Whincup signed by Tasman Motorsport

[Vee8]

From www.tasmanmotorsport.com

WHINCUP SIGNED BY TASMAN MOTORSPORT

Young gun Jamie Whincup has been signed to drive a second Tasman Inner Circle Rum Motorsport car for the 2005 season, it was announced today.

The 21-year-old will line up alongside Jason Richards in an identical VY Holden Commodore, currently being assembled, to form the team’s first two-car assault.

Whincup, the 2002 Australian Formula Ford Champion, made his V8 Supercar debut with Garry Rogers Motorsport in 2002 in the Queensland 500 and finished a creditable 20th, before landing a coveted full-time drive for GRM in 2003.

Selected to drive in the enduro races this year by Perkins Motorsport, Whincup and fellow young gun Alex Davison finished an outstanding 9th in the Bathurst 1000 – Whincup’s first Top 10 result in V8 Supercars.

Whincup trialled with Tasman Motorsport prior to the 2004 enduro races, demonstrating outstanding speed and maturity in a test day at Sydney’s Oran Park.

Tasman Motorsport principal Kevin Murphy said the move to a two-car operation and the team’s impending move to Melbourne made Whincup the ideal choice.

“Jamie’s a Melbourne lad whom we’ve been aware of for some time because we think he has great potential,” Murphy said.

“You don’t win the Australian Formula Ford title without a fair bit of natural talent, and he’s obviously learned a lot about the business in a difficult season with GRM.”

Whincup said he was delighted to return to V8 Supercar racing with Tasman Motorsport. “The V8s really are the premier racing category in Australia, and I firmly believe Tasman Motorsport has a great future that I want to be part of,” he said.

“It’s a perfect fit for me – the team is going to be based in Melbourne about 15 minutes from where I live.

“I think Jason and I can work really well together in identical cars and I’ll be looking to deliver good, consistent results straight off the bat.”

Murphy said Tasman Motorsport had faced a clear choice in recruiting a second driver to run alongside Richards.

“We could have brought in a veteran who would deliver immediate results but might not stay over the longer term, or we could pick up a youngster with plenty of potential and take an active part in his development,” he said.

“We’re highly impressed with Jamie and think we’ll be seeing a return on our investment sooner rather than later.”