ELLY Morrow grew up in a diehard Ford family supporting its factory Supercars team and lead driver Mark Winterbottom.
Next year, she’ll drive for that very team, which is these days known as Tickford Racing.
As first revealed by V8 Sleuth, Morrow is switching from Brad Jones Racing this off-season.
The Traralgon product is Supercars’ leading female driver.
She now has five rounds of Super2 and two rounds of Super3 under her belt, and is joining forces with a team that has tasted championship success in both the top and second tiers.
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“I think at the end of every year in Supercars you always evaluate your options,” Morrow explained to V8 Sleuth.
“I sort of started a conversation with a few people and one thing led to another and I just couldn’t deny how good of a fit it felt for me at the time.
“Obviously having a teammate (Brad Vaughan) was something for me that I was really excited about and interested in, doing a couple of races in Super3 and all of Super2 without a teammate – especially being in my learning years.
“I just feel like that’s incredibly important.
“It basically came down to that I just felt so at home once I walked in the door. I always lead with my gut and that was the decision made for me really.”
Of driving for the Blue Oval, Morrow grinned from ear to ear.
“It kind of hit home when we were going through photo albums the other day and there’s me on the fence at Phillip Island decked out in my Ford gear,” she said.
“My whole family have owned Fords, they’ve barracked for Ford since I was born.
“I think there was a slight bit of disappointment with me getting in a Commodore when I first started but I think that just also hit another level home.
“And to be a part of the same garage as (James) Courtney as well, I followed him as a kid heaps as well so that’s another cool factor.
“It’s really just a dream come true.”
Having finished 14th in the 2022 Super2 standings – losing one place after she skipped the final round to focus on S5000 at Adelaide – Morrow says progress will be vital next year.
“I probably start putting a position on it. I didn’t really want to do that this year but definitely top 10s, that’s what I need to be doing,” she said.
“Next year is everyone’s learning year again with a new car, so people haven’t driven the same car for three years and you’re jumping into the mix.
“I feel like I know enough about a Supercar now that I know what my job is and I know what I need to do, it’s really just delivering and executing the race weekends now.”
