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One of the most popular cars to compete in the Gulf Western Oil Touring Cars Masters will race at Sandown next week.
The Ford Falcon XB GT Hardtop of Keith Kassulke will join an expanding TCM grid when the series returns to the Victorian venue for the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championship event.
The car has been prepared by Bendigo Retro Muscle Cars, the same outfit that looks after John Bowe’s Holden Torana.
It will be the first time the Falcon has raced since July 2015, while Kassulke will make his first TCM starts since the 2017 season, where he raced his HQ Monaro GTS 350 in selected rounds.
“It’s going to be great I’m looking forward to being at Sandown again and am aware that it may well be the last time I get to race there, but I hope not,” Kassulke said.
“It’s a fantastic circuit and I’m sure the XB will be a popular addition to the category given they have been absent from the grid for some years.
“It was always fast at Sandown so we will see how it goes against the newly built TCM cars.”
Built by SpeedFX racing owner, the late Jim Morton, in 2011 the Falcon was first raced by Glenn Seton, who drove the car to victory in the Bathurst round that year.
The car was then purchased by Kassulke, who had earlier made his TCM debut driving a HQ Monaro GTS, in the 2012 season.
He went onto collect two podiums that year, finishing third at Queensland Raceway and Bathurst.
In 2013, Kassulke finished second at Queensland Raceway, collected pole at Sandown, before claiming his first win in the category in the series finale at Phillip Island.
He scored two race victories at the Victorian circuit that weekend, with the round victory elevating him to fourth in the overall series standings and top of the Pro-Am order.
He progressed to the Pro class in 2014, finishing third in that year’s competition.
He notched up three further podiums across the 2014 and early 2015 seasons before a crash at Queensland Raceway badly damaged the car, leading to its lengthy break from competition for repairs.
All four TCM races will be broadcast live and ad-break free on Stan Sport.
Saturday afternoon’s first championship race will also be shown live on free-to-air TV on the Nine Network.
