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Ricky Capo confirms drive in 2021 S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship
Ricky Capo has confirmed that he will return to the S5000 ranks in 2021, running his own single car, family-run team.
The 24-year-old will step back into the same V8-powered open wheel racer that he used to qualify third at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year, only for the event to be cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Capo will drive his #92 S5000 at Phillip Island in a private test tomorrow.
He says that with the frustrations of 2020 behind him, he is looking forward to the competitive challenge.
“We had really developed the car in the off season, and when we got to Albert Park, I was feeling pretty comfortable,” he said.
“I was happy to be starting third and looking forward to what would have been a good weekend. I felt that we had even more speed, but we all know what happened after that.
“I can’t wait for the season to get underway. I’ve never raced at Symmons Plains, so that will be an interesting place to start, but overall, the calendar looks so good. I really commend ARG for the circuits that they’ve selected for S5000. All of them will really suit our cars and I’m really looking forward to it.
“And I think it will be a really competitive field. The test for us at Phillip Island on Thursday is important, but really, the thing that I’m most excited about is getting the racing back underway.”
While the Victorian’s team will run its own single-car Modena Engineering entry, it will share some transportation and logistics costs with fellow single-car entry of Astuti Motorsport, which will campaign young teenager Antonio Astuti.
“We get along really well with the Astutis,” he said.
“My first-ever test of a race car in Australia was in one of Sam’s F3 cars, so it’s cool that we are still around each other and we can work together.”
Entrants in the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship will compete for the coveted Motorsport Australia Gold Star title, regarded as the most prestigious award in domestic motor racing competition.
The 2020 Gold Star will be held over four rounds, starting at Symmons Plains Raceway on January 24-26 – the first of two events that will make up Race Tasmania.
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