Experienced racer Sue Hughes
will team up for the first time with her Formula Ford racing son Jon Collins,
the home-town pair set to tackle a competitive 22-car Radical field at the
series’ home base in Sydney’s west.
The duo will join a
field full of family values, as father-son combinations of Greg and Oliver
Smith, Simon and Tony Haggarty and George and Anthony Davis also team up in the
midst of a ferociously competitive series for the 1500cc, open-top sports
racing series that has rapidly grown this year.
Tony Palmer leads Glyn Edis
by just one point in the series standings half-way through the year, with
two-time round winner Neale Muston, reigning champion Ed Singleton and Simon
Haggarty all in close company.
However it is the
Hughes-Collins combination that is likely to create just as much interest as
the championship battle itself.
“I’ve worked on Mum’s car
for a long time and been at a lot of her races and supported her where I can –
and she’s been a great support in my racing as well – so it’s superb that we
can team up for the first time,” Collins said.
“I have got plenty of
experience at Sydney Motorsport Park and will be using that to my advantage –
and with Mum’s knowledge of the Radical it should be a great combination. I
think we can achieve a good result in the two races.”
After witnessing plenty of
successful father-son combinations in the past – notably Jim and Steven
Richards and Dick and Steven Johnson – Hughes says she is excited to have the
opportunity to have her son co-driving.
“I love that we have the
opportunity to do it,” she said.
“We’ve always wanted to do a
national event together and this is a great chance. It’s especially exciting
for him because he will be driving a Formula 3 car the same weekend. The timing
was right for it to happen and it’s going to be fantastic.
“It takes some coordination
because Jon is over 6 feet tall so he gets a bit squashed in the car with my
driving position – and I have to use the world’s biggest seat insert!”
Hughes and Collins will need
to be in good form to get onto the Radical Australia Cup podium, however –
round four this weekend shaping as the best yet.
Despite missing the Phillip
Island round, Neale Muston has won two of the three rounds held so far this
year and is an ominous sign for his rivals; both wins were at the circuit
previously known as Eastern Creek.
However for all his speed,
Palmer and Edis have shown plenty of consistency this year and are regular top
three finishers, no matter the format, and both will be keen to continue that
this weekend. Palmer won at Phillip Island, whilst Edis is coming off a
season-best finish of second at the most recent round, in Sydney.
Defending champion Ed
Singleton sits this weekend out, opening an opportunity for others to take a
share of the podium this weekend.
Whilst light rain is
forecast for Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s weather looks promising with
sunshine forecast. As such, RAC competitors are likely to have one eye on the
track record this weekend, Muston having come within three-tenths of the
benchmark at the previous round.
The Radical Australia Cup
will feature as part of this weekend’s fifth round of the 2012 Shannons
Nationals Presented by Hi-Tec Oils series, at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The Radical Australia Cup
will contest their ‘bi-duro’ format, two 50-minute races each with a compulsory
pit stop set to spice up the action.
Sunday’s race will be
streamed live on the internet via the Shannons Nationals website (
www.thenationals.com.au
) and ITV Live.
The action will also feature
in a post-produced TV show to air on SBS SPEEDWEEK, and SPEED TV Australia, supported by MPA Projects www.mpagroup.com.au.
For more information head to
www.radicalaustralia.com.au
ENDS
2012 RADICAL AUSTRALIA CUP
OUTRIGHT STANDINGS – After Round 3
1. Tony Palmer 171
2. Glyn Edis 170
3. Neale Muston 158
4. Ed Singleton 136
5. Simon Haggarty 130
RADICAL AUSTRALIA MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Tony Haggarty 80
2. Andrew MacPherson 74
For further information –
contact:
Richard Craill – Race Torque
Media
0408 813 141 /
media@race-torque.com
Tom Wilson – Sales & Marketing
Manager, Radical Australia
0430 082 301 /
tom@radicalaustralia.com.au