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Tim Macrow to team up with Brabham for S5000 debut
Former Australian F3 champion and S5000 test driver Tim Macrow will line up alongside Australian international Matt Brabham in a two-car team, run by MTEC Motorsport, for the debut S5000 race at Sandown on September 20-22.
Macrow will drive the car that has formed the basis of the S5000 test programme, now refettled to exactly match the specifications of the 13 brand-new S5000 cars built by Garry Rogers Motorsport in Melbourne.
Macrow’s entry will be backed by a group of industry supporters, including Equity One, Holinger Engineering and the Boylan Group (owned by long-term Sydney motorsport competitor and patron Peter Boylan).
MTEC is owned and operated by experienced single-seater engineer Bruin Beasley. The MTEC team competes in the annual NZ Toyota Racing Series, and was once a regular in Australian Formula Ford competition, winning the 2012 title with Jack Le Brocq.
Beasley’s team has history with Matt Brabham too. Under the CAMS Rising Star guise, his Formula Ford team entered Brabham in the 2010 national Formula Ford Championship.
Beasley’s primary role remains as team chief for GRM’s TCR Australia program, however, he will entrust the running of the S5000 cars of Macrow and Brabham with his team’s regular crew.
Macrow and Brabham join a growing list of confirmed drivers for the debut S5000 race at Sandown, including Brazilian F1 star Rubens Barrichello and TCR leading drivers Will Brown and John Martin.
Practice kicks off on Friday, September 20, followed by qualifying and racing on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets can be pre-purchased or bought at the gate, and for those unable to make it to Sandown for the historic first event, the races will be broadcast live, free and in HD on SBS, or via the Shannons Nationals live stream.
QUOTES
Tim Macrow
Driver, S5000
“Having done a few laps along the way in the development car, I do know the thrill that awaits all the drivers lining up at Sandown,” said Tim Macrow.
“It’s going to be a red letter day for Australian motorsport, and I’ll be giving it a red hot go, as someone once said!
“It’s really great that a group of companies linked to Australian motorsport – Equity-One, Holinger, and the Boylan Group – have stepped forward to support my entry. I’ve obviously worked with everyone at Holinger as the S5000 car has evolved, so am particularly honoured to be carrying their colours.
“Equity-One has been a supporter of mine for a number years so I have to thank Dean and the team for their support, along with Peter Boylan who is a massive supporter of Australian motorsport.
“Running alongside Matt (Brabham) will be interesting. While he hasn’t run open-wheelers for a year or two, don’t forget he was US F2000 champion a few years back, and ran very strongly in Indy Lights, and then his one-off Aussie-backed entry in the 2016 Indy 500. Not a bad resume …”
Leigh Nash
Holinger Engineering
“Having been part of the S5000 project from the very start, Holinger is delighted to provide some support for Tim Macrow, whose test driver role throughout the project has been tremendous,” said Leigh Nash.
“His background in single-seater race cars made him the obvious choice for that role, and he has thus played his part in arriving at the final spec for the S5000-spec gearbox and also the other driveline elements that we are supplying.
“Holinger is among a group of Australian companies who are part of the S5000 project, which does highlight the level of motorsport engineering skill here in Australia. We look forward to S5000’s ongoing success and growth, and wish Tim every success in the category’s debut.”
Bruin Beasley
Managing Director, MTEC Motorsport
“MTEC is an open wheel organisation, so this is an opportunity to do something special, historic in the local scene,” said Bruin Beasley.
“Personally, I’m committed to running GRM’s TCR program, however, I’ll have a crew of my regular crew, made up of local and international staff, that will look after the two cars at our usual high standards.
“I’m a big fan of the S5000 concept, but we need to get through this year and then see what will happen for 2020 and beyond. It is certainly something that we are looking at closely as a full-time category to be involved in.
“With these two drivers, we have a really good shot at getting some good results at Sandown. Tim has done plenty of laps, and Matt is no stranger to high-powered open wheelers.”