TOMMY SMITH READY FOR S5000 DEBUT

Tommy Smith ready for S5000 debut – Image: Supplied

Tommy Smith has revealed the livery that he will run in the inaugural VHT S5000 Australian Drivers Championship which kicks off at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania this weekend.

By DAN McCARTHY

The Victorian is an established open-wheel racer having contested the Asian F3 Championship in 2019.

Smith was set to race in Formula Renault Eurocup last year but COVID-19 put pay to these plans, however he plans to contest S5000 as a warmup to a potential run in the Renault series later this year.

To start 2020 the Victorian will race for Team BRM in the well-known red liveried S5000 machine previously piloted by Rubens Barrichello at the abandoned Australian F1 Grand Prix event in March.

Smith will be sponsored by recruitment agency Randstad, Liberty Oil, Wash K and EmcoRail.

Having tested at The Bend and Phillip Island in recent months, Smith is becoming comfortable with the S5000 beast.

“I’m really excited to be able to race a car as potent as the S5000,” says Smith.

“It all came together quite quickly, but we have been able to do some laps in the car, and it will be a great warm-up for the Formula Renault Eurocup.”

Smith is honoured to be racing in the car previously driven by 11-time F1 Grand Prix winner Rubens Barrichello.

“It’s kind of nice that it is the car that Rubens Barrichello raced – and I guess the upside is that it has been well-sorted!” said Smith.

Category founder and manager Chris Lambden believes that Smith’s entry is a glimpse into the future of S5000. He expects many young aspiring international drivers to make their first steps in the competitive national open-wheel series.

“Tommy is typical of the young racers with international ambitions, for whom racing in Australia over Summer is a terrific means of preparing for the balance of their year with actual top-level competition,” Lambden said.

“In his case, the target is the Formula Renault Eurocup and, depending upon whether COVID has an effect on the kick-off time over in Europe, it’s likely that he may well miss the last round of this series, but it will have got him ‘race-fit’ for Europe.

“However, it is a pointer to potential plans at the end of this year for S5000 to have two or three races grouped at a time when young racers from Europe or the US could come here and compete – assuming it’s easier to get into the country by then!”

Practice for Symmons Plains begins on Sunday, with qualifying and three races scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, purchase the latest edition of Auto Action for the official Race Tasmania program in newsagencies or online now.

All three S5000 races will be broadcast live and free on 7mate, with Monday’s qualifying session available on the 7plus streaming app.

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