PITHER CONFIDENT FOR 2022

Never-Say-Die Kiwi Chris Pither expects to firm up within two months his plans to return to the Supercars championship full-time in 2022.

Pither is out in the paddock hunting for a drive with the backing of drink distributor Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

He raced in Coca-Cola colours in 2020 at Team Sydney and when that drive didn’t continue in 2021, Pither took his sponsor to Brad Jones Racing where it features on both Macauley Jones and Nick Percat’s Holden Commodore ZBs.

After being told he would not be eligible to enter as a wildcard in selected Supercars races this season, Pither’s sole outing will be co-driving with Jones at Bathurst in October.

He is attending all Supercars events as a Coca-Cola ambassador.

For 2022 he intends to be a full-timer for the third year in his career, following on from his 2016 season with Super Black Racing (Tickford) and last year with Team Sydney

“To be mid-year and talking about it [a 2022 drive] I am almost ahead of the curve,” said Pither. “A lot of teams don’t necessarily know their position as yet.

“But there is definitely opportunity out there and that will definitely unfold in the next couple of months.

“I am more confident than ever that I will get a seat.

“Normally it’s the other way around; there are opportunities out there and I have got no money.”

Pither explained he was not touting a commitment for a certain amount of money from Coca-Cola.

His job is to establish where the opportunities are and then let his potential 2022 teams and Coca-Cola talk money.

“I just need to go out and find where the opportunities are and then I can leave the commercial aspect up to them (Coca-Cola).

“They know what they want out of an arrangement with a team. They have been involved on and off for a while now.”

Pither’s giving no clues as to where his prospects are for 2022. But teams with potential seats to fill include Tickford Racing, Walkinshaw Andretti United, BJR and Matt Stone Racing.

Pither, 34, remains staunchly confident in his ability to cut it in Supercars racing if given the right environment – the 2018 Super2 champion cites his Queensland Raceway pole position in 2016 as proof.

“When I am in the right team and the car is in the window; when I am with an engineer that I gell with and I am driving the car properly, then I can be as fast as anyone.”

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