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Tickford Racing Super2 driver Thomas Randle will line up in this weekend’s Paynter Dixon Touring Car Masters round at Phillip Island.
Randle will drive Tickford co-owner Rusty French’s 1969 Ford Mustang in what will be his second round start in TCM.
His first, in Adelaide in 2017, saw him out of action before the first race having slipped on an oil slick and crashed at Senna Chicane.
The outing comes in the two-month gap between events in his similar-liveried Skye Sands FGX Falcon.
“Rusty told me a couple of weeks ago, that he had lodged an entry and then suggested that I should be driving it,” said Randle.
“I jumped at the opportunity. It will be nice to jump back in the Mustang. The last time it ran was at Bathurst last year with Rusty driving.
“The I last I drove it was a little over two years ago – not very fond memories unfortunately.
“But hopefully we can challenge the guys up the front and give Steve (Johnson), John (Bowe) and the others a run for their money.
“I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch with the competitiveness of the category now, we will see how tomorrow goes as there is a lot to get used to.
“I have been so fortunate over the last five years of my career to drive so many different styles of cars.
“Having driven this car before, I can sort of remember that it is 1500kg and somewhere around 700-plus horsepower with good tyres but certainly not up to the power.
“Then there is left-hand drive with a four-speed H-pattern gearbox. There are a lot of differences, but I will just take it how it comes.”
Randle is 11th in Super2 after being punted out of the first race of the season in Adelaide before driving up to ninth and then fourth in the following races.
He will be part of a 22-car field for TCM Round 2 at the WD-40 Phillip Island SuperSprint, where Johnson arrives as series leader.
The series will be on-track three times today with Practice at 0925 local time/AEST, Qualifying at 1220, and the Trophy Race at 1435.
