Six Supercars co-drivers in Carrera Cup field

THERE will be plenty of familiar names lining up in a bumper 30-car field for the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia season-opener this week.

Six Supercars co-drivers will be on the grid, namely David Wall, Chris Pither, Dylan O’Keeffe, David Russell, Alex Davison and Dale Wood.

Wall raced in the 2021 Bathurst 1000 while Pither was a full-timer last year and the other four are more or less certainties to be on the Great Race grid this October.

Davison is slotting in at Albert Park as a one-off injury substitute for Scott Taylor.

Russell meanwhile has switched from EMA Motorsport to join Wood at Earl Bamber Motorsport.

Pither has replaced Russell in an expanded EMA set-up, and is one of six debutants in the category.

Others include his teammate Garnet Patterson, TCR podium finisher Luke King, rising female racer Courtney Prince, two-time Bathurst 12 Hour winner Kenny Habul, and third-generation driver Ryder Quinn.

Quinn’s grandfather Tony and father Klark have both previously competed in the category.

Among the drivers to have not returned from 2022 are champion Harri Jones, runner-up Aaron Love who has progressed to Super2, Bathurst 1000 winner Luke Youlden, and Pro-Am ace Geoff Emery.

Youlden has moved into the position of team manager at TekworkX Motorsport.

ENTRY LIST: Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, Round 1 at Albert Park