- 16 John Cooper Works MINIs will take to the grid at next week’s Ipswich 300 at QR.

- The 4-race format to be used at QR is the first in MINI Challenge history.

- Round 3 marks the first time MINI Challenge racing heads to Queensland Raceway.- Kain Magro and Stephen Butcher will have first ever taste of MINI Challenge racing.

- John Magro is back for a second run in the MINI Challenge.

- V8 Star Luke Youlden is back in MINI action and joins the 16-strong grid.

- Steven Bradbury will run as the Pizza Capers UberStar driver.

- Chris Alajajian will start Qualifying with a 46-point series lead.

- Sean Carter and Peter McNiven sit on equal points in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Round 3 of Hertz MINI Challenge – delivered by Pizza Capers will offer a new style of racing-format as crews head to Queensland Raceway next weekend for the Ipswich 300.

A 4-race format will be used for the first time in MINI Challenge history meaning a maximum of 36 additional championship points will be up-for-grabs with the extra session on offer. Due to the extended format no reverse-grid system will be in place for any races at the Ipswich 300 event.

Chris Alajajian heads into round 3 with a commanding series lead but with extra points on offer racing will be hotter than ever at Queensland Raceway next weekend. Joining Alajajian and his MINI Challenge comrades are some fresh faces for 2010 including V8 Star Luke Youlden who will spice things up with team-mate and fellow V8 Supercar Enduro driver Dean Canto.

Mango Farmers, the Magro brothers will make the trek down from North Queensland as a brother-combination to tackle a round of the MINI challenge series. While John tackled the MINI round at Sandown in 2009 this will be Kain’s first race at highest level of Australian circuit-racing as the pair look to make a name for themselves in the just4wd.com.au entered MINI Challenge R56.

Also making his series debut behind the wheel of a MINI is Stephen Butcher who has skilled his craft in the open-wheeled version of motorsport. Butcher will be filling in at QR, driving Dylan Thomas’ CXC MINI as Thomas takes a round out to compete in Targa Tasmania which coincides with round 3 of the MINI Challenge series. 

Pizza Capers UberStar driver for the event is Australia’s first ever Winter Olympic Gold Medallist Steven Bradbury who returns for a second shot at the MINI Challenge after a fine performance at Sandown last season. 

Hertz MINI Challenge – delivered by Pizza Capers series leader Chris Alajajian said:“Queensland Raceway is a highlighted event on the MINI Challenge calendar as the whole track is visible to spectators, which makes it very entertaining to watch. For us as drivers, especially the top-3, it will be highly demanding as the success ballast weighs the car down at this stop and go circuit. I believe this will be a good recipe for extremely close, and for me, "intense" racing, but I sure am looking forward to another MINI challenge, and an opportunity to try & stretch my lead.”

Hertz MINI Challenge – delivered by Pizza Capers driver John Magro said:“I’m really looking forward to jumping back in a MINI. It’s been 10 months since I have driven the MINI Challenge car at Sandown raceway where I managed to qualify 4th after just one practice session and ran top-5 all weekend, finishing 4th overall. I'm feeling confident of running top-5 at QR. My brother Kain will be driving the second car and it’s his first time in a MINI Challenge car - though he is very talented and I'm confident he will be very competitive. I will be running my own two car team (Magro Motorsport) for a two round deal with MINI Challenge consisting of QR and the Townsville 400. I’m happy to announce the team has a new sponsor on board 'just4wd.com.au' as title sponsor for the two rounds.”

Racing gets underway Saturday 09.00am sharp when drivers line-up for qualifying. Races 1 and 2 will be run on Saturday with Races 3 and 4 being held on Sunday, all as official support races for the V8 Supercar Championship round – Ipswich 300. 

Hertz MINI Challenge – delivered by Pizza Capers is the most exciting, premium single-make series in the world. The seven round series runs as an official support category of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Ipswich 300 – Entry List1      Paul Stokell        QLD       3      Chris Wootton    QLD       5      Luke Youlden      VIC       6      Dean Canto        VIC       7      John Magro        QLD       8      Kain Magro        QLD       9      Chris Alajajian    NSW       11    Gavin Yortt          NZ       13    Peter McNiven    VIC       15    McElrea Racing  TBA            19    McElrea Racing  TBA             25    Brendan Cook    QLD       28    Sean Carter        VIC       50    Steven Brabury   VIC       68    Stephen Butcher NSW       95    Matthew MacKelden    QLD