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Samantha Reid joins TanderSport for Clipsal 500 |
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Friday, 15 February 2008 |
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN talent
Samantha Reid will join TanderSport for round two of the 2008 Kumho Tyres
Australian Formula 3 Championship to be held at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, next
week.
20-year-old Reid, who lives just moments from the Adelaide Street
circuit in the Southern suburbs, will drive a TanderSport Dallara F304 Spiess
Opel in the Opes Prime National Class. The Clipsal event will mark Reid’s first
drive in a top-level Formula 3 car after contesting the final two rounds of the
2007 championship in a Trophy Class 1996-spec car.
Reid will drive the Dallara driven by Leanne Tander to second in last years’
championship, and to the National Class pole position at Eastern Creek in the
hands of Chris Reindler at Eastern Creek earlier this month.
She will
test the car at Mallala raceway on Monday prior to the Clipsal 500 event – her
local knowledge of both circuits set to give her a solid advantage to ease her
progression into the higher-specification F3 car.
Reid has raced on the
Adelaide Street circuit for the past three years in the Australian Formula Ford
Championship – qualifying and racing well inside the top ten in last years field
despite running on a shoe-string budget and with several mechanical issues that
slowed her forward progress.
She then impressed in her F3 debut in
Tasmania last season before also racing with and beating much more experienced
drivers – and theoretically faster cars – in the finale’ at Oran Park.
Reid will join Leanne Tander in a two-car TanderSport team that raced at
the front of the pack in the season opener at Eastern Creek, earlier this month.
Leanne Tander scored a pole position and finished third in the first
race, whilst the National Class car, then driven by Chris Reindler, scored pole
in his class and also finished on the podium. Tander currently sits third in the
championship with 13 points.
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity
to race at Clipsal,” Reid enthused.
”It’s a massive opportunity for me to
drive with a team as professional and with as much expertise as
TanderSport.
“Having raced at the Clipsal 500 in a Formula Ford for the
last three years I’m confident around the circuit – plus it’s always great to
race in front of your home crowd. I also know Mallala very well which means when
I test the TanderSport car on Monday I will be able to concentrate on learning
the car.
”I’ve had a great relationship with both Garth and Leanne for a
while now so to be able to drive for TanderSport is a fantastic opportunity and
one I aim to make the most of.”
TanderSport’s Garth Tander said he was
pleased that Reid was able to join the team for her home round.
”It’s a
great opportunity for her. She has as much experience as anyone else on the
Clipsal track, and the fact that she knows both Adelaide and Mallala (Where she
will test on Monday) will mean she can focus on driving the car and not learning
circuits,” he said.
”It will be great for Sam to jump into a
front-running National Class car that got pole at the first round of the
championship. She will have the equipment underneath her to be able to do a
really good job.
”TanderSport has always had a point of difference to
other teams, given it’s owned by Leanne and I – and now that we have two front
running cars in both major classes’ of the championship we’re really excited
about the opportunity to run Samantha at Clipsal.”
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