ParcFerme.Com

Former Nations Cup Australian Champion – Paul Stokell – has confirmed he will be driving for DecoRug Racing in the inaugural MINI CHALLENGE, which begins at Eastern Creek on March 7-9.

38-year-old Stokell brings with him an outstanding racing pedigree – having competed in Formula Holden, Nations Cup, V8 Supercars, Porsche Carrera Cup, international experience in FIA GT and completing Targa Tasmania with various manufacturers, including MINI last year.

The Tasmanian born and bred racer – now domiciled in Brisbane – will join forces with the two car DecoRug Racing MINI CHALLENGE team – owned by DecoRug Managing Director, Bill Gremos.

“The MINI CHALLENGE Series looks great and the professional way in which Bill is approaching it was very appealing to me,” said Stokell. “It also gives me an opportunity to renew my relationship with MINI. I finished ninth overall in Targa Tasmania last year with MINI and their cars are great fun to drive, whilst being safe and reliable.”

To pilot a race car such as the MINI CHALLENGE John Cooper Works R56 racer was a big draw card for Stokell.

“Bill spoke to me about racing in the Series and once I checked out some of the international events on YouTube, I was hooked. The racing is so close and entertaining, there is nothing between the cars.

“Many people may view MINI CHALLENGE as ‘just another’ production-based category, but nothing could be further from the truth – these cars are true racing machines, racing on slick tyres and can hit a top speed of 240 kilometres an hour.

“Heading into the Chase at Bathurst up to three wide will be interesting!”

Gremos is naturally excited about the prospect of having Stokell on board.

“It’s a fantastic deal for us,” Bill said. “We were looking to place DecoRug Racing in the best possible position to take out the inaugural MINI CHALLENGE and having someone of Paul’s experience allows us to do that.”

DecoRug Racing is finalising a marketing campaign around it’s involvement in the Series that will encompass activities both on and off track and according to Gremos, the company’s 2008 marketing program will be closely linked to MINI CHALLENGE.

“MINI is the reason we’ve gotten back into motorsport,” Bill explained. “The brand is closely aligned to DecoRug’s demographic and we will be structuring our marketing activities to ensure MINI CHALLENGE plays a strong part in communicating our message.”

MINI CHALLENGE has built a cult following in Europe and New Zealand and this will be the first time the category has been run in Australia. MINI CHALLENGE will receive in excess of seven hours television coverage through the Seven Network this season – a combination of live and delayed coverage.

The 2008 season will begin at Eastern Creek on March 7-9 and DecoRug Racing is expected to confirm its second MINI CHALLENGE driver in the coming weeks.

The full calendar for the 2008 MINI CHALLENGE is as follows:

Round 1: March 7-9 – Eastern Creek, Sydney, NSW

Round 2: April 4-6 – Wakefield Park, Goulburn, NSW*

Round 3: May 9-11 – Barbagallo, Perth, WA

Round 4: June 7-9 – Sandown, Melbourne, Vic

Round 5: September 12-14 – Phillip Island, Vic

Round 6: October 9-12 – Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW

Round 7: November 21-23 – Symmons Plains, Tasmania

Round 8: December 4-7 – Oran Park, Sydney, NSW

*Supports V8 Supercar Development Series Round