De Silvestro in frame for DJR enduro wildcard

Simona De Silvestro is believed to be a candidate for a prospective enduro wildcard campaign for Dick Johnson Racing.

The Swiss driver is thought to be in the frame to partner Super2 rookie Kai Allen in this year’s Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000 in a third DJR entry.

De Silvestro has not raced in Supercars since her final season with Kelly Racing in 2019, but is known to have been keen to secure a return in at least the Great Race.

She was linked to a Walkinshaw Andretti United wildcard earlier this year and, while an extra car in the enduros was subsequently ruled out by that squad, she attended the Betr Darwin Triple Crown in June.

De Silvestro played down the prospect of a deal at the time, but described the idea of a Supercars comeback as “really special”.

It is thought that she was the “international driver” referred to in the DJR application alongside Allen following talks at Darwin’s Hidden Valley.

There could be as many as three wildcard entries at each of this year’s enduros.

Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Supercheap Auto Camaro has already raced at Hidden Valley, while the DJR application and another by the Blanchard Racing Team were approved by the Supercars Commission last week.

That does not necessarily mean they are a fait accompli, with the Supercars Board still technically needing to approve the wildcards and the teams needing to confirm their programmes.

However, it does bode well for a significantly bolstered grid for the Sandown 500, which takes place on September 15-17, and the Bathurst 1000, which will be held on October 5-8.