Field locked in for second S5000 round

A 10-car field has been confirmed for the second S5000 round at The Bend Motorsport Park this weekend.

Braydan Willmington, son of former Australian Touring Car Championship privateer Garry, is the latest driver to be named in the field.

The 22-year-old will contest the event in an ex-AGI Sport S5000 run by his own team, in what will be his first major circuit racing meeting after several years in speedway in both Australia and the United States.

“I’m incredibly excited for The Bend,” said Willmington, who tested an S5000 at Wakefield Park last month.

“High horsepower, open wheel race cars – they are just like a sprint car asphalt! I just love them.

“I saw the historic Formula 5000s at the Australian GP a few years ago and I fell in love with them. I’ve been keeping an eye on the S5000 class since it originated and it’s great to finally be involved.

“Wakefield Park was good, just to get some early miles in the car and know what should be expected. I felt like I got down to some reasonable laps times as I started to get comfortable.

“I’m used to sitting upright over the steering wheel, where this thing, you are laying down. It’s totally different.

“We’re treating The Bend as a practice round for next year. We definitely want to be competitive, so by the end of next year I’d like to within the top 10.

“I’m really keeping my expectations realistic as it’s something I haven’t had much experience with.”

Three-time Australian Formula 3 series winner Tim Macrow will back up after racing in S5000 at Sandown, although also in his own team having partaken in the inaugural round with MTEC Motorsport.

“I’ve run my own cars and other people’s cars in the past so I’m looking forward to being in charge again,” said Macrow.

“I’ve got a great bunch of guys working on the car so I’m really happy with how the team is shaping up – and with the sponsors and partners I’ve got onboard, it’s a good springboard into 2020.

“Next year I’d like to run one or two cars alongside my own, so this event will be a great start for the team.”

James Golding will again be on the grid after winning the feature race and a qualifying heat at Sandown, while fellow current Supercars Championship driver Anton De Pasquale is set to make his S5000 debut.

Similarly, Will Brown backs up and another rising star from Super2, Thomas Randle, is joining the field for the first time.

Multiple Gold Star winner James Winslow will be on debut, while John Martin, Ricky Capo, and Michael Gibson are undertaking second starts in S5000.

A number of drivers are taking part in an open test at The Bend today, before practice tomorrow.

The Saturday race and Sunday’s feature race will be shown live on SBS and the Shannons Nationals live stream carried by Speedcafe.com.

Entry list: The Bend Motorsport Park