De Silvestro and Allen to race DJR wildcard

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 25 July 2023

Female star Simona De Silvestro and teenage talent Kai Allen have been confirmed to race a Dick Johnson Racing wildcard at Bathurst.

The pair will steer a #98 Shell backed Ford Mustang and expand the field for the 60th anniversary Bathurst 1000 to 27.

Dick Johnson Racing’s new driver pairing covers both ends of the experience spectrum with De Silvestro 34 and Allen almost half her age, just 18.

Whilst the drive has been rumoured for a while, it represents an unlikely Supercars return for De Silvestro, who has not raced in the category since her last full time season with Kelly Racing in 2019.

Dick Johnson Racing will field three Gen3 Mustangs at Bathurst.

Since then she has been Porsche’s Formula E test driver and made four IndyCar starts last year with Paretta Autosport.

De Silvestro has 91 Supercars starts next to her name with best result of seventh at Pukekohe in 2019 and is no stranger to wildcards having raced for two in 2015 in a Prodrive Ford and 2016 in a Nissan.

She returned to the Supercars paddock at the recent Darwin Triple Crown as a fan, but next time she will be in the DJR garage as a driver at Mount Panorama.

De Silvestro said she is “thrilled” to go Supercars racing once again.

Simona de Silvestro last raced at Bathurst in 2019. Photo by Dirk Klynsmith / LAT Images

“I am thrilled to race back at the iconic track in Bathurst and want to thank DJR and Shell V-Power for this amazing opportunity,” De Silvestro said.

“Four years has been too long but who would have thought in 2019 that I would not be able to travel to Australia for such a long time.

“I am looking forward to teaming up with young talent Kai and I am sure we will make a great team.

“Of course, I also want to thank Harvey Norman and Katie Page who have been supporting me all my career in Australia.

Swiss-born Supercars driver Simona De Silvestro is also a D2BD Ambassador - Photo: Supplied

Swiss-born Simona De Silvestro ahead of her first full time season in 2017.

“I can’t wait to be back in Australia in September to start testing the new Gen3 car.”

Sharing the Mustang will be one of the hottest young talents in the Dunlop Series in Allen.

The teen hailing from the home of the Blue Lake in Mount Gambier only arrived on the car racing scene two years ago, but has made a big impression.

Kai Allen celebrates his Townsville Super2 success. Image: Mark Horsburgh

Allen made his Toyota 86 Series debut at Townsville in 2021 and immediately scored a podium.

After a handful of Toyota rounds, he stepped up to Super3 with Eggleston Motorsport last year and went on a record-breaking rampage.

Allen scored the most number of poles ever in a single season, but a costly mistake at Adelaide’s infamous turn eight meant he fell second best to Brad Vaughan in a thrilling title fight.

He stepped up to Super2 this year and has taken elevation like a duck to water, leading in Perth and breaking through to a maiden win in just his third round and fifth race at Townsville to be currently second in the championship.

Kai Allen on Toyota 86 debut in Townsville in 2021. Image: SE Voice

To complete a whirlwind couple of years, come October Allen will be living a boyhood dream and driving in the “Great Race”.

“I’m so proud and excited to be joining DJR as part of their first Bathurst wildcard, representing the Shell V-Power brand,” he said.

“I’m really looking forward to working with such a knowledgeable and well-respected team, who have seen so much success over the years.

“Co-driving with Simona will no doubt be a highlight of the year and I can’t wait to learn from her, as she is such an experienced driver.”

Allen’s drive has been made possible after a recent tweak to the Super Licence requirements which now permits a top three championship finish in Super3 or Carrera Cup, plus three Super2 rounds as enough rather than a full Super2 season.

It is understood Allen has also collected 14 Super Licence points, one more than the threshold.

DJR team principal Ben Croke revealed Allen is a talent the team has its eyes on for the future.

“Kai Allen is a young talent we have had an eye on for over a year now,” he said.

Kai Allen secured his maiden Super2 win at Townsville recently.

“He drove the (Gen2) Mustang last year on an evaluation day and I was impressed with his speed, maturity, and work ethic. Simona brings a wealth of experience to the team.

“She will be a fantastic mentor for Kai through his first Bathurst 1000, as she continues to be an inspiration for aspiring female drivers.”

DJR CEO David Noble believes the #98 Mustang has the “perfect combination” behind the wheel.

“This wildcard entry has been a long time coming for Dick Johnson Racing and we are extremely excited about it,” he said.

“To have the enthusiasm and talent of Kai mixed with the experience of Simona is the perfect combination.

“As an organisation, we are driven to succeed and aim to prepare and deliver the car to a competitive level for Bathurst.”

De Silverstro and Allen will race at Bathurst on October 5-8.

For more of the latest motorsport news, pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.

Auto Action, Australia’s independent voice of motorsport.

PODCAST: The latest episode of the Auto Action RevLimiter podcast is out now!

This week we look at Brodie Kostecki going to NASCAR (is Supercars no longer a destination class?) and continue with the chat around Supercars Parirty as a test day is washed out, again. Targa Tasmania has been shut down, and S5000s are running a “demonstration” – not a race – at the Bathurst International.

Listen on your podcast app of choice or here on the Auto Action RevLimiter podcast.

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