Former Supercars driver Simona De Silvestro is expected to attend next week’s Betr Darwin Triple Crown.
The Swiss driver has not been seen in the Supercars paddock since her last start with Kelly Racing in Newcastle in 2019, the end of a three-year stint as a full-timer in the category.
Nowadays, she is a factory Porsche driver, filling a test/reserve role in its Formula E programme, and made four starts in last year’s IndyCar Series.
De Silvestro told the Girls on the Grid podcast in April that a Bathurst 1000 comeback would be “really cool”, and was linked to a Walkinshaw Andretti United wildcard before that outfit elected to focus on its two full-time entries and loan Warren Luff to Team 18 for the enduros.
Now 34 years old, she made her Repco Supercars Championship debut in the Harvey Norman Supergirls entry which was run by Tickford Racing in the 2015 Bathurst 1000, then backed up when the programme was housed at Kelly Racing/Nissan Motorsport in the following year’s Great Race.
De Silvestro would sign on to drive for Kelly Racing on a full-time basis from 2017 and scored a best result of seventh, at Pukekohe in 2019, during her three seasons there.
She will not be driving at Hidden Valley, although there will be an extra car on the Supercars grid thanks to the Supercheap Auto Triple Eight wildcard programme, and Porsches in action in Carrera Cup.
Looking back on her time in Supercars, De Silvestro told Girls on the Grid, “At the time, I was definitely a bit sad that [my Supercars career] didn’t really continue, just opportunity-wise, but I really enjoyed it.
“It was really three years of my racing career that I will always remember.
“It would be really cool to come back to do a wildcard or something like that, it would be really fun. I would really enjoy it.
“Right now, I think I’m in a really good position with Porsche, with my involvement in the Formula E programme. That’s kind of my priority right now.
“A wildcard or as a co-driver, if this opportunity would come up, I think it’s something I definitely could consider.
“I think [Mount Panorama] is the only track — even if you’re having the worst race and nothing is going well — you still enjoy driving around it.
“I love it — it’s the best place in the world.”
Practice in Darwin takes place on Friday, June 16.
Discussion about this post