Former Olympian to go Aussie Racing Car racing
Former Olympian John Steffensen will return to the Aussie Racing Cars Super Series at the upcoming Darwin Triple Crown.
The athlete recently made his V8 SuperUtes debut in Perth in April but will jump into a much smaller car at Hidden Valley Raceway later this month.
It marks a return to the Aussie Racing Cars category for Steffensen, who contested a handful of rounds since his debut at Bathurst in 2020.
He will race for Western Sydney Motorsport where he previously broke into the top 10 at Sydney Motorsport Park.
He is excited to return to racing a car he has always enjoyed.
“I’m really excited and have always liked the Aussies, plus it’s a really handy series for me as I am a Pro Am it, allows me to build up my skills,” Steffensen said.
“When I started a couple of seasons ago it was a baptism of fire as I debuted at Bathurst, it was pretty heavy.
“I can’t say anymore about how good the guys at Western Sydney Motorsport have been since starting Aussie Racing Cars and now the SuperUtes.”
Motorsport is Steffensen’s second crack at elite level sport having progressed all the way to the top in the competitive world of track and field.
The Perth born runner with South African heritage scored a Silver medal in the 4x400m Relay for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Steffensen’s high point arrived on home turf two years later when he won two Gold medals at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games in the 400m sprint and 4x400m Relay.
Eight years after his final high profile appearance at the 2009 World Athletics Championships, Steffensen jumped into a race car for the first time.
The scene was Sandown 2017 when he raced a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car in the one-make challenge series and finished eighth.
In the next season he took part in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia series, but stopped after four rounds.
After a solid return at Perth where he finished 11th in the opening round of the V8 SuperUte Series, Steffensen is stepping up his racing career.
Having experienced the pressure cooker environment of sprinting for gold in the Olympic arena, Steffensen knows he will be enduring a different kind of heat at Darwin.
“I think it’s going to be a bit of a bullring up there in Darwin, it’s going to be hot,” he said.
“There are a heap of cars and with the long straight you’re going to have to be really on your game.
“I love Darwin as well, it’s one of the better rounds on the Supercars calendar and it’s a great track.
“I’ve raced there before in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, so I feel comfortable with the track and the Aussie Racing Car, which hopefully I can be in the mix.”
The fourth round of the Aussie Racing Cars season will be held on June 16-18.
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