Phillip Island this weekend hosts the first Kumho V8 Touring Car Series round of the year …
WORDS: Kumho V8 Touring Cars/Richard Craill
IMAGES: Ford Racing Media/Supplied
KUMHO TYRE Australian V8 Touring Car series regular Michael Anderson will have new paint and new wheels at this weekend’s season opener at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit.
The Bathurst-based ex-Historic Touring Cars racer has traded one Ford Performance Racing-built Falcon for another, upgrading from his ex-Mark Winterbottom BF to the FG Falcon that won the Supercars Development Series – now Super2 – with Cam Waters in 2015.
Anderson’s new car – chassis FPR 808 – also carries a stunning new livery of silver, black, orange and yellow with hints to FPR’s original livery among signage from his major sponsor, Kenwood Homes.
Anderson finished seventh outright on debut in last year’s Kumho Series and was second to Jim Pollicina in the Privateer rankings.
Anderson’s new ride was built in 2008 as part of the homologation process for the FG Falcon’s entry into Supercars competition. The car was raced by Steve Richards and Paul Dumbrell during its early Supercars career, giving Dumbrell his first ever win in the series at Sandown in 2010.
David Reynolds raced the car in 2012, before Chaz Mostert took over behind the wheel in the Super2 Series later that year.
Cameron Waters took over in 2014 and FPR 808 went on to win the Super2 title with the promising young Mildura driver the following season. The car carried V8 Sleuth branding on its front bumper bar for the final two rounds at Bathurst and Sydney Olympic Park.
The car was then sold to Matthew White’s MW Motorsport, who entered it in the final two rounds of the 2016 Kumho Series with Garry Jacobson behind the wheel. The car won three races and the round at Phillip Island, and backed that up with another round win at the Sydney Motorsport Park finale just a few weeks later.
Anderson will be part of a 19-strong Kumho series opener this weekend at Phillip Island, the first of three times that the series will compete on the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship program in 2017.
V8 Sleuth is continuing as an official series partner for the second straight year for the category that caters for ex Supercars that have competed in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship and Dunlop Super2 Series.
Three races will be broadcast live on FOX Sports this weekend on channel 506.
