Tony D’Alberto will be behind the wheel of Scott Pye’s #17 Ford at DJR Team Penske’s final test day of the season tomorrow.
DJRTP will evaluate development parts at Queensland Raceway ahead of the December 4-6 season finale in Sydney.
The team has elected to test without Pye, who will move to Walkinshaw Racing in 2017 following Penske’s decision to sign Scott McLaughlin.
D’Alberto drove alongside Pye in this year’s Pirtek Enduro Cup, finishing a high of fifth at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
“Tony will be cutting laps for us (in Pye’s car),” DJR Team Penske managing director Ryan Story confirmed to Speedcafe.com.
“He’s comfortable in the car having driven in the enduros.”
Story confirmed that his team has new components to test as the American owned operation aims to sharpen its package for 2017.
“We had a test day up our sleeve that we’d strategically kept,” said Story.
“We’re running prior to Homebush with an eye on putting some miles on some parts that we’ve been working on in the background for the last little while.”
D’Alberto will steer the #17 Ford in its new WM Waste colours, while Fabian Coulthard’s #12 car will run with its MAN livery from Pukekohe ahead of an upcoming Sydney livery reveal.
DJRTP enters the Coates Hire Sydney 500 with Coulthard and Pye 11th and 15th in points respectively.
The squad sits fifth in the teams’ championship and, with 576 points still available, could jump as high as second if results fall their way.
The Holden Racing Team, Wilson Security Racing GRM, Prodrive and DJRTP are separated by 333 points in the battle for second.
Teams’ championship positions are particularly important as they set the pitlane order for the following season.
DJRTP has this year been mired down the order after operating as a single car team in 2015.
“It’s the final piece of the puzzle as we finish off the year,” said Story of the teams’ championship.
“The more competitive we can run at Homebush the greater our potential of both cementing the position we’re in and maximising the opportunity of possibly going up one.
“Pitlane positioning is valuable in many respects and we certainly prefer to be at one end as opposed to the other.”
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