15 January 2015 | General

GLENN SETON TO MAKE FULL-TIME TCM RETURN

GLENN SETON will return to the ENZED Touring Car Masters series this year racing a 1964 Ford Mustang for Thunder Road Racing Team Australia.

The double Australian Touring Car / V8 Supercar champion had originally committed to racing the Mustang against the New Zealand Central Muscle Cars at the upcoming Highlands Festival of Speed however that program was quickly expanded to include the remaining eight-round TCM schedule following discussions with car owner Don Dimitriadis.

The black-and-gold Mustang (nickname: ‘Jenny’) will adopt Seton’s traditional No. 30 this year and will again be prepared by Melbourne-based Savy Motorsport.

“Having the legends in the field gives the whole category a boost and I’m really pleased to be able to do it.â€Â

– Car owner Don Dimitriadis

“I had intended to drive the car myself this season but when we started chatting with Glenn about doing the season it was hard not to put a driver of his calibre in the car†Dimitiradis said.

“We had a successful test at Winton for Glenn to drive before going to Highlands and he said he was pretty impressed with the car which is a credit to Dick Savy and his team and the way they prepare it.

“One thing led to another and I asked if he’d be keen to race the car for the year – and he said yes.â€Â

Dimitiradis says he hoped putting Seton in the car would further boost this year’s TCM grid ahead of the opening round at the Clipsal 500 in late February.

“Glenn had no other driving commitments and I want to show the Touring Car Masters category that I support it and believe in it completely by putting another legend on the grid†he said.

“People love the cars and everyone in the category but it’s fantastic to see the guys finished with V8’s and co-driving coming into the category to keep racing.

“Having the legends in the field gives the whole category a boost and I’m really pleased to be able to do it.â€Â

Alone with running the Thunder Road Racing Team Australia program this year Dimitiradis will continue to race in selected US-based Muscle Car events.  

Seton has several TCM starts to his credit including a successful partial season in 2011 spent developing the Ford Falcon XB Hardtop built by the late Jim Morton’s Speed FX Racing.

That partnership netted several strong results including a round victory at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 event at Mount Panorama that October.

Following the sale of the Falcon to current owner Keith Kassulke Seton returned to Bathurst the following season driving a Ford Falcon GTHO owned by Doug Westwood only to be hampered by mechanical dramas that forced an early out to his weekend.

He drove the car again at Bathurst in 2013 and qualified on pole before a hefty crash on Conrod straight ended his weekend in race two.

He regularly raced in last year’s Australian Manufacturers Championship winning Phillip Island’s Great southern 4 hour enduro in a Mitsubishi Lancer with Bob Pearson while also overseeing the first races from son Aaron.

He will face old rivals in this year’s ENZED Touring Car Masters series with the grid filled with rivals from much of his Touring Car career that spanned the 1980s 90s and 2000s.

Jim Richards (AMC Javelin) John Bowe (Ford Mustang) Greg Crick (Chrysler Charger) and Andrew Miedecke (Chevrolet Camaro) were all rivals of Seton at some point during his successful career.