigning champions Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Although his more experienced teammate Declan Fraser took out the title, Hill matched

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

BEST FINISH 19 BEST QUAL 0 22nd

8th 5th

him six-all across the year’s qualifying sessions and stood on the podium twice on his way to fifth in the final pointscore.

Hill also made his ‘main game’ debut in last year’s Repco Bathurst 1000 with PremiAir Racing sharing a Coca-Cola Commodore with Chris Pither, losing a potential top 10 finish with a late power steering problem.

He tasted Mount Panorama success earlier in 2022, winning the Bathurst 6 Hour production car race in a BMW that started from the tail of the grid, stealing the win with an electric late-race pass on Supercars regular Tim Slade.

Hill sits 22nd in the championship points.

THOMAS RANDLE AGE 27 YEARS FROM MELBOURNE, VICTORIA LIVES MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

@thomasrandle @thomasrandle55

2020 DUNLOP SUPER2 SERIES WINNER 2018 MIKE KABLE YOUNG GUN AWARD WINNER

Castrol Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2019 RACES 70 PODIUMS 1

ROUNDS 29 BEST FINISH 3rd BEST QUAL 2nd

RESULTS were hard to come by for Thomas Randle in his rookie Repco Supercars Championship season in 2022 but there were plenty of moments that demonstrated his potential as a star of the future.

The Melbournian won the 2014 Australian Formula Ford series with five race victories and was runner-up in the 2015 Australian Formula 4 Championship.

He gathered further open-wheel experience overseas in British Formula 3 and a range of other open wheeler categories as well as LMP3 sportscar competition, and victory in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series in 2017.

Randle stepped into Super2 with Tickford

DEBUT 2019 RACES 7 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

3 8th 2nd

in a Falcon in 2018 and scored his first ARMOR ALL Pole Position and a podium finish in Perth before finishing third in the series in 2019 at the wheel of one of the team’s cars.

Randle also made his ‘main game’ debut with the Ford squad in 2019, driving at The Bend Motorsport Park as a wildcard before an Enduro Cup campaign with Lee Holdsworth that included a third-place finish in the Sandown 500.

A switch to MW Motorsport for the 2020 Super2 Series paid dividends as Randle romped to the title at the wheel of one of its Nissan Altimas, finishing either first or second in all seven races of the COVID-shortened

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 18th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

8th 3rd

season.

The win capped a rollercoaster 12 months for Randle: he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in late 2019, had treatment throughout 2020 and completed his last round of chemotherapy on New Year’s Day in 2021.

After co-driving at Bathurst in 2020 for Brad Jones’ team, Randle returned to Tickford Racing in 2021 with a pair of top 10 finishes in a handful of wildcard Supercars appearances before gaining a full-time drive for 2022.

The young gun made huge headlines last year at The Bend after he stalled on the front row of the grid and was collected from behind

by Andre Heimgartner.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

35

DECLAN FRASER AGE 22 YEARS FROM CASTLEMAINE, VICTORIA LIVES MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

@declanfraserr @DeclanFraserRacing

2022 DUNLOP SUPER2 SERIES WINNER 4th, 2019 TOYOTA 86 RACING SERIES

Tradie Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2022 RACES 20 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS 8 BEST FINISH 8th BEST QUAL 14th

DECLAN Fraser becomes the latest in a long line of Dunlop Super2 Series winners to graduate to the Repco Supercars Championship.

He secured his step up to the ‘main game’ for 2022 with a late deal to drive Tickford Racing’s #56 Tradie-backed Ford Mustang GT, becoming the third second-tier champ in the team’s driver line-up alongside Cam Waters and Thomas Randle.

The last driver to sort a place on the grid for this year, Fraser’s pathway to the ‘main game’ came via a plum seat with reigning champions Triple Eight in the 2022 Dunlop Super2 Series, in which he claimed four race wins and a pair

36

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2023 RACES 0 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

0 N/A N/A

of round wins (including the Adelaide season finale) to secure the series win.

He also turned in an impressive debut drive at the Repco Bathurst 1000 aboard Triple Eight’s wildcard entry alongside Craig Lowndes, leading the race in the early stages before finishing eighth.

Fraser began his career in karts in 2008 before he graduated to car racing in 2017 in the competitive one-make Toyota 86 Racing Series.

His development accelerated during 2018 when he started receiving coaching from Paul Morris at the Norwell Motorplex in Queensland, winning a race, scoring a pole

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 25th

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

10th 14th

position and finishing on the podium three times on his way to 12th place in the series points, then improving to fourth overall the following year.

Fraser graduated to Super3 in 2020 in what ultimately turned out to be a severely shortened two-round series, before moving up to Super2 in 2021 in an MW Motorsport Nissan Altima.

He was forced to sit out the final two rounds due to an accident at Bathurst not of his doing after a loose wheel forced him to crash and he finished eighth in the final points.

This year has been tough and Fraser sits 25th in the championship points.

BROC FEENEY AGE 20 YEARS FROM GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@brocfeeney93 @brocfeeney93

2022 VALO ADELAIDE 500 WINNER 2021 DUNLOP SUPER2 SERIES WINNER

Red Bull Ampol Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2020 RACES 55 PODIUMS 12

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

22 5 3

BROC Feeney repaid Triple Eight Race Engineering’s faith by ending his rookie Repco Supercars Championship campaign with a maiden race victory at the 2022 VALO Adelaide 500.

The 20-year-old began his first season in the premier class with big shoes to fill, driving the #88 Holden vacated by seven-time Supercars Champion, and now Triple Eight Team Principal Jamie Whincup.

Feeney posted his first front row start and maiden podium finishes in the second round at Symmons Plains and scored 25 top 10 finishes, helping Triple Eight secure its 11th Teams Championship win.

DEBUT 2022 RACES 3 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

1 5th 4th

Following in the footsteps of father Paul Feeney, who raced on two wheels in the 1970s and ‘80s, Broc began racing motorbikes at the age of three.

He moved into karts aged nine and then cars at 15, becoming the youngest race winner in Toyota 86 Racing Series history before making the leap to Super3 and winning the series in 2019.

He graduated to the Dunlop Super2 Series with Tickford Racing in 2020 and finished seventh overall in the COVID-impacted season before a switch to Triple Eight for 2021.

He won the Super2 Series title off the back of four wins, along with claiming the ARMOR

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 9 4th

RACE WINS POLES

4 3

ALL Super2 Pole Champion Award.

Prior to his full-time graduation last year, Feeney made his ‘main game’ debut at the 2020 Bathurst 1000, sharing a Tickford Mustang with James Courtney to a top 10 finish on the day of his 18th birthday.

He took on lead driver duties one year later aboard a Triple Eight-run wildcard entry at Bathurst with 2005 Supercars Champion Russell Ingall the same weekend he clinched the Super2 Series.

Last year he returned to Bathurst and finished fifth with Whincup co-driving their #88 Red Bull Ampol Racing Commodore at the ‘Great Race’.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

37

MACAULEY JONES AGE 28 YEARS FROM ALBURY, NEW SOUTH WALES LIVES ALBURY, NEW SOUTH WALES

@macauleyjones96 @officialmacauleyjones

2017 DUNLOP SUPER2 BATHURST 250 WINNER 4th, 2013 AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP

Pizza Hut Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2015 RACES 165 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS 74 BEST FINISH 6th BEST QUAL 8th

MACAULEY Jones lines up for his fifth fulltime Repco Supercars Championship season in 2023.

The son of team owner and former driver Brad, Jones moved into the ‘main game’ with a full-time drive in 2019 when he took over the reins of the Team CoolDrive Commodore entry run by BJR at the time for Tim Blanchard.

Jones rose through karting into Formula Ford and moved into the Dunlop Series with BJR midway through 2013. He started the first of four full-time seasons in the class the following year.

He finished 12th, ninth and seventh in his first three campaigns in the series and then

38

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 0

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

6 12th 10th

suffered a series of misfortunes that cost a breakthrough race win and a shot at the title in 2018, including two suspension failures in Townsville and contact from Garry Jacobson at The Chase on the last lap fighting for the win at Bathurst.

Although remaining without a race win in the Dunlop Super2 Series itself, Jones did take out the Bathurst 250-kilometre race when it was a non-points event in 2017.

Jones spent four years as an Enduro Cup co-driver for BJR from 2015 to 2018, finishing seventh alongside Nick Percat at Bathurst in 2018 and sixth on the Gold Coast street circuit just weeks later.

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 0 21st

BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

7th 12th

His full-time Supercars career endured a false start at the Adelaide 500 in 2019 as a brake failure-induced crash in practice meant Jones missed the season-opening race.

Jones ended his rookie season 21st in the championship and improved to 19th in 2020 before finishing 23rd in 2021.

Remaining in the #96 BJR entry last year, Jones posted the best solo race finish of his Supercars career with a sixth place at Albert Park.

This year he is behind the wheel of the Pizza Hut #96 Camaro as part of BJR’s four-car line-up and sits 21st in the championship points.

