Grant Denyer will test with Dick Johnson Racing today at Queensland Raceway as he aims to secure a ride in this year’s V8 Supercars endurance races.
The Network Seven personality will get some seat time in the Jim Beam Racing Falcon FGs – the first time that he has driven a V8 Supercar since his Fujitsu V8 Series campaign in 2009.
During that season, he was compromised by the injuries hesustained during a monster truck stunt accident which broke his back in 2008.
After spending last year on the sidelines, concentrating on his television commitments, Denyer is raring to get back into the seat today, and wants to prove his worth for the Phillip Island and Bathurst endurance races.
“Now that I’m fully repaired, I’d love to be able to get back in and do some endurance racing,” Denyer told Speedcafe.com.au.
“Racing at Bathurst has always been my dream, since I was a kid. I haven’t been fit enough to do the last three Bathursts, but the things that we’re giving me grief before, now I don’t have any issues. I built up all of my strength, and I’ve got my weight right down to 67kg.”
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Denyer is no stranger to V8 Supercars, having contested the Fujitsu V8 Series between 2005-2007, plus the 2009 series.
In 2008, he was comfortably leading the inaugural MINI Challenge title until his monster truck accident destroyed his title chances.
Denyer has competed in three Bathurst 1000s – two with Dick Johnson Racing (2006/07) and one with WPS Racing (2008). His best result was in the 2006 event, partnering Alex Davison to ninth place.
While he won’t be contesting the full Fujitsu Series this year, he says that he could do one or two rounds to keep him sharp for the enduros.
“With all the testing, ride days and rookie days, you are going to have a fair few miles under your belt anyway,” he said.
“It is always nice to do the enduros hand-in-hand with the Fujitsu Series, but with the money I’ve paid in the past, it doesn’t make sense. It is so expensive for the return. It can be hard to justify. I might do a couple of rounds in the Fujitsu Series races, but I won’t commit to the full series.
“My focus is to do the endurance races, so hopefully I can do a good job in the test and get some regular seat time during the year to prove my worth.”
Dick Johnson Racing is one of a number of teams testing at Queensland Raceway today, including TeamVodafone, Stone Brothers Racing and Paul Morris Motorsport.
