RICHIE STANAWAY SET FOR SYDNEY START

Richie Stanaway will make his Supercars solo race debut at Sydney Motorsport Park when drives for Prodrive Racing Australia’s Dunlop Super2 series team later this month.

The World Endurance Championship regular, who recently signaled his intentions of a full time Supercars drive, made an impressive Supercars debut as a co-driver with SuperBlack Racing last year. Prodrive then enlisted the Kiwi to partner Cameron Waters in this years Pirtek Enduro Cup.

In order to give Stanaway extra seat time in the lead up to the enduro’s Prodrive will run an extra car at the next round in Sydney, alongside Garry Jacobson and Josh Kean in their Super2 team.

“It is going to be a great opportunity for me to get some racing mileage without the pressure of sharing the car with another driver in the main series,” said Stanaway at the announcement.

“Racing in Sydney means I will come into this year’s enduro campaign a lot better prepared than I was last year, so I am grateful for the opportunity and quite keen to see how I stack up against all the other young guys.

“I’ve done a decent amount of testing miles now but you can never simulate a racing environment so it is going to be good to get more race miles under my belt. It also makes it a bit easier when you know it is only your own race result at stake and don’t need to take into consideration another driver’s race or championship.”

His debut drive at last year’s Sandown 500, where he impressed in wet conditions, cemented his pedigree with Prodrive Racing Team Principal, Tim Edwards.

“Getting Richie back was a no-brainer after his efforts last year in what was not only his debut with the team, but also his first ever Supercars races,” Edwards said.

“His vast experience and success overseas counts for a lot and we expected him to deliver, though to do what he did at Sandown in very difficult conditions, in his first ever race, that showed his potential.

“Entering him in the Super2 event in Sydney will give him vital additional track time, plenty more races and a chance to practice starts and further hone his race craft in a Supercar.

“It’s a free event for him given he’s not contesting the championship. There will be no pressure which is rare for a racing driver so we are all looking forward to what he can do.

“Super2 is the perfect platform to bring through the next generation of talent. We’ve had success with Chaz, Cam and Garry previously and intend to continue to foster new talent through the category next year and beyond.”

We’ll have more of the latest Supercars news in the next issue of Auto Action Magazine, on sale Thursday. In the mean time make sure you follow Auto Action on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest updates.