RUSSELL JOINS JACOBSON

David Russell joins Garry Jacobson – Photo: Supplied

Experienced Pirtek Enduro Cup driver David Russell will make his return to the co-driver’s seat at The Bend 500 after being announced to partner Garry Jacobson in the lead Matt Stone Racing Holden ZB Commodore.

By HEATH McALPINE

The partnership between Russell and MSR began at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year where he finished seventh outright and second in class alongside Todd Hazelwood and Roger Lago driving the an MSR-run Audi R8 GT3 LMS. He again joined the team at Bathurst as part of its Super2 program, but missed out on a Pirtek Enduro Cup drive last season.

Bringing more than a decade of experience to the team, Russell has enjoyed stints at Tickford Racing, Nissan Motorsport/Kelly Racing and Tekno Autosports, finishing a best of eighth alongside Ricke Kelly in 2014.

Russell is eager to re-join the Pirtek Enduro Cup grid in 2020 and is confident MSR will provide the right package to take a strong result alongside Jacobson.

“Really excited to be back in the main game next year and great to be with MSR after doing both Super2 and the 12 hr at Bathurst with the team in 2019,” Russell said.

“Next year should be strong year for us. I have a few strategic rounds of Porsche Carrera Cup planned to keep my race miles up but won’t be doubling up at Bathurst so I can focus 100% on my Supercar program.”

“There is great momentum at MSR and you can feel it when you walk in the door. The team is in such a building phase right now and for me, it’s great to be involved. I’m looking forward to teaming up with Garry and contributing to the team’s development”

Team owner Matt Stone is pleased to have confirmed the team’s driver line-up early in the piece.

“Signing David Russell is a significant step up for MSR. Investing in an experienced talent like David will help lift our entire squad for 2020,” said Stone.

“Having both our driver pairings available for the 2020 pre-season test at The Bend, will ensure our newly expanded team has the opportunity to mesh and start working on fine tuning strategies for the season ahead.”

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