Jenner who raced in the series from 2021 to 2023, passed away on March 28 this year after a long battle with cancer. He will be honoured in the Northern Territory with every V8 SuperUte adorned with the memorial sticker ‘Racing for The Rookie, In Memory of Craig Jenner’.
“Craig was a huge supporter of not just the series, but all of the other competitors and got as much enjoyment out of them doing well on track as he enjoyed the racing himself,” said series operations manager Filippa Guarna.
“We chose to create a memorial sticker that will go on the passenger side door of every V8 SuperUte to signify him riding shotgun with our drivers next week, which we know he’d get a huge kick out of if it were actually possible.
“As much as everyone in the paddock knew how sick Craig was, his passing a few months ago still hit us all hard and it’s surreal to think he won’t be with us physically at the events anymore.
“The sticker is only a small gesture but we’re very grateful to his family for allowing us to pay tribute to him this way, and creating something to ensure he remains at the forefront of our minds as we go racing this year.”
The 55-year-old from Melbourne made his series debut as a complete novice in 2021 yet finished fifth outright and highest-placed rookie. The following year he finished 12th outright while running the “Get Checked” livery on the side of his Mazda BT-50. Its message for everyone was to take important steps to regularly check their health.
Last year, the series chose to pay tribute to Jenner’s involvement in the category by renaming the Rookie of the Year award as the ‘Craig Jenner Perpetual Cup’. Jimmy Vernon was the first recipient of the trophy as the highest placed rookie of 2023 and Jenner attended the awards night on the Gold Coast last October; his last event with the series in person.
Round 2 of the Tyrepower V8 SuperUte Series on June 14-16 is part of the betr Darwin Triple Crown and is a support to the Repco Supercars Championship.