Ben Grice will debut a new Ford Mustang at Phillip Island, which he will race for the remaining rounds of the 2023 National Trans Am Series.
The All American Driveline-backed racer was involved in a major front straight accident during the second race of the opening Symmons Plains round in Tasmania, which saw his ailing car struck by James Simpson in his Dodge Challenger.
The incident caused a red flag, and James Moffat – whom Grice had been battling for the lead before the crash – was declared the winner, with the result later annulled. Both Grice and Simpson escaped serious injuries.
After Grice’s Mustang chassis was assessed, it was deemed unrepairable. The Melbourne-based squad was forced to source a new chassis and use the salvageable components from the original, to get the title contender back on track.
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Grice had displayed front running pace in the opening round. He qualified on pole and finished second to James Moffat in race one before the spectacular crash. Simpson’s car was pitched into a wild roll, while Grice’s car received a huge hit behind the driver’s roll hoop.
In preparation for his return to the track, Grice will be at Phillip Island this Wednesday where he will complete his first test in the new All American Driveline and Auto Parts Mustang before the second round at the same venue on May 12-14, as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries.
WATCH: James Simpson’s spectacular roll-over at Symmons Plains
“Wednesday’s test will be important, I’m feeling good. It’s just a matter of getting comfortable and learning this new car,” said Grice. “The car is basically brand new from the windscreen back, but we know we’ll still be strong and competitive when we return.
“I’m fortunate to have such a wonderful support group around me, with Les Small, Chris, Glenn and Callum, I couldn’t ask for a better group of people. I’m so proud of their persistence, hard work, dedication and attention to detail to build a car to come back with.
“We just need to have a clean weekend and do what we did at Symmons Plains where we ticked a lot of boxes. We know at Phillip Island we’re going to be fast, we were last year.
“I think we’re due for some good results to repay the guys in the workshop as well as All American Driveline,” he concluded.
Round 2 of the 2023 Shannons SpeedSeries on May 12-14 at Phillip Island is live and ad-free on Stan Sport for Australian viewers, with live and free global streaming outside Australia via Speedcafe.com here.
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