The 2012 Auto One V8 Ute Racing Seriesprotected by Armor All will field the categorys biggest ever grid with 36 V8 Utes hitting the track at Mount Panorama, 47 October.
Not only will the series have its usual 32 series competitors, there will also be an extra Ford entry along with three extra Holden VEs from New Zealand.
Philippines based driver, Leigh Lovering, will drive BF Ford which will be run by Big Gun Racing. Lovering along with the three Kiwi drivers, James Huggi Urquhart, Peter Kaos Ward and Peter Rocketman Robb will all be vying for the Bathurst Challenge Trophy, whilst all drivers entered in Series Utes will be in the running to win Round 5 of the Auto One V8 Ute Racing Seriesprotected by Armor All. One driver keen to take out the Round is reining Bathurst champion Ryal Harris, who sits only 8 points behind ENZED Drivers Championship leader Nathan Pretty.
Winning Bathurst last year was a great moment. I really dominated winning two races and the Armor All Pole Award. The Fords have always been fast there and Im hoping to replicate my results this year, said Harris.
Monster Energy Drinks Nathan Pretty won his first V8 Ute podium at Bathurst last year and will be out to keep his lead in his Holden VE.
Its never great to be the guy defending his lead, but Im hoping Bathurst will be the Round to give me a good one. Ford has always been fast there in the past, but it also gave me my first podium and Ive clocked up a lot of laps at Bathurst over the years, so hopefully the two combined will give me a good result, said Pretty.
Another driver expected to be on the pace at Bathurst is Londonberry based driver, David Sieders, who won in his Rookie year in 2010, and claimed second overall last year after taking out Race 1.
Weve always had a good run at Bathurst, I really love the track. We were a little disappointed with our result last year and would love to come home with another Bathurst win, said Sieders.
Sieders has come close to snatching the lap record set by V8 Supercar Development driver George Miedecke in 2009 (2:34.46.) Both Harris and Sieders have come close, Sieders missed the record in 2010 by four tenths of a second (2:34.8781) and Harris last year by only six one hundredths of a second (2:34.5358) and the Gold Coaster would love to take out the record.
I came so close last year, when the record has been held for so long it makes you more eager to break it and to hold a record at Bathurst would be the ultimate, he said.
Jesus Racings Andrew Fisher is currently coming third in the Series, and has plenty of mountain experience having raced there four times in the V8 Ute Series, once in the Bathurst 1000 and also in the 2010 Bathurst 12 hour event where he debuted the new Ford FG with Ben Dunn and Jack Elsegood. Fisher does his best work on Sundays and this year could well spring a real surprise.
Bundaberg Racings Cameron McConville will have extra laps under his belt again this year, also steering a V8 Supercar alongside James Courtney for the Toll Holden Racing team. Some minor recent suspension tweaks to the Commodore have received rave revues in testing, along with a gearbox ratio change for all Holdens that should help significantly around Mt Panorama. The track has traditionally favoured the Ford ratios, particularly the run through Forest Elbow and onto Conrod Straight.
Three-time Bathurst winner Tony Longhurst will also bring a lot of experience to the track in the Auto One Wildcard Entry and Gary MacDonald will return to the Series after 2 years, winning the Bathurst Round during his last run. Longhurst is a twice winner of the Bathurst 1000, and will be a great addition to the V8 Ute field given the significant celebration of this event.
New on the scene for this years race will be 32 year old director of Bartech Switchboards Layton Barker, who has been racing former V8 Utes veteran Charlie Kovacs VY ute since 2008 in the Tasmanian Super Series and Tarmac Rally events including Targa Tasmania. He will drive Yanis Derums Holden VE at Bathurst. Tom Williamson will also debut in the Ice Break Racing Holden as part of the Chris Pither Racing Scholarship. NSW State Formula Ford champ Steve Charman will serve up the opposition in the new Pizza Hut Ford FG, and V8 Supercar Safety Car driver Amber Anderson will be the second female to join the Series this year, driving for Big Run Racing and Dynamite Solutions.
The V8 Utes will hit the track on Thursday, 4th October for practice one.
The full V8 Ute Racing Schedule is as follows: Saturday, 5th October Race 1 9:50amSaturday, 5th October Race 2 3:05pm (Televised LIVE on Network Seven.)Sunday, 6th October Race 3 8am (Televised LIVE on Network Seven).
