TICKFORD RACING CONFIRM ENDURO PAIRINGS

Pirtek Enduro Cup winners Chaz Mostert and Steve Owen – Photo: Supplied

Tickford Racing has confirmed their co-driver pairings for the 2018 Pirtek Enduro Cup with three new combinations.

The lone pair remaining intact from 2017, Dean Canto and Mark Winterbottom, will partner the No. 5 The Bottle-O Ford Falcon FG X for the third consecutive year.

A now customary pairing that scored three top tens from four races in the 2017 Enduro season, the duo had a strong 2017 effort, thwarted only by a late DNF in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in mixed track conditions.

“It’s my 11th year with Tickford and I think my ninth driving with The Bottle-O, which is crazy to think.” said Canto.

“It’s good to be driving with Mark again as well. We’ve both worked well together the past couple years, so there’s not much we need to learn about each other. We both like the same car setup, which is obviously quite important over an endurance race.”

Bringing the team the first Enduro Cup win in its history last year, Chaz Mostert and Steve Owen will look to defend their 2017 title from the seats of different cars in 2018.

Mostert will partner with new signee James Moffat to pilot the No. 55 Supercheap Auto Ford Falcon FG X, while Owen will lend his veteran insight to rookie Richie Stanaway as he moves to the No. 56 MEGA Fuels/Tickford Ford Falcon FG X, in now his sixth year as a co-driver with the team.

“To be driving alongside Chaz in the Enduro Cup is something I’m really looking forward to.” said Moffat

“Together I’m sure we’ll make a pretty strong combination, and I’m just really looking forward to working with everybody on the team and hopefully achieving some great results.

With Stanaway’s promotion to the main game in 2018, the Kiwi naturally splits from Cameron Waters in the No. 6 Monster Energy Ford Falcon FG X. Joining Waters will be the team’s newest addition, David Russell, who will contest the enduros for the ninth time and make his tenth start in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, and his first with the Campbellfield-based outfit.

“I’m very excited to get behind the wheel with Cam this year.” said Russell.

“Obviously he and Richie won Sandown and were great at Bathurst, and I think we’ll work well together, so hopefully we can have just as strong an effort for Monster Energy.”

“For me, I think having some of those Bathurst 1000 starts and knowing how endurance races unfold from my background in Supercars, GT cars, running 12-hour, 24-hour races, you have to have a mature head to try and get to the end of the race.”

All four drivers turned laps at the Supercars open test at Sydney Motorsport Park in February, and will next see action in a co-driver only session at the Winton SuperSprint next month ahead of the 2018 Enduro Cup opening round at Sandown September 14-16.

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