THE prestigious Tasman Cup has lured ex-Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi back for another S5000 cameo this weekend.
The VAILO Adelaide 500 will double as the Gold Star decider (attached to the season-long Australian Drivers’ Championship) and the centrepiece of a one-round Tasman Series.
Nathan Herne had already been announced to return from the United States to pursue a second successive Tasman Series title, and the identities of his competition are now set in stone.
There will be 11 cars all up, with Team 88/BRM duo Merhi and Kobi Williams the other non-regulars besides Herne.
Williams cut S5000 demonstration laps at the recent Bathurst International and will now make his official category debut.
The 18-year-old finished seventh in the 2023 Australian Formula Ford championship.
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In the Gold Star stakes, Aaron Cameron enters with an 84-point lead over Cooper Webster.
Webster comes in with plenty of miles under his belt in 2023; he finished runner-up in the British GB4 series and is leading the inaugural Indian Formula 4 Championship.
Other notable points from the entry list is that Jordan Boys will be on double duties between S5000 and Super2, and Ben Bargwanna is out to rebound from a TCR crash at the Macau Grand Prix.
ENTRY LIST: S5000, 2023 VAILO Adelaide 500
Number | Sponsor | Driver |
2 | The Fuzzies Game Team BRM | Mark Rosser |
8 | Team 88 / Team BRM | Kobi Williams |
18 | Team Valvoline GRM | Aaron Cameron |
22 | Amadio Wines | Sebastien Amadio |
29 | Team Valvoline GRM | Nathan Herne |
37 | Versa Motorsport | Cooper Webster |
48 | Nippy’s Versa Motorsport | Blake Purdie |
49 | Team Valvoline GRM | Jordan Boys |
71 | Hangcha Racing | Ben Bargwanna |
88 | Team 88 / Team BRM | Roberto Merhi |
96 | Crown Windows / Hogan Prestige Cars | Nic Carroll |