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN AGE 34 YEARS FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND LIVES BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND

@SVG97 @SVG97

2016, 2021, 2022 SUPERCARS CHAMPION 2020, 2022 BATHURST 1000 WINNER

Red Bull Ampol Racing 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2007 RACES 502 PODIUMS 174

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

222 79 48

AFTER enjoying one of the greatest years of his career in 2021, Shane van Gisbergen somehow managed to top it in 2022 to become a three-time Repco Supercars Champion and a two-time Repco Bathurst 1000 winner.

A young van Gisbergen learnt his craft at home in New Zealand in motocross, midgets and karts before taking the step up into car racing in open wheelers.

He was talent-spotted by Supercars team owners Ross and Jimmy Stone and brought to Australia to make his Supercars debut at just 17 years of age in a Stone Brothers Racing-run Team Kiwi Racing Ford Falcon at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney.

DEBUT 2018 RACES 16 PODIUMS 9

ROUNDS RACE WINS BEST QUAL

6 5 2nd

He scored his first Supercars Championship race win in 2011 during a five-year stint with SBR and looked lost to the category at the end of 2012 until doing a shock deal to drive a TEKNO Autosports Holden for 2013.

He moved to Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2016 as teammate to Whincup and Craig Lowndes and won seven races on his way to his first Supercars Championship win.

The Kiwi had to wait until 2020 to break through for his first Bathurst 1000 win and finished off the Gen2 Supercars era with two of the most dominant seasons in championship history across 2021 and 2022.

He romped to the 2021 title off the back of 14

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 8 3rd

RACE WINS POLES

4 3

wins and 23 podiums from 30 races, including a streak of seven victories to start the season.

He reset the record books in 2022 with 21 race wins across the season, including a second Bathurst 1000 triumph alongside Garth Tander at the wheel of the very same chassis they used to win Bathurst in 2020.

This year he starred in his NASCAR Cup Series debut in Chicago and took an historic first-up win on the brand new street track, further proof of his world-class credentials.

The three-time Supercars Champion is third in the championship entering The Bend, just 54 points behind leader Brodie Kostecki’s Camaro.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

39

BRODIE KOSTECKI AGE 25 YEARS FROM PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA LIVES GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND

@brodiekostecki @brodiekostecki57

3rd, 2021 REPCO BATHURST 1000 5th, 2018 DUNLOP SUPER2 SERIES

Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP STATS

THE BEND STATS DEBUT 2019 RACES 90 PODIUMS 17

ROUNDS RACE WINS POLES

36 3 5

BRODIE Kostecki came into the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship season looking every inch that he’d be the next first-time race winner and he removed himself from that list with a breakthrough win at Albert Park.

Kostecki wasted no time dispelling any doubters of his full-time graduation to the ‘main game’ with Erebus in 2021 by finishing ninth in the Supercars Championship.

He quickly claimed his first podium with a stunning second place finish in tricky conditions at Sandown, then took another in Sydney later in the year, while a swashbuckling final stint earnt him a Repco Bathurst 1000 podium finish with co-driver

40

OTR SUPERSPRINT

DEBUT 2021 RACES 6 PODIUMS 1

ROUNDS BEST FINISH BEST QUAL

2 3rd 10th

David Russell. That momentum rolled into last year, which Kostecki kicked off with his first career pole position in Sydney. He converted the front row start to a podium finish, then added another at The Bend before narrowly missing out on back-to-back podium finishes at Bathurst.

Kostecki and his family moved to America where he cut his teeth in the uncompromising world of Late Model stock car racing on short ovals, winning at the famous Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina at age 15 against future NASCAR stars Ty Dillon and Bubba Wallace.

He returned home and competed in the

RACES PODIUMS CHAMP POS

19 12 1st

RACE WINS POLES

3 4

Dunlop Super2 Series from 2017. He broke through for his first Super2 Series race and round win at Sandown in 2018 and finished fifth in the final standings.

Kostecki sat out the bulk of the 2019 series as he and cousin Jake focused on a threeround Enduro Cup wildcard campaign.

He joined Eggleston Motorsport for the 2020 Super2 season and won the opening round in Adelaide but didn’t see out the COVID-affected season, concentrating on his Erebus co-drive at Bathurst alongside Anton De Pasquale.

Since then he’s been making waves in Supercars and leads the championship by 41 points entering the round at The Bend.

AHEAD OF THE PACK. UNCHALLENGED. HINO HYBRID ELECTRIC. THAT’S ANOTHER HINO

THE SELF-CHARGING HINO HYBRID ELECTRIC. XAVIER_HINO39906.1

Get ahead of the pack and stay there with the Hino 300 Series Hybrid Electric light-duty truck. Delivering up to 20%* fuel

and emissions reductions - with no recharging or range limitations. The first and only light-duty Hybrid truck to meet Euro 6

exhaust emissions standards. Plus receive 16% reduction in your maintenance costs! Driven by Toyota Group technology, experience Australia’s only Hybrid Electric truck to give you a clear winning advantage. Supercharge your business today

with the Hino Hybrid Electric! Find out more at hino.com.au *Actual results will vary depending on the application of the vehicle and how it is driven.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

41

600 ROUNDS FEATURE

600 NOT OUT A significant milestone is being celebrated this year at The Bend. AARON NOONAN reports as Australia’s top motorsport championship marks its 600th round …

T

HIS year’s OTR SuperSprint at The Bend will hold a special place in the history books of the Australian Touring Car Championship (that today races under the Repco Supercars Championship banner), regardless of what happens on the track in this weekend’s three races.

The round is the 600th to be held in championship history, dating all the way back to the inaugural ATCC at Gnoo-Blas near Orange on February 1, 1960.

In those days the championship was decided by a single race by far more standard cars (then run under Appendix J rules) as opposed to today’s, purpose-built, Supercar-era Mustangs and Camaros competing across 12 rounds and 28 individual races this year to determine the

42

OTR SUPERSPRINT

overall champion. The Australian Touring Car Champion was decided by a single race every year from 1960 to 1968 before a series of races was established to determine the 1969 champion, a format that remains in place to this day.

While Bathurst and the goings on at its famous ‘Great Race’ have, and to some degree still do, overshadow the history of the actual championship, the chase for the annual title as ‘top dog’ in the season-long battle has built its own tin-top history.

It took until 1973 for the rules of Improved Production and Series Production to be amalgamated to create Group C, whereby the cars that competed in the ATCC and at the annual October Bathurst endurance race were

the one and the same. That created a private battle between Ford and Holden with its succession of Falcon, Torana and Commodore models that meant the top two marquees won every ATCC round between them from the start of 1973 until Sandown 1980 when Kevin Bartlett’s Nine Sports Chevrolet Camaro broke the streak.

The 1980s saw a change as Mazda, Nissan and BMW all moved into local touring car competition in Group C, and then the arrival of Group A in 1985 moved the goal posts again and meant overseas-sourced cars were generally the dominant vehicles.

A ’return to the future’ came for 1993 when the five-litre V8 Ford versus Holden formula came into being, one that was later rebranded

600 ROUNDS FEATURE

600 rounds is a heck of a lot! Jamie Whincup, opposite page, led the pack in the championship’s only foray to the United States in 2013. Former champions Bob Jane and Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan - above at Sandown in 1972 - and Allan Moffat - below in his 1973 title-winning Falcon - won the Australian Touring Car Championship a total of 13 times.

Geoghegan won five, Jane and Moffat four each.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

43

600 ROUNDS FEATURE as V8 Supercars in 1997 that started another surge of growth for the championship.

One of the other major elements of change in the championship over the years has been its television coverage. While these points-paying races had been televised in dribs and drabs in the 1970s under various individual promoter deals, it took until the 1980s, when the ABC started regularly showing races, and then 1985 when Channel 7 got the rights, for the public to regularly be able to see the stars of local touring car racing chasing the championship week in, week out.

The growth of the championship accelerated again in the late 1990s when AVESCO (later known as V8 Supercars and now know as Supercars) took over and events including the new Hidden Valley round in Darwin (in 1998) and Sensational Adelaide 500 (in 1999) started to appear on the calendar and expand the championship’s footprint.

New markets and new events led to a bigger championship all round, which came to include the endurance races in 1999 and meant these big events counted as part of crowning the champion of the category each year.

Additional marquee street events including Townsville, Sydney Olympic Park and Newcastle all followed and international racing started in New Zealand in 2001 and later spread to include events in the Middle East, China and the United States.

Jim Richards, above, accepts the applause after clinching his third Australian Touring Car Championship at Oran Park in 1990. He won a fourth crown the following year, again at the wheel of the Nissan GT-R.

ONE OF THE OTHER MAJOR ELEMENTS OF CHANGE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN ITS TELEVISION COVERAGE.

The 1970s was a decade predominantly about the Ford and Holden battle. This is Bob Morris, Allan Grice and Charlie O’Brien lining up on the grid for the last round of the 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship at Phillip Island.

44

OTR SUPERSPRINT

From start to finish

Talk to our end-to-end solutions experts today

13 15 52 | coates.com.au OFFICIAL PROGRAM

45

600 ROUNDS FEATURE

Kevin Bartlett’s Nine Sports Camaro heads Peter Brock’s Holden Dealer Team Commodore at Sandown in 1982. That year’s championship was won by a V8-powered driver, but neither of the GM pilots, rather Dick Johnson in his Tru-Blu Falcon XD. The cars of Supercars evolved into the Project Blueprint era in 2003 – putting the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore onto a more common framework from a technical perspective – and then into the Car of the Future in 2013 that helped bring back Nissan and Volvo into toplevel local motorsport.

This year the arrival of the new Gen3 cars has been a major landmark change to the face of the championship, providing something of a reset given the lack of carry-over from the previous Gen2 cars that finished racing at the end of 2022.

The first 100 ATCC rounds took 20 years to be racked up, from the inaugural event in 1960 through to 1980. In comparison, the last 100 rounds – held in the Supercars era dating back to 2016 – have been racked up in less than half that period.

Rounds like this weekend’s 600th make us stop and think about the history of the championship and, importantly, what lays ahead.

The cars have changed significantly and legendary drivers have come and gone, as indeed have some of the tracks that have hosted both of them, but the element that has stayed the same is that the chase for the championship remains the battle of the best against the best.

Six centuries of championship rounds is a significant tally and one very much worth celebrating at this weekend’s OTR SuperSprint at The Bend Motorsport Park.

46

OTR SUPERSPRINT

Ford fans have had plenty of heroes to cheer for over the previous 599 rounds. Glenn Seton, above, won the crown in 1993 and 1997, driving Falcons built and prepared by his own Glenn Seton Racing team.

MALLALA KARTDROME

SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S FASTEST KARTS

BOOK NOW

MALLALA.COM

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

47

600 ROUNDS FEATURE

The Supercars Championship made its first trip overseas in 2001 to Pukekohe in New Zealand, above. That round, won by hometown hero Greg Murphy, was the 304th in championship history. Winton has also hosted its fair share of rounds, including 2018 pictured below, with Scott McLaughlin and Michael Caruso heading the pack.

48

OTR SUPERSPRINT

600 ROUNDS FEATURE

Shane van Gisbergen and Will Davison battle for room at the first chicane on the Gold Coast in 2022. The Queensland street circuit previously hosted Indycar racing, but the event didn’t become a points-paying round of the Supercars Champonship until 2002.

THE MILESTONE ATCC/SUPERCARS ROUNDS ROUND

YEAR

TRACK

1

1960

Gnoo-Blas

200

1992

Sandown

100

300

400 500

1980

2001

2009

2016

WINNER / TOP POINTS David McKay (Jaguar 3.4)

Sandown

Kevin Bartlett (Chevrolet Camaro)

Oran Park

Mark Skaife (Holden Commodore VX)

John Bowe (Ford Sierra RS500)

Hamilton

Jamie Whincup (Ford Falcon FG)

Phillip Island

Scott McLaughlin (Volvo S60)

Note: No round winners have been acknowledged officially since the end of 2008. The drivers listed for the 400th and 500th rounds were the top point scorers that weekend for the round.

ATCC/SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUNDS BY ERAS ROUND

ERA FIRST LAST

137

Project Blueprint

2003 Adelaide

2012 Homebush

111

Five-Litre/V8 Supercars

1993 Amaroo

2002 Sandown

72

Group A

1985 Winton

1992 Oran Park

137

Car of the Future/Gen 2

2013 Adelaide

99 Group C 1973 Symmons 31

Improved Production

1965 Sandown

5

Appendix J

1960 Gnoo-Blas

7

Gen3 Supercars

2023 Newcastle

2022 Adelaide 1984 Adelaide

1972 Oran Park

2023 Sydney

1964 Lakeside OFFICIAL PROGRAM

49

SA CHAMP HISTORY

A STATE

OF HISTORY South Australia has a rich history of touring car and Supercars racing. AARON NOONAN looks at the state’s history and its contribution towards 600 championship rounds …

T

HIS weekend’s OTR SuperSprint marks the incredible milestone of 600 rounds of Australian Touring Car Championship/ Supercars Championship racing and South Australia has played a big part in that.

The 2023 round held at The Bend Motorsport Park will be the 63rd round held in South Australia among those 600 held, meaning the state has hosted 10.5% of all championship rounds that have been run.

A look back at the history of the championship and its relationship with South Australia shows just how closely the two have been linked in a connection going right back to the late 1960s.

In the early years of the ATCC the champion was simply decided by a ‘one race per year’ format. The Australian Touring Car Champion was decided by a single race each calendar year and the championship was cycled through a variety of venues.

South Australia’s first taste of the championship was in April 1963, the fourth

50

OTR SUPERSPRINT

time the ATCC had been held, when Mallala was chosen as the venue for that year’s top touring car driver to be crowned.

Not unlike classic English circuits such as Silverstone and Goodwood, the circuit had begun its life as a Royal Australian Air Force base in 1939. Once operational in 1941, the Mallala RAAF base was home to a flight school that trained up over 2000 pilots during World War II. The facility was decommissioned by the RAAF in 1960, but it didn’t lay idle for long.

A group of South Australian racers purchased it from the air force in 1961 and laid out a 3.38-kilometre course that utilised many of the existing paved areas, aircraft taxiways and access roads.

The 1963 ATCC race was run on Easter Monday and the 25-lap race around Mallala was won by Bob Jane’s Jaguar 3.8 Mk II by seven seconds over the Valiant of Ern Abbott with another Valiant driver by Clem Smith (who would later purchase the track) in third.

This race was run on the original Mallala Grand Prix layout of 3.38-kilometres. It used the long run down to Bosch Corner at turn five before it was shortened a year later to the layout used ever since.

The Australian Touring Car Championship continued with its single race per year format until 1969, when it was decided that the crown should be decided by multiple races across various tracks.

Mallala hosted the third round of the five held that year, Ian Geoghegan’s Mustang claiming victory in the race, a win that contributed towards his fifth ATCC crown that year.

The circuit hosted the ATCC for the first two years of the 1970s (Geoghegan won again in 1970, Bob Jane in 1971) before it was purchased by Keith Williams.

The renowned promoter and developer imposed a court-ordered end to racing at Mallala in favour of his new Adelaide International Raceway circuit, which took

SA CHAMP HISTORY

Mallala, opposite page, has an amazing history of touring car racing having hosted the first ATCC held in South Australia in 1963. Adelaide International Raceway hosted a famous championship decider, above, between the Toranas of Bob Morris and Peter Brock in 1979. Nissan’s famous GT-R ‘Godzilla’, below, debuted at Mallala in 1990. over as South Australia’s ATCC venue from 1972 onwards. The track, with its long front straight and ‘bowl’ section, hosted the championship throughout the remainder of the decade and into the 1980s.

During this time it hosted some memorable races, including 1973 when Allan Moffat was forced to borrow Murray Carter’s GTHO Falcon on race day and start rear of grid after his own car was stolen on the night prior to the race!

The circuit hosted two rounds in 1976 and 1977, as the regular endurance races were also added to the ATCC alongside the existing sprint events.

AIR became the title-deciding venue in 1978 and the following year hosted a famous championship finale at which Bob Morris was able to lead home Peter Brock’s similar A9X Torana and clinch the Australian Touring Car Championship in a gripping 34-lap contest.

The circuit hosted the ATCC through the Group C era (1984’s round at the circuit was the last ATCC round ever held under the unique, local touring car regulations) and into Group A, the new rules opening up a range of new cars to come into contention for victory.

Jim Richards’ BMW 635 (1985) and Robbie Francevic’s Volvo 240 Turbo (1986) were the first non-V8s to win ATCC rounds at AIR and Dick Johnson’s first Sierra win came at the same circuit in 1987.

But the circuit’s days on the ATCC calendar were numbered and a return to Mallala beckoned for 1989. AIR by that stage was under the control of Calder owner Bob Jane and his acceptance of anti-smoking sponsorships for both of his circuits (under

IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE ATCC THE CHAMPION WAS SIMPLY DECIDED BY A ‘ONE RACE PER YEAR’ FORMAT. the QUIT campaign) opened the door for Mallala to again host the nation’s top touring car category given the field at the time was packed with teams and cars featuring backing from cigarette companies.

Former driver Clem Smith had purchased Mallala in 1977, even despite previous owner Keith Williams instigating a covenant that stipulated that no racing could take place on the land moving forward. The covenant was overturned and racing resumed in 1982, seven years prior to the ATCC’s first round at the track since 1971.

Dick Johnson’s Shell Ultra-Hi Sierra RS500 Cosworth won the return round in 1989 and Mallala continued as South Australia’s stopoff for the ATCC circus for 10 years, through the change from Group A into V8 touring cars and, eventually, V8 Supercars.

Nissan’s famous GT-R ‘Godzilla’ first appeared at Mallala in 1990 in the hands of Mark Skaife and, despite failing in its debut, the Japanese supercar returned and won in Skaife’s hands for the next two years in a row.

