TIMING is everything. Or at least it was for Jason Gomersall when he decided to launch his own Dunlop Series team.
Gomersall had previously been a key figure at Matt Stone Racing, owning their ZB Commodore Supercars and racing for the team in Super3.
The introduction of Gen3 presented an opportunity for MSR to reset and it has done so by putting all of its eggs in the main game basket.
That left Gomersall with a decision – for both himself and third-generation driver Aaron Seton, who he has long supported – between parking up, joining forces with another team, or starting his own.
The latter won out and so Gomersall Motorsport was born.
“It’s funny how timing works out,” Gomersall, who described the team’s testing debut on February 9 as a proud moment, told V8 Sleuth.
“The timing was right: I have probably have had enough experience now, been around the sport long enough, learnt plenty from Matt (Stone) and my time being involved at MSR.
“Matt and I were talking about what was best for MSR and what was best for me and it sort of just all lined up.
“For MSR, it was important to focus this year on Gen3, it’s a massive undertaking, and for me I wanted to keep going with my racing but I was also really keen to keep doing something with Aaron.
“A year ago I never had any intentions of setting up my own thing, but the timing was just right.”
It’s a big year for Seton, having shown flashes of speed during his first two Super2 campaigns.
“There’s a real changing of the guard this year in Super2, five or more of those established drivers are moving on so there’s a whole new wave coming through,” Gomersall said.
“It does take a few seasons as we have seen to really get your head around Super2.
“I would expect we should be challenging for race wins and the championship.
“We have got our head down trying to prep the best car we can, engineer it the best we can, operate it the best we can, and then it’s up to Aaron to drive it the best he can.
“I know it sounds simple but that’s what we’re focused on and if we do all of that, we’ll see where we end up.
“But I would have thought we should be at the point where we’re challenging at the pointy end.”
DRIVER BY DRIVER: The Super2 class of 2023
Initially planned to be based out of MSR, Gomersall Motorsport has set up shop in Arundel – the Gold Coast suburb which is also home to PremiAir Racing.
Seton is racing the ZB Commodore used by Todd Hazelwood in the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship, while Gomersall will be at the wheel of the VF Commodore in which Ryal Harris contested Super2 last year.
“This is plenty for us to tackle this year,” said Gomersall, whose son Ben races in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series.
“Whether Gomersall Motorsport becomes anything bigger than this, time will tell. But I’m just really focused on doing this well, being competitive and having fun.”
The 2023 Dunlop Series gets underway tomorrow at Newcastle.
