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Matt Halliday to join Irwin racing at Phillip Island and Bathurst |
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Monday, 23 June 2008 |
New Zealand open-wheel racing star Matt Halliday will join IRWIN Racing’s Marcus Marshall for the Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercar Championship Series endurance races
The highly sort after 29–year-old has plenty of V8 Supercar endurance experience having steered Ford Falcