Ex-F1 driver, 18-year-old in for Adelaide S5000

Roberto Merhi. Pic: Supplied

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

NumberSponsorDriver
2The Fuzzies Game Team BRMMark Rosser
8Team 88 / Team BRMKobi Williams
18Team Valvoline GRMAaron Cameron
22Amadio WinesSebastien Amadio
29Team Valvoline GRMNathan Herne
37Versa MotorsportCooper Webster
48Nippy’s Versa MotorsportBlake Purdie
49Team Valvoline GRMJordan Boys
71Hangcha RacingBen Bargwanna
88Team 88 / Team BRMRoberto Merhi
96Crown Windows / Hogan Prestige CarsNic Carroll
Connor O’Brien joined V8 Sleuth in 2022 as website Editor. He won the Supercars Media Award in 2017 while working as a sports reporter at the Gold Coast Bulletin, before stints at Supercars and Speedcafe. During his time at V8 Sleuth he's twice (2022, 2023) been named Journalist of the Year at the Supercars Media Awards.