A New Zealander driving an ex-Shane van Gisbergen Supercar will be hoping to follow in his tracks when he joins the Dunlop Super3 Series field this weekend.

Jordan Michels is set to drive an Image Racing-prepared FG Falcon at the Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint in Melbourne.

From Invercargill, Michels will aim to join the battle for honors amidst this weekend’s 16-strong Super3 grid.

Following his arrival in Australia last week, he undertook a test with Image Racing at Winton Raceway, before racing in the Victorian Formula Ford Championship at Sandown on the weekend, finishing third in the Kent class.

The battle for this year’s Super3 title has been hotly contested, with the title hunt currently led by teenager Kai Allen.

The Eggleston Motorsport driver has scored five of the six pole positions so far this year, with four race wins to boot.

Allen, who has been fine-tuning his driving skills under the tutelage of Paul Morris at the Norwell Motorplex, holds a small lead over Blake Fardell and Brad Vaughan in the series standings.

Fardell has enjoyed a consistent run to date with the Holden Commodore driver finishing all but one race inside the top three, while Vaughan has claimed two race wins.

The 16-strong entry list for Sandown marks the largest Super3 / V8 Touring Cars grid since the conclusion of the 2019 season, which was also held at Sandown Raceway.

Several returning names add to an already competitive field this weekend, including Jason Foley and Brendan Strong.

The Dunlop Super3 Series grid will join the Super2 field for a pair of 22-lap races at Sandown this weekend, both to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo.