The announcement today confirming Australian Jack Smith’s entry into this summer’s BNT V8s Championship is great news. The Brad Jones Racing driver is currently competing in the 2018 Dunlop Super2 Series and sits 11th overall on the points table.
Last season, after winning the Kumho Tyre Australian V8 Touring Car Series, he came across the Tasman and competed in the NZ domestic series finishing fourth overall and gaining the top rookie prize. Smith showed a lot of talent in the BNT V8s and his early entry bodes well for enticing more Australian drivers to compete here.
BNT V8s category manager Gary Lathrope says that a growing number of Australian drivers are looking to the New Zealand series to gain valuable race miles and experience in cars that are very similar to what is raced in Australia. It was Andre Heimgartner who showed the importance of maintaining race fitness in the Supercars off-season by racing back here in NZ and winning the championship.
Smith’s younger brother Tommy also competed here last summer but in the South Island Formula Ford Championship at the Ruapuna and Teretonga rounds where he finished third on the podium in the opening race at Invercargill.
Jack Smith competed in the opening two rounds of the 2018 Kumho Tyre Australian V8 Touring Car Series and will compete in the finale in two weeks – as it’s a new track – rather than a full campaign this year. The team has been focusing on the Super2 series campaign but wanted the extra miles at places like Phillip Island and Winton, and at the new track at Tailem.
Read more here: Jack Smith confirms BNT V8s entry
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