The Gibson Motorsport and Glenn Seton

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

51

SA CHAMP HISTORY

Mallala’s last Australian Touring Car Championship round came in 1998, above. Russell Ingall’s Castrol Perkins Commodore and John Bowe’s Shell Helix DJR Falcon battle for position on the way into the first corner.

Racing operations dominated the following years once the championship had swapped to racing V8 Falcons and Commodores. Seton himself won the 1993 and 1995 rounds in his Peter Jackson Falcons and Skaife’s teammate Jim Richards won in 1994 at the wheel of a Gibson-run Winfield Holden.

The Holden Racing Team won overall for the next two years in 1996 (Craig Lowndes) and 1997 (Greg Murphy) before Russell Ingall won the final round held at Mallala in 1998 in one of Larry Perkins’ Castrol Commodores.

Mallala had served its purpose for the ATCC through the 1990s as South Australia’s host venue, but V8 Supercars organisers had their eyes on big growth for the category and successfully scored a revival of racing around the Adelaide Parklands circuit (albeit a slightly shortened one) that had formerly hosted the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The first Sensational Adelaide 500 was held in 1999 and the event quickly established itself as a must-attend and must-watch part of the V8

Supercars Championship calendar.

Becoming the Clipsal 500 in 2000, the event set new standards for V8 Supercars racing and became the first non-driver or administrator inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame in 2005.

It charged on through the 2000s and 2010s and was joined by a second South Australian round on the calendar when The Bend Motorsport Park hosted its first Supercars Championship round in 2018.

Built on the site of the former Mitsubishi test track at Tailem Bend, the new venue had been constructed by the Peregrine Corporation and set a new standard for motorsport precincts.

South Australia hosted a pair of Supercars rounds in 2018 and 2019 as The Bend and Adelaide 500 sat at different ends of the calendar, though the ‘500 was killed off after its 2020 running by the-then state government.

Originally The Bend Motorsport Park was set to host the annual, pre-Bathurst 500-kilometre endurance race in 2020, however the COVID-19

pandemic threw the calendar upside down.

Eventually a deal was done for The Bend to host a pair of rounds on back-to-back weekends in September 2020, one on the 4.95-kilometre International Circuit and another on the 3.41-kilometre West Circuit layout.

The venue has continued to host Supercars over the last two years and, with the return of the Adelaide 500 as the season-finale in 2022, South Australia once again has two rounds of the Supercars Championship at two different venues.

Even despite politics, a global pandemic and plenty more elements, South Australia has hosted at least one round of the ATCC/ Supercars Championship every year since the championship was first held over a multiplerace season in 1969.

That streak continues into a 55th straight year in 2023, a remarkable feat and proof that the state forms an important part of Australian motorsport history.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S CHAMPIONSHIP TRACKS TRACK ROUNDS RACES FIRST LAST Adelaide Parklands 23 48 1999

2022

Mallala 14 24 1963

1998

Adelaide Int. Raceway

19 21 1972

The Bend Motorsport Park

6 16 2018

52

OTR SUPERSPRINT

1988 2022

ADVERT

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

53

SA CHAMP HISTORY

The Adelaide 500 - or Clipsal 500 as it was known for many years - is the only event that sits in the Supercars Hall of Fame. This is 2013’s event, the debut of the new ‘Car of the Future’ with Shane van Gisbergen’s VIP Commodore battling Mark Winterbottom’s Pepsi Max Falcon on the run into the Senna Chicane.

MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH! SOUTH Australia holds a unique place in the history books of ATCC/Supercars Championship racing as the only state to host a dead finish with the winner and second-place unable to be split by the stopwatch.

It occurred in 1983 at Adelaide International Raceway when Peter Brock’s HDT Commodore and Allan Moffat’s Peter Stuyvesant Mazda RX-7 raced to the line at the end of the 40-lap Mazda 100, left, round five of that year’s ATCC. Brock’s V8-powered Holden had been

A MALLALA FOOTNOTE MALLALA may have hosted its last Australian Touring Car Championship round in 1998, however it wasn’t the last time that the V8 Supercars Championship Series (as it was then known) took to the 2.41-kilometre layout.

Such was the field size for the 2002 Clipsal 500 in Adelaide that AVESCO (now known as Supercars) decided to hold a pre-qualifying

54

OTR SUPERSPRINT

session at Mallala on the Wednesday of race week in order to decide who would make the 36-car field for the season’s opening round.

There were just 11 spots in the field available and 16 cars on hand, with those to miss out on a berth in the ‘500 including Tomas Mezera (right), Greg Crick, Dugal McDougall, Ross Halliday and Trevor Ashby.

battling the rotary-powered Mazda throughout the closing stages and couldn’t stop Moffat from charging around the outside of the famous #05 Commodore at the very last corner and drawing alongside.

The two cars crossed the line unable to be split by the stopwatch (this being in the days of timing to one decimal place), both officially being credited with a race time of 39 minutes, 44.5-seconds, though the Judge of Fact gave Brock the nod as winner.

ADVERT

We’re proud to have been designing and building our iconic Century Batteries right here in Australia since 1928. For over 95 years we've been building them from the ground up to better suit Australia’s extreme climate and harsh conditions.

13 22 87 | centurybatteries.com.au |

OFFICIAL PROGRAM CB112-3304a

55

A MATTER

OF NUMBERS There’s a range of interesting statistics pertaining to this year’s OTR SuperSprint and Repco Supercars Championship. AARON NOONAN steps you through some numbers that matter heading into this round of the championship …

0 Amazingly, there has not been a single race of this year’s Repco Supercars Championship won by the driver who led the championship points heading into that race. The championship leader in Supercars carries orange racing numbers on their car’s window (as opposed to yellow numbers used by the rest of the field) to signify the driver’s status as points leader, however no orange numbers have helped a driver win this year.

The streak continued in Sydney at the last round, where Will Brown entered the Saturday race as championship leader and finished fourth. Teammate Brodie Kostecki led the points going into the Sunday race and finished eighth, hampered by clutch issues.

56

OTR SUPERSPRINT

2 Team 18 Camaro driver Scott Pye and Red Bull Ampol Camaro driver Shane van Gisbergen are the only two drivers in the field for this year’s OTR SuperSprint who have started and finished all 16 Supercars races held at The Bend Motorsport Park. Pye, who is originally from Mount Gambier, drove for Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2018 and 2019 and has been with Team 18 from 2020 onwards.

His best result at The Bend remains a pair of sixth places – one in 2018 and another in 2020 (pictured) at the SuperSprint event held on the International Circuit – and he’s finished in the top 10 at The Bend on five occasions. van Gisbergen has won five of his 16 races at The Bend and scored four other podium finishes.

5

Walkinshaw Andretti United Mustang driver Chaz Mostert holds a record at The Bend Motorsport Park – the most Supercars podium finishes at the track without a victory.

Mostert has finished on the podium five times at The Bend, racking up three second-place finishes and a pair of third places. He finished on the podium in both races in 2019 during his time driving for Tickford Racing and scored further podiums with WAU in 2021 (one) and in 2022 (two).

Next on the list behind him is Shell V-Power Racing Team’s Will Davison, who has four podiums at The Bend (one in 2019, two in 2021 and one last year) without yet scoring a win.

7 Seven of the 16 Supercars Championship races held at The Bend Motorsport Park have been won by the car starting on pole position. Jamie Whincup was the first driver to convert ‘P1’ into a race win in the Sunday race in the inaugural round in 2018 (pictured) and the most recent was Anton De Pasquale in 2021. A total of 12 of the 16 races have been won by a car starting on the front row of the grid, while the lowest grid position for a winner at The Bend remains fifth – Fabian Coulthard of DJR Team Penske started fifth and won the first race in 2020’s round held on the International circuit layout.

9 4 The fastest lap in the last nine Repco Supercars Championship races this year have been set by nine different drivers: Will Davison, Cam Waters (Symmons Plains), Mark Winterbottom, Chaz Mostert, Jack Le Brocq (Hidden Valley), Andre Heimgartner, Scott Pye (Townsville), Shane van Gisbergen and Jack Smith (Sydney Motorsport Park). The is the sixth time in the history of the Australian Touring Car/Supercars Championship that such has streak has occurred. A driver outside of these nine setting the fastest lap in the Saturday race at The Bend will set a new record in the history of the championship and leave the mark at 10 different drivers setting the fastest lap in 10 successive races.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

57

11 Ford may have endured a lack of success on track in this year’s championship but its drivers have blitzed qualifying at The Bend Motorsport Park in recent times.

Ford Mustang drivers have taken the last 11 Supercars pole positions in a row at the circuit dating back to the first of two rounds held in the COVID-affected 2020 season.

Dick Johnson Racing (and under its former guise as DJR Team Penske) has taken seven of those (five to Scott McLaughlin and two to Anton De Pasquale) and Tickford Racing took all three last season, with a surprise Saturday pole to wildcard Zak Best (pictured) and two poles on Sunday to Cam Waters.

