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STRONG GRID READY FOR KUMHO SERIES OPENER
In a bumper weekend for Supercars fans the Kumho Series for ex-Supercars Championship and Super 2 cars – will join the Dunlop Super2 Series and the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship at the WD-40 Phillip Island 500 event.
19 cars are entered in the 2017 Kumho Series opener with several new cars and new names joined by those who have a track record of running at the pointy-end of grid.
Queenslander Josh Smith a race winner last year with Brad Jones Racing – switches to Image Racing in 2017 to drive an FG Ford Falcon with Terry Wyhoons team.
Smith will be joined by Australian Formula Ford series gradate Jordan Boys at the Image squad the young Victorian set to make the jump up to Kumho series competition for the first time this weekend.
Boys tested the FG Falcon hell race this weekend at the Island last week having already competed at the front of this years Formula Ford championship.
Brad Jones Racing returns to the Kumho series this year but wont have to change the name on the rear window of their VE Commodore entry the first BJR car to win a Supercars championship race.
Jack Smith will race for the team in the series this year alongside his existing commitments with the team in the Super 2 series. The Formula 4 graduate will face a busy weekend at the Island competing in two variations of his SCT Logistics-supported Holden Commodore.
Meanwhile two-time V8 Touring Car series champions Eggleston Motorsport have also touted their return entering one of their ex-Triple Eight Racing VE Commodores.
The team is expected to confirm their driver closer to the event commencing this week though will be keen to return to the series they won in 2014 (Justin Ruggier) and 2015 (Liam McAdam).
A well-known name will also make his return to the steering wheel of a Touring Car this weekend Geoff Emery locked in to his V8 comeback driving his ex-Triple Eight / Craig Lowndes VE Commodore.
The car is best known for Lowndes and Luff finishing third in the 2012 Bathurst 1000 running a tribute Holden Dealer Team livery.
Emery has confirmed the car will be presented in the colours it raced with at Bathurst that year with the car also set to run No. 888.
Michael Anderson returns to the championship this year and has acquired some new metal to help continue his push towards the front of the pack – in the form of the Cameron Waters Super2 title-winning Ford that Garry Jacobson also raced in the V8 Touring Cars last year.
The Bathurstian is expected to challenge for Kumho Cup class honours this year alongside the likes of Chris Smerdon (ex-Stone Brothers Racing FG Falcon) Jack Sipp (Paul Morris Motorsport VE Commodore) and the two-car Pollicina Motorsport entry of Jim Pollicina and Michael Caine who return to the series in their pair of ex-Tasman Motorsport VE Holdens.
Former Porsche racer Jon McCorkindale is also expected to challenge for Kumho Cup class honours in his ex-James Courtney / SBR Falcon.
The field includes to entries in the heritage class including Troy Stapleton in his incredibly popular ex-Dick Johnson Racing EL Falcon that continues to sport its iconic Shell Helix livery from the 1998 season.
Joining Stapleton on the grid will be Queenslander Bradley Neill who will make his Kumho Series debut in a Perkins-engineering built VS Commodore raced by David Truckie Parsons in 1996.
The car retains its original blue livery from that season.
Other newcomers include Victorian Steven Page (ex-Russell Ingall VE Commodore) and West Aussie racer Garry Hills in his VE Commodore built by Walkinshaw Racing and raced in the Super2 series by Nick Percat.
Chris Delfsma (BF Falcon) Leigh Moran (FPR BA Falcon) Mark Primmer (ex-Jason Bright FPR BF Falcon) and Warren Millet (ex-HRT / Mark Skaife VZ Commodore) will also feature in the competitive field.
The opening round of the Kumho V8 Touring Cars series will feature three races across the weekend each to be shown live within FOX Sports coverage of the WD-40 Phillip Island 500 event.
ENTRY LIST Round 1 Kumho Tyre Australian V8 Touring Cars Series.
|
Car # |
Class |
SPONSOR |
DRIVER |
State |
VEHICLE |
|
2 |
Kumho Cup |
Page Bros. Jayco |
Steven Page |
VIC |
Commodore VE ll |
|
7 |
Kumho Cup |
Mocomm Motorsports Communications |
Jim Pollicina |
NSW |
Commodore VE |
|
11 |
Kumho Cup |
Kenwood Homes |
Michael Anderson |
NSW |
Ford Falcon FG |
|
12 |
Kumho Cup |
Century 21 Hazelbrook |
Chris Delfsma |
NSW |
Ford Falcon BF |
|
14 |
Championship |
Image Racing/Lubrimaxx |
Josh Smith |
Qld |
Ford Falcon FG |
|
16 |
Kumho Cup |
Image Racing/Lubrimaxx |
Leigh Moran |
VIC |
Ford Falcon BA |
|
17 |
Heritage |
Astoria Honda |
Troy Stapleton |
VIC |
Ford Falcon EL |
|
21 |
Championship |
Brad Jones Racing/SCT Logistics |
Jack Smith |
QLD |
Commodore VE ll |
|
23 |
Kumho Cup |
Massel |
Michael Caine |
NSW |
Commodore VE |
|
38 |
Championship |
Eggleston Motorsport |
TBC |
Commodore VE ll |
|
|
39 |
Kumho Cup |
Vectra Corp |
Chris Smerdon |
SA |
Ford Falcon FG |
|
41 |
Kumho Cup |
Dial Before You Dig |
Mark Primmer |
NSW |
Ford Falcon BF |
|
49 |
Kumho Cup |
Image Racing/Lubrimaxx |
Jordon Boys |
Vic |
Ford Falcon FG |
|
55 |
Heritage |
Neill Motorsport |
Bradley Neill |
QLD |
Commodore VS |
|
66 |
Kumho Cup |
Unichip Dynomotive |
Jack Sipp |
Qld |
Commodore VE |
|
69 |
Kumho Cup |
Dial Before You Dig/Mac Motorsport |
Jon McCorkindale |
NSW |
Ford Falcon BF |
|
76 |
Kumho Cup |
Garry Hills Racing – GHR |
Garry Hills |
WA |
Commodore VE2 |
|
88 |
Kumho Cup |
WakeUp! Backpackers |
Warren Millett |
NSW |
Commodore VZ |
|
888 |
Championship |
Emery Motorsport/Solair World |
Geoff Emery |
Vic |
Commodore VE |