After a tough season of V8 Supercars racing last year, Tony Ricciardello is looking forward to making his Kerrick Sports Sedan Series return this weekend at Mallala.

The 32-year-old West Australian and his Chevrolet V8-powered Alfetta GTV will enter the opening round as the hot favourite in the absence of last year’s leading contenders.

James Sera (SAAB 93), Darren Hossack (Audi A4)  and Kerry Baily have all been unable to commit to the full 2011 series, and are instead expected to appear in selected rounds.

While disappointed at the lack of strong competition, Ricciardello has his eyes firmly set on another Clem Smith Cup victory this weekend.

“It’s disappointing that the other guys are sitting the season out,” said Ricciardello.

“It’s never a sure thing that you’ll take the win, but I’m keen to make amends for a tough 2010.

“We’ll be doing everything we can to take the Clem Smith Cup trophy and start our season off on the front foot.”

The Clem Smith Cup, awarded to the winner of Race 2, has seen Mallala established as the premier event on the national Sports Sedan calendar – a round which has provided some spectacular memories over recent years.

“I’ve had some epic battles at Mallala, not the least being the 2009 event where Darren (Hossack) and I did some serious wheel banging,” said Ricciardello.

“We were both at the absolute limit, and we ended up coming together in fairly dramatic fashion – it’s water under the bridge now, but it was pretty firey back then.”

The Kerrick Sports Sedans will feature alongside the Kumho V8 Touring Cars (CLICK HERE for separate story) and the GT3 Cup Challenge (CLICK HERE for separate story) on the Shannons Nationals program at Mallala this weekend.

See below for the full Kerrick Sports Sedan Series entry list