50 This year’s OTR SuperSprint marks a milestone round for Brad Jones Racing’s Middy’s Camaro driver Bryce Fullwood.

The 2019 Dunlop Super2 Series winner will start his 50th Supercars Championship round at the same circuit, The Bend, where he scored his first Supercars podium finish back in 2020. That result remains his career-best finish in Supercars. Fullwood finished third in the Saturday race in his first Supercars Championship start at The Bend in 2020 during his time with Walkinshaw Andretti United.

He made his Supercars Championship debut at the 2018 Sandown 500 as co-driver in Matt Stone Racing’s Commodore alongside Todd Hazelwood and has been a fulltime driver in the championship since 2020.

192 David Reynolds will start his 192nd Supercars Championship round when he lines up at The Bend Motorsport Park for the OTR SuperSprint. The 2017 Bathurst 1000 winner will equal two-time Bathurst 1000 winner Tony Longhurst in the record books and the duo will sit equal 22nd for the most round starts in championship history. The record is held by Craig Lowndes, who has made 300 championship round starts dating back to his debut at Eastern Creek in 1996.

249 Triple Eight Race Engineering is now within reach of becoming the first team in the history of the ATCC/ Supercars Championship to score 250 race wins. Shane van Gisbergen’s win in the Sunday race at Sydney Motorsport Park gave the Brisbane-based team its 249th championship race win. The next closest team on the list of race wins is Walkinshaw Andretti United with 188 (the majority of which were claimed during its time as the Holden Racing Team) and Dick Johnson Racing with 148 race wins.

Van Gisbergen has scored 68 of Triple Eight’s 249 wins since he joined the team in 2016. His previous 11 wins had come with Stone Brothers Racing (two in 2011) and TEKNO Autosports (nine between 2013 and 2015).

58

OTR SUPERSPRINT

Helping business is our trade.

At Bunnings Trade, we have the services and solutions to help you get the job done and grow your business.

PowerPass Program

Locations near you

Business Solutions

Dedicated Teams

Delivery when you need it

Exclusive savings, services and benefits

Stores and Trade Centres nearby ready to help

The right range of products and services for jobs of any size

Specialists in-store, and on the road, for end-to-end support

Scheduled delivery with anything from crane trucks to utes

Search Bunnings Trade to learn more OFFICIAL PROGRAM

59

STATS POWERED BY

SLEUTHING THE CHAMPIONSHIP’S STAR PERFORMERS The 2023 season continues Australia’s long-standing history of touring car and Supercars racing. V8 Sleuth’s AARON NOONAN has tracked the main categories of success across the history of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the Repco Supercars Championship – here’s where they all sit in the history books ...

MOST RACE WINS RANK

DRIVER

1

Jamie Whincup

3

Mark Skaife

2

Shane van Gisbergen

6

Scott McLaughlin

7 8 9

10

WINS

Craig Lowndes

4

5

MOST RACE WINS 2023 FULL-TIME DRIVERS

Garth Tander

Peter Brock Glenn Seton

Mark Winterbottom Allan Moffat

RANK

DRIVER

124

1

Shane van Gisbergen

79

90

3

Will Davison

22

5

James Courtney

110

79 57 56

2 4 =6

48

=6

39

=9

40 36

WINS

Mark Winterbottom

39

Chaz Mostert

21 15

Cam Waters

9

Anton De Pasquale

8

David Reynolds

=9

Will Brown

9 7

Broc Feeney

5 5

MOST ROUND STARTS

MOST ROUND STARTS 2023 FULL-TIME DRIVERS

RANK

DRIVER STARTS

RANK

DRIVER

1

Craig Lowndes

300

1

Mark Winterbottom

270

3

Mark Winterbottom

270

=2

James Courtney

240

2

4

5

6

7

8 =9

=9

60

Garth Tander Rick Kelly

Jason Bright

Russell Ingall

Jamie Whincup

Todd Kelly Will Davison

James Courtney

OTR SUPERSPRINT

288

265

260

254

253

243 240

240

=2 4 5

6

7

8

9

10

Will Davison

Shane van Gisbergen David Reynolds

Tim Slade

Scott Pye

Nick Percat

Chaz Mostert

Cam Waters

STARTS 240

222 192

191

144

138

137

112

STATS POWERED BY

MOST RACE STARTS RANK

DRIVER

1

Craig Lowndes

3

Mark Winterbottom

2

4

5

6

7 8

9 10

MOST RACE STARTS 2023 FULL-TIME DRIVERS

RANK

DRIVER

675

1

Mark Winterbottom

612

612

3

Will Davison

537

580

5

555

7

541

9

STARTS 642

2

Russell Ingall

588

4

Jason Bright

578

6

545

8

537

10

Garth Tander

Rick Kelly Jamie Whincup

James Courtney Todd Kelly Will Davison

MOST POLE POSITIONS

4 5 6

7 8 9 =10 =10

43

5

Cam Waters

39

=6

Garth Tander

30

9

Dick Johnson

28

Shane van Gisbergen Craig Lowndes

Mark Skaife

Allan Moffat Mark Winterbottom Will Davison

76

2

48

4

41

=6

David Reynolds

36

8

James Courtney

28

10

9 10

48

Mark Winterbottom

36

Chaz Mostert

23

28 21 16

Anton De Pasquale

16

10

Brodie Kostecki

5

Will Brown

4

MOST PODIUMS 2023 FULL-TIME DRIVERS 237

1

Shane van Gisbergen

174

Craig Lowndes

169

3

Chaz Mostert

85

Scott McLaughlin

106

5

Garth Tander

100

7

85

=9

3

8

POLES

DRIVER

Jamie Whincup

=6

242

RANK

1

=6

307

Cam Waters

Will Davison

DRIVER

5

Nick Percat

3

POLES

Scott McLaughlin

RANK

4

315

MOST POLE POSITIONS 2023 FULL-TIME DRIVERS

MOST PODIUM FINISHES

2

331

Chaz Mostert

57

Peter Brock

418

Scott Pye

Shane van Gisbergen

3

423

Tim Slade

1

Jamie Whincup

502

David Reynolds

92

1

545

Shane van Gisbergen

DRIVER

DRIVER

2

James Courtney

RANK

RANK

STARTS

Shane van Gisbergen Mark Winterbottom Peter Brock Mark Skaife Chaz Mostert Will Davison

PODIUMS 174

2

118

4

100

6

88

8

79

=9

PODIUMS

Mark Winterbottom

Will Davison James Courtney

Cam Waters David Reynolds

Anton De Pasquale

Tim Slade Brodie Kostecki

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

118

79 65

43 40

31

17 17

61

HALFWAY MARK

FOR PULSATING PORSCHE PACK RICHARD CRAILL previews the action that lies ahead at The Bend as the best Porsche racers in the country get down to business …

I

T SHOULD be no shock that The Bend Motorsport Park, a circuit developed by people with a genuine passion for the brand, routinely produces stunning racing in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia.

Since its first round in 2018, The Bend has produced a series of dramatic events in the one-make Porsche competition with the mixture of a long straight, big stops and long fast and flowing corners perfectly suiting everything about the iconic Porsche GT3 Cup Cars.

This weekend marks the fourth round of a pulsating Porsche fight this year, with three different winners from the three rounds so far.

Jackson Walls leads the championship by a narrow margin but there’s stories aplenty

62

OTR SUPERSPRINT

in this field – chief among them being the addition of five-time Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander to the roster.

There’s a good chance the round winners list will be added to this weekend with The Bend a happy hunting ground for powerhouse team Sonic Motor Racing, who have been more dominant at the South Aussie circuit than anywhere else.

Sonic, who are winless to date this year, have claimed three of the four round victories at The Bend and nine of the 12 races contested at the circuit, too. Sonic drivers also hold The Bend’s Porsche qualifying and race lap records, only reinforcing their domination at the venue.

There’s never been a repeat round

winner at The Bend in either Pro or Pro-Am categories, with that trend to continue in the outright class this year.

Locals traditionally go well at The Bend, too.

The first ever Porsche race at the venue was won by home-town heroes Michael Almond (Pro) and Sam Shahin (Pro-Am), with Almond going on to claim the debut Carrera Cup round that weekend in 2018.

Then, after four years of near-misses and heartbreak, Shahin finally claimed the round victory he wanted above all others, when he powered to the Pro-Am class victory last year.

Don’t count out one of the biggest backers of South Aussie motorsport doing the same again this time around.

PORSCHE PAYNTER DIXON CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA

ENTRY LIST

ROUND 4 - PORSCHE PAYNTER DIXON CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA NO DRIVER SPONSOR / TEAM 2

Luke King

Wall Racing / MOUTAI

Pro

5

Thomas Maxwell

TekworkX Motorsport

Pro

3

7 8

9

Fabian Coulthard Tim Miles

Porsche Centre Melbourne / BWT Miles Advisory Partners

Silver

Pro

Pink/White

Pro-Am

Red/White

Nick McBride Hallmarc/ Team MPC Pro

Marc Cini Hallmarc/ Team MPC Pro-Am

11

Jackson Walls

Objective Racing

Pro

14

Matthew Belford

ID Land / Team MPC

Pro-Am

13

Sam Shahin

The Bend Motorsport Park

Pro-Am

17

Callum Hedge

Team Porsche New Zealand / EBM

Pro

22

Dean Cook

Dexion / RAM Motorsport

Pro-Am

Bayley Hall

Hall Finance / Insurance Solutions

Pro

Indrian Padayachee

Hyundai Forklifts Pro-Am

20 23

28 32

35

Courtney Prince

Porsche Centre Melbourne / BWT

Pro

72

Max Vidau

TekworkX Motorsport / Tyrepower

Pro

Chris Pither Christian Pancione

Rodney Jane

Coca-Cola Racing powered by EMA VCM Performance / HP Tuners

Sonic Motor Racing Services / Bob Jane T Marts

Pro Pro

Pro-Am

88

Dylan O’Keeffe

101

Ryder Quinn Local Legends Pro

777 992 999

Black/Orange

White/Black/ Red

Garth Tander SP Tools Racing Pro

David Russell Alex Davison

Dexion / RAM Motorsport Earl Bamber Motorsport

Pro

Silver/Green

Pink/White

Red/Blue/White Black/Red

Red

Yellow/Blue Blue/White

White/Blue/Orange Grey/Red Yellow

Yellow

Pro

Black/Green/Red

Dale Wood Ranbuild Pro

Blue/White

Simon Fallon

Angelo Mouzouris

Scott Taylor Motorsport

Pro

Grey/Red

Blue/Red/White

Drew Hall Wall Racing Pro-Am

222

White/Blue/Red

Red

86

99

Black

Black/Yellow

Pro

87

Red

Daniel Stutterd TekworkX Motorsport Pro-Am

Wall Racing

77

Pink/White

Black/Blue/Orange

David Wall

76

Silver

Adrian Flack Agas National Pro-Am

38 42

CLASS

Sonic Motor Racing Services / Bob Jane T Marts

Pro

Sonic Motor Racing Services / Bob Jane T Marts

Pro

Yellow/Blue Yellow/Blue

Note: All drivers compete in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991 Gen I) cars.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

63

FLEXING SOME

V8 MUSCLE This year marks the first trip of the fan-favourite Touring Car Masters category to The Bend. RICHARD CRAILL reports on who to expect up front and the hometown team and driver keen to upset the title fighters …

T

HE GULF WESTERN OIL Touring Car Masters series thunders into The Bend Motorsport Park and the OTR SuperSprint this weekend, marking their first ever visit to the South Aussie venue.

It’s a great time for the TCM category to make its debut at the circuit as the championship enters the second half of a season with plenty of storylines.

The Bend will be the 16th different venue to host TCM and, if previous visits to similar circuits are any indicator, it’s likely to be highly entertaining racing from the high powered, high speed but low grip muscle cars that make up the field.

Series leader Steven Johnson has won

64

OTR SUPERSPRINT

the last five rounds in a row, a record for the series, and has a commanding lead in the championship heading into the second half of the year.

However, the level playing field that is the 4.945-kilometre circuit means that while Johnson running at the front is likely, it’s by no means assured. The nature of The Bend’s fast and flowing layout means it’s hard to know whether it’s going to suit the more powerful but heavier Mustangs and Camaros, or the less grunty but lighter and more agile Toranas.

Chasing Johnson will be the regular pack, including John Bowe who is in the midst of his ‘Ciao for Now’ tour, hanging up his helmet

from racing in the category at the end of the year. Cameron Tilley’s thundering Valiant Pacer will be fun to watch, as will Marcus Zukanovic’s XD Falcon, while Torana pilots Ryan Hansford and Andrew Fisher will be factors as ever.

And then there’s the local connection, headed up by Adelaide icons Whiteline Racing.

The team, based in the northern suburbs, has drafted in a local champion in the form of Joel Heinrich to add to their home ground advantage this weekend.

Regardless of the results, you can be assured that finding out who is the first TCM king of The Bend will be loads of fun to watch.

TOURING CAR MASTERS

ENTRY LIST ROUND 4 - GULF WESTERN OIL TOURING CAR MASTERS NO SPONSOR / TEAM

DRIVER

CAR

CLASS

2

Garwood Racing

Gerard McLeod

Holden Commodore VB

Pro Am

4

Northside Taxis Allan Hughes

3

6

12

15

18

30 33 53 55

60

62 70

71 75

77

85

88

95

Western General Body works

Danny Buzadzic

Holden Torana A9X Holden Torana

Pro Am

Pro Sport

Multispares Racing Ryan Hansford Holden Torana A9X

Pro Master

Jesus Racing Andrew Fisher Holden Torana A9X

Pro Master

Chris Meulengraaf

Chris Meulengraaf

Invitational

Pearcedale Plant Hire

Dave Hender

Depulu Wheel Reconditioners GC

Peter Burnitt

Rare Spares /PAYNTER DIXON /Local Legends John Bowe Hancock Racing

Bullet Trailers Racing

Anglomoil Superior Lubricants Palmers Sales and Marketing

John Adams

Ford XY Falcon GT

Pro Sport

Cameron Tilley Jason Palmer

Adam Williams

TIFS Third Party Logistics

Daimler Trucks Adelaide/Ausblue/NTI

Porsche IROC

Pro Master

Williams Outdoor

Daimler Trucks Adelaide/Ausblue/NTI

Holden Torana SL/R 5000 Pro Master

Ford Mustang Trans Am

Hagen Zerk

SNB Berryman Racing

Pro Sport

Steven Johnson

Hagen Zerk

Action Motor Industries

Holden Torana A9X

Marcus Zukanovic Warren Trewin Geoff Fane

Tony Karanfilovski Joel Heinrich

Ford XY Falcon GT Valiant Pacer BMW E30

Ford XA GT Coupe

Pro Sport

Pro Am

Invitational

Invitational

Ford Falcon XD

Pro Master

Holden HQ Monaro

Pro Sport

Holden Torana

Chevrolet Camaro SS

Ford Mustang Trans Am Chevrolet Camaro RS

Invitational

Pro Am

Pro Am

Pro Master

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

65

NEW TRACK, NEW GOLD STAR CHAPTER The S5000 open wheelers are no strangers to The Bend, however, as RICHARD CRAILL reports, this is the first time they’ve raced at the venue for championship points …

A

LITTLE bit of Aussie motorsport history will be created when the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship charges onto The Bend Motorsport Park at the OTR SuperSprint this year.

When the first car exits the lane, puts the full 560 horsepower to the ground and accelerates up the hill to turn one, Australia’s newest circuit will become the 30th to host a round of the Australian Drivers’ Championship – where drivers fight for the prestigious Gold Star award.

S5000 has raced at The Bend before – the circuit hosted a non-championship event in late 2019 which served as the second ever event for the then-fledgling category – but

66

OTR SUPERSPRINT

this year marks the first points-paying round at the venue. South Australia has a close connection with the Gold Star award, dating all the way back to its first ever season in 1957.

The Bend will be the fifth South Aussie circuit to host a round of the Gold Star: the former Port Wakefield circuit joined by Adelaide International Raceway, Mallala Motorsport Park and the Adelaide Parklands circuit in having staged ADC events.

South Australian entrants have won more Gold Stars than any other, too.

The iconic Adelaide born-and-bred Elfin brand saw their cars power to a pair of titles in the early 1970s – during the peak of Formula 5000’s halcyon days.

Meanwhile, the iconic Birrana Racing was dominant in the Formula Holden era and claimed seven titles between 1994 and 2001 with their iconic blue Reynards.

Since then, Team BRM have been the Gold Star powerhouse. They won the title seven times in the Formula 3 era and have added two more since it has been awarded to the winner of the S5000 championship.

So, when you’re watching the latest generation of ‘wings and slicks’ racers head up towards turn one on Friday at the OTR SuperSprint, you’ll be checking out another important piece of South Australia’s long heritage at the forefront of Aussie open-wheel racing.

S5000 AUSTRALIAN DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP

ENTRY LIST

ROUND 5 - S5000 AUSTRALIAN DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP NO DRIVER SPONSOR / TEAM CAR

COLOUR

2

S5000

White/Blue

Versa Motorsport S5000

Black/Yellow

Nippy’s Versa Motorsport

Mark Rosser

The Fuzzies Game Team BRM

18

Aaron Cameron

41

Kody Garland Wholesale Diesel S5000

37

Cooper Webster

Team Valvoline GRM

S5000

Red/White

Red

48

Blake Purdie

S5000

Orange/White

71

Ben Bargwanna Hangcha Racing S5000

Blue

49 88 96

Jordan Boys Aaron Love

Nic Carroll

Team Valvoline GRM

Team BRM/88 Racing

Crown Windows / Hogan Prestige Cars

S5000

S5000

S5000

Black/Orange

White/Blue/Pink

Blue/Yellow

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

67

A CENTURY OF 86 RACING The Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia 86 Series hits a special milestone at The Bend, as AARON NOONAN reports …

F

IRST introduced to Australian motorsport in 2016, the Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia 86 Series has become the latest success story as a grassroots category providing a proven breeding ground for future stars.

The first series winner, Will Brown, finds himself thesedays fighting for the Repco Supercars Championship and he’s joined on this year’s Supercars grid by fellow TGRA 86 Series graduates in Broc Feeney, Cameron Hill and Declan Fraser, who all cut their teeth in the category.

The series has become a popular part of the Australian motorsport pyramid and, in fact, it’s now been around so long it will reach a special milestone when the cars roll out onto the track at The Bend Motorsport Park for the third and final race on the Sunday – it will mark the 100th race in the series’ history.

Such has been the popularity of the TGRA 86 Series that Toyota Australia has introduced

68

OTR SUPERSPRINT

a new second-tier entry-level scholarship series this year after receiving overwhelming interest from teams and drivers wishing to compete in the category.

South Australian race fans have some local drivers to keep an eye on as well at this weekend’s round of the series at The Bend Motorsport Park, with young gun Reuben Goodall regularly running near the front of the pack.

The former karter finished on the podium in the opening round in Townsville and sat third in the pointscore leading into the last round in Sydney, though has dropped back to fifth in the overall points heading into round at The Bend.

Mitchell McGarry, who works as a property manager when he’s not behind the wheel of his Toyota 86, and Jayden Wanzek are the other two SA drivers in the Toyota 86 field this weekend.

Queensland young gun Ryan Casha leads the pointscore after two rounds and he holds an 18 point lead over Tasmanian Campbell Logan with Cody Burcher another 98 points behind in third place.

The three race wins in Townsville were shared among guest driver Jayden Ojeda, Casha and Logan with Burcher picking up the first two wins in Sydney and the final race claimed by Rylan Gray.

A field of 32 cars will be on track at The Bend Motorsport Park with 30 series regulars and two guest drivers in the shape of rally ace Harry Bates and 2022 Bathurst 1000 runner-up, and Walkinshaw Andretti United endurance driver, Fabian Coulthard.

The OTR SuperSprint marks the third of five rounds of the TGRA 86 Series this year with the remainder to be held at Repco Supercars Championship rounds at Sandown and Bathurst.

2023 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING AUSTRALIA 86 SERIES

ENTRY LIST

ROUND 3 - TOYOTA GAZOO RACING AUSTRALIA 86 SERIES NO DRIVER SPONSOR / TEAM 2

Matthew Hillyer

Morris / Walkinshaw Andretti United

5

Jordan Shalala

Tyler Greenbury Racing

4

8

10

14

15

17

20

21

Jack Westbury

Jordan Freestone

James Holdsworth

Clay Richards

James Wilkins

Mitchell McGarry

Reuben Goodall

Rylan Gray

22

Oscar Targett

25

Bradi Owen

23 27

31

35

36

37

42 45

50 53

55 57 79

White

TekworkX Motorsport

Blue

Holdsworth Motorsport

Shannons Insurance / Penrite Oil

Kaizen Racing / Flowtek Hydraulic & Mechanical

Mitchell McGarry Racing / Professionals Australia Gtechniq/Sieders Racing Team JMG Racing / On The Pace

Grove Racing

Bloxsom Team Navy

Ryan Tomsett

Ryan Tomsett Racing / Bondi Carpets / Baseline

Ben Gomersall

Cody Burcher

Campbell Logan Tom Davies

Hayden Hume

Alice Buckley Max Geoghegan Michael Sherwell Ryan Hadden

Ryan Casha

Mineco / Bradi Owen Racing Stinson Family Racing UNIT Racing

Awcon Racing

AWC / Logan Group

BF Racing / Liquor Legends Total Parts Plus

Alice Buckley Motorsport / ASP Pilling / Bendworx Just Bathroomware / Tumbi Tyres

Cooper Barnes

Designer Living Kitchens

100 118

Fabian Coulthard

Jarrod Hughes

Grey

White / Red

White Blue

White Blue

Green / White

White

Red / Black

Black

White

White

Green / Blue

Black / Yellow

White / Yellow / Green White

Fluro Yellow

97

Marcus LaDelle

Green / Black

Attachment Warehouse Racing

Zuce Tech / Alientech / Simply Cool TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia

99

White

Black / Pink

Harry Bates

Jayden Wanzek

Black

Nova Air & Electrical

86

90

Red

Jack Westbury Racing

Lachlan Bloxsom

Brock Stinson

COLOUR

Team CARMA 99motorsport

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia

Jarrod Hughes Motorsport / ACDelco / JGI

Blue

White / Red

Black Black

Black / Gold White / Red

Red

Note: All drivers compete in identical Toyota 86 race cars.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

69

THE WIDE OPEN

TITLE FIGHT As AARON NOONAN reports, the reigning V8 SuperUte champ is missing from the grid at The Bend, opening the door for some hometown heroes to step it up …

T

HE V8 SuperUte Series has been one of the true success stories of Australian motorsport in 2023 with solid field numbers and great racing quickly becoming the norm for the V8-powered crew cab class this season.

This weekend’s round at The Bend Motorsport Park sees the door wide open for a change at the top of the championship order too.

Reigning champ and 2023 points leader Aaron Borg will miss this round and be replaced at the wheel of the ACDelco Isuzu D-MAX by Super2 racer Cameron Crick.

Borg won the first two rounds at Wanneroo and Sydney Motorsport Park and holds a 94-point lead over Adam Marjoram, with Craig Woods, Ryal Harris and David Sieders

70

OTR SUPERSPRINT

rounding out the top five heading into the round at The Bend.

From a South Australian perspective, former Aussie Racing Car champion Adrian Cottrell and his Go Sunny Solar teammate George Gutierrez both will have home state support for this weekend’s round.

Gutierrez (who finished on the podium in the opening round in Perth) and Cottrell sit seventh and eighth respectively in the V8 SuperUte Series pointscore in their pair of Holden Colorados and sit within striking distance of the top five in the series.

A total of 20 cars have entered for this round, the latest in the series’ six-stop nationwide tour this year as part of the support bill for the Repco Supercars Championship.

An expanded fleet of racers will represent Ford, General Motors, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Toyota in the series, which kicked off back in April at the Perth SuperSprint.

The V8 SuperUte field has plenty of other familiar names and interesting stories too. Other category favourites also return including David Sieders, Ben Walsh, Craig Woods, former V8 Supercar racer Richard Mork, father and son duo Gerard and Jaiden Maggs, and Ellexandra Best, the sister of Dunlop Super2 points leader Zak. This year’s V8 SuperUte Series will support the Repco Supercars Championship with stops at Sandown in September and Bathurst and the Gold Coast in October to follow this weekend’s South Australian round.

V8 SUPERUTE SERIES

ENTRY LIST ROUND 3 - V8 SUPERUTE SERIES NO DRIVER SPONSOR / TEAM

CAR

3

David Sieders

Sieders Racing Team

Mazda BT-50

8

Ben Walsh

Western Sydney Motorsport

Toyota HiLux

5 15

David Casey

Adam Marjoram Motion

Bendix Racing

Team Triton Racing

Mitsubishi Triton

Go Sunny Solar

Holden Colorado

18

Cody Brewczynski

Western Sydney Motorsport

41

Adrian Cottrell

Go Sunny Solar

19 49

George Gutierrez Chris Formosa

Allgate Motorsport

50

Jimmy Vernon

Hunter Pacific Ceiling Fans

58

Ryal Harris

EFS 4x4 Accessories

52 64

Dean Brooking Craig Woods

JKD Racing

Western Sydney Motorsport

68

Gerard Maggs

World’s Best Technology

77

Richard Mork

City Rural Insurance Brokes

76

Ellexandra Best

Isuzu D-MAX

Toyota HiLux

Holden Colorado Ford Ranger

Mitsubishi Triton

Toyota HiLux Toyota HiLux Toyota HiLux Ford Ranger

Best Leisure Industries

Mazda BT-50 Mazda BT-50

96

Jaiden Maggs

World’s Best Technology

Mitsubishi Triton

707

Lachlan Gardner

Roo Systems Australia

Mazda BT-50

JKD Racing

Toyota HiLux

118

777

805

Cameron Crick

Holly Espray

Jensen Engelhardt

ACDelco Sieders Racing Team Holly Espray Racing

Isuzu D-MAX

Isuzu D-MAX

Note: Entry details subject to change after deadline for this program had closed.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

71

2023 OTR SUPERSPRINT

EVENT OFFICIALS OFFICIALS OF THE EVENT National Sporting Authority Motorsport Australia Promoter The Bend Motorsport Park Pty Ltd Organiser The Bend Motorsport Park Pty Ltd Organising Committee Wayne Williams, Janelle Orrock, Rob Thiry, Jack Holding, Vince Ciccarello

SUPERCARS OFFICIALS VCS Stewards VCS Race Director VCS Deputy Race Director Clerk of the Course Secretary of the Event Chief Medical Officer Medical Delegate Supercars Head of Motorsport Starter

72

OTR SUPERSPRINT

Matt Selley, Steve Lisk, John Leahy James Taylor David Mori, James Delzoppo Rob Thiry Janelle Orrock Dr Branden Emmerson Dr Carl Le Adrian Burgess Paul Martin

Driving Standards Advisor Race Control Operations Timing Co-ordinator Recovery Co-ordinator Safety Car Driver Safety Car Communicator Media Manager

Craig Baird James Delzoppo Ian Leech Alistair Walker Jason Routley Julian Modra Paul Glover

2023 OTR SUPERSPRINT

EVENT OFFICIALS Frank Adamson Brian Agars Robert Alderslade Lana Ali Tony Aloi Leslie Atkinson Vickie Atkinson Matt Avery Kristopher Bailey Linda Baker Matt Balcombe Peter Becker Terry Beeston Melanie Beets Phil Benbow James Bennett Katherine Berry Liana Bianchin Kym Biddle Matthew Blagrove Kevin Bockmann Adrian Bond Dean Bowden Brenton Bowman James Boyes Ryan Breslin Stephen Brewster Peter Broadbent Taylor Brown Scott Brownridge Dean Bryant June Bunker-Marratt Jennifer Burgan Keith Burgan Arthur Butler Mary Carli Leah Carr Chris Caruana Andrew Challen David Charlton Graham Church Vince Ciccarello Peter Cirillo Daniel Claridge Michelle Clewett Joshua Corbett Shaun Croci Baden Crump Geoff Cutler Martin Cutler Emily de Longte Marina Dearsley James Delzoppo Gurmukh Dhami Matthew Dickson Alec Donnon Tim Edmonds Michelle Edwards Tyler Edwards Camron Eldridge Barry Elliker Branden Emmerson David Englert Kristin Enman Craig Eppelstun Kate Eppelstun Darrell Evans Julie Finn Karl Fleming

Adrian Flynn Caleb Fontanarosa Jarrod Forrester Robert Francis Chris Frith Jason Fulwood Brock Gane Peter Gilbert Emilia Gill Bing Goonan Jason Green Peter Gunn Wayne Hage Leanne Hall Dave Hamilton Tracy Hamilton Harley-Troy Hamnett Rob Hankinson Bruce Hannant Susan Hannant Alan Hardy Bill Hastie Sam Hastie Lucy Hatton Paul Haynes Michael Hicks Ben Hofmann Kylie Hofmann Jack Holding Dylan Hrvatin Mitch Hunter Lisette Hutchins Ray Hutchinson Steve Hutton Matthew Jones Chahil Joshi Paul Karamanov Adrian Kennison Joanne Kowalick David Langfield John Leahy Jono Leahy Jodie Leister Brian Lewis Steve Lisk Georgie Loxton Anthea Ma Paul Makela Naomi Maltby David Mashado Phillip Matthews Darren Mattiske Cherie McAdam Daryl McHugh Andrew Mckibbin Peter McKinnon Myra McLaughlin William McLaughlin Sascha McLean Darren McPhail Rob Mead Emilio Meccariello Vince Meccariello Liam Meegan Matthew Meegan Chris Merritt Amanda Mills Shane Mills Julian Modra

Vic Moore Dave Morgan Sue Morgan David Mori Bruce Morisset Bradley Morrison Kim Morrison Rod Mountifield Doug Munn Trevor Neumann Jess Nicholson Janelle Orrock Russell Paech Kathryn Page Nick Papanikolaou Paul Papanikolaou Stacey Paynter Benjamin Pearce Kyle Pearson Jason Pengilly Robert Perry Roger Pfeifer Blake Piltz Glenn Pincott Andrew Pinney Robert Piper Simon Polling Damien Pugsley Ryan Pym Ian Rae Peter Rennie Roberta Rice Joanne Richards Adam Robertson Andrew Rogers Damien Rollond Phillip Rowley Albert Russell David Ryan Robert Sainsbury Andrew Schlein Jackie Schlein Lawrie Schmitt Brett Seabrook Matt Selley Fred Severin Thomas Shillabeer John Silverblade Cathy Sinton Murray Slana Michael Smart Charlotte Smith Louise Smith Owen Smith Robin Smith Peter South Deborah Squires Katrina Steggles Kai Stephens Sue Stephenson Peter Stevens Sonya Stevens David Stuart James Taylor Keith Taylor Scott Taylor Paul Teague Tony Terbizan Mark Thamm

Rachel Thamm Con Theodosi Robert Thiry Arthur Thompson Scott Thompson Rebecca Thorne Neil Tooke Alex Varcoe Geoff Vaughan Joshua Walter Cassie Walters Lee Watson Nikki Watson Campbell Watt Hayden Watts Elise Westin Tom Westin Leslie Whittaker Jess Wickham Clare Williamson Keith Williamson Doug Winfield Felicity Wood Micheal Workman Mike Yelland Ian Young

OTR SuperSprint organisers wish to thank all officials for their efforts and assistance in making this event possible, including those officials whose names were not available at time of publication of this program.

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

73

74 7

GATE

OTR SUPERSPRINT 5

GATE

TB

TRACKSIDE CAMPING NORTH

2

GATE

TB

09

14 19 46 51

13

05

05 13

04 12

03 11

AREA

BBQ

02 10

01 09

65

15

16

20

14

08 07

66 67

18

17

45

08 25

90 96 12 21 44 53

89 95 11 22 43 54

94 10 23 42 55

93 09 24

01

02

03

04

05

68 32

31

30

29

28

69

47

48

52

70

50

07 26 39 58

06 27 38

40

41

59

57

56

33

34

35

36

37

71 72

64

60

SWIMMING POOL

73

81

74

82

RECREATIONAL OPEN GREEN SPACE

CAMP KITCHEN

GAS FIRE

75

83

JUMPING PILLOW

LAUNDRY SHOWERS & TOILETS

PLAYGROUND

63

62

61

76

84

77

85

78

86

79

RECEPTION

87

49 12 12

11

ELGAS

11

06 06

05 05

04

07

04

RECREATIONAL OPEN GREEN SPACE

80

03 03

02 02

01 01

88 AREA

10 10 BBQ

09 09

FIRE PIT

AREA

08 08

AREA

BBQ

07

BBQ

1

8 2 3 4

79 80 81

76

57 58

55

77

56

78

LAUNDRY SHOWERS & TOILETS

23

RECREATIONAL OPEN GREEN SPACE

5

24

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

AREA

15

01

6

59 60

45

02

82

46

35 36

25 26

03

47

61 69

27

37

62 63

48

70

49

BBQ

16 17

38 39

28 29

07 08 09

04 05 06

71

50

64

72

51

65

73

52

66

18 19 20

10 11 12

74

53

67

75

40 41 42 43 44

30 31 32 33 34

54

68

MAINTENANCE SHED

21 22

13 14

DORMITORY BUILDING 2

Trackside Camping (North & South) OTR Motorsport Park Big4 Holiday Park Welcome Centre

General Public Gates VIP & Competitor Only Gate VIP & Contractors Only Gate Credential Office Medical

6

GATE

5

GATE

4

Kartdrome – Hire Karts Fuel

Public Parking Officials Parking

Turn Numbers

General Public Access

Grandstands Pit Straight, T1, T17, T18 Wheelchair Access

Shuttle Bus

Park ‘N’ View

Podium

Live Music Stage

Big Screen TV

Rydges Pit Lane Hotel Toilets

Food & Drinks

General Public Walk Overpass GATE

Merchandise

Retail Bar

Skid Pad – VIP & Competitor Parking 1

Park ‘N’ View Gates

7

GATE

CAR PARK

Fuel Restaurant & Apex Bar

9 10 11 12 13 14

Park ‘N’ View

DORMITORY BUILDING 1

Public Gate Entry

EVENT MAP INFORMATION GUIDE

SKIP BINS

GATE

B

10

06

99

1

06

98

97

GATE

07

100

3

08

BBQ

TOWN SQUARE ACTIVATION AREA

CFS

CAR DISPLAY

04

92

91

GATE

5

AREA

CO O MP V E PA ERF TIT RK LO OR IN W G

4

GATE

TRACTOR PULL

GATE

ENTRY

01

NO PUBLIC ACCESS

AC TOW TIV N (S AT SQ EE IO UA ZO N RE O AR M EA )

6

GATE

GATE A

02

This map is indicative only. Not to true scale. Locations are subject to change.

OFFICIALS CAMPING

TRACKSIDE CAMPING SOUTH

L RA NE LIC GEPUB REA A

IA

T PA ITO RK R & IN M G ED

PE

M

CO

STAFF, HOTEL OFFICIALS & COMPETITORS

1 A

GATE

EVENT MAP

03

EXPERIENCE GRAND PRIX STYLE KARTING 3 EXCITING CIRCUITS UP TO 70 KM/H PACKAGES AVAILABLE

BOOK NOW AT OFFICIAL PROGRAM

75

Supercars Stick With Dunlop

Strong partnerships count: that’s why Dunlop has a proven track record of teaming up with road and race car manufacturers to deliver success.

Tested on the toughest circuits, Stick With Dunlop for your daily drive.

76

OTR SUPERSPRINT

dunloptyres.com.au

@DunlopTyresANZ

@dunlop_anz