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Supercars star set for S5000 drive at The Bend
Anton de Pasquale will make his S5000 debut at The Bend Motorsport Park in two weeks time.
The Erebus Motorsport Supercars regular will drive for Team BRM, racing the car that Formula 1 legend Rubens Barrichello drove at Sandown at the category’s stunning debut.
While de Pasquale has put his name on the map in domestic touring car competition, he is no stranger to open wheel racing. The 24-year-old won the 2013 Australia Formula Ford Championship before heading to Europe to compete in two seasons of Formula Renault competition. In 2014, he convincingly won the Formula Renault 1.6 NEC Championship, claiming nine of the 15 race wins.
The Victorian headed back to Australia in 2016, spending two years in the Super2 Series before graduating to the Supercars Championship where he has collected two podium finishes for Erebus this year – one of those at The Bend.
Joining de Pasquale in at the South Australian circuit will be Will Brown, who is set for his second start in the S5000 class.
Brown made an impressive debut at Sandown, running inside the top five for most of the weekend and will look to build on his experience in the fast wings and slicks open wheel race cars.
Like he did at Sandown, Brown will dovetail his S5000 efforts with his drive in the final round of the TCR Australia Series, driving his Hyundai i30 N.
Brown and de Pasquale will be two of the leading contenders at The Bend, but the pair need no introduction to each other, either. The young guns have been driving together in the past three Supercars Championship rounds in the endurance races for Erebus Motorsport.
The Bend marks the final round of the Shannons Nationals and the last chance that competitors will get the opportunity to race an S5000 car before its historic full season in 2020, opening at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
The S5000s will be on the Tailem Bend circuit from Friday, with racing held on Saturday and Sunday, November 16-17.
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QUOTE
Anton de Pasquale
Driver, Team BRM S5000
“I was at Sandown for the S5000 debut and as soon as they hit the track, everyone that was there ran to the fence,” said de Pasquale.
“I’ve done a bit of open wheel stuff before, so it will be cool to get back into those types of cars with big horsepower and lots of downforce.
“I’ve been doing a lot of racing in recent weeks, but if I had my way, I’d race every day of the year. It’s the best part of the job, so anytime I can race something, I’m definitely interested.
“The S5000s are fast cars and have that distinctive V8 sound, and that is what we like to hear. Noise is the appeal of motor racing. I was jealous watching from the sidelines, but now it’s cool to new involved.
“The Bend is a fast flowing circuit. It’s got a great surface, so that style of circuit will suit an aero-style car. I’ve had success there in Supercars too, so I’m sure these cars won’t disappoint.”
Will Brown
Driver, Eggleston Motorsport S5000
“It’s very exciting to jump back in S5000. What a showcase of an event it was at Sandown – easily the biggest Shannons National that has ever been held,” said Will Brown.
“The crowd was awesome and they really got around the new S5000 class. I hope that we can see lots of people from South Australia come and check it out at The Bend.
“I certainly feel a lot more comfortable in the car. I was behind the ball in terms of testing laps going into Sandown, but with a full race meeting under my belt, I reckon we will be able to hit the ground running.
“It’s going to be exciting to race against my main driver Anton. We’ve been sharing a car for the last few rounds, so it will be cool to race separate cars in the same race. I reckon it’s going to be game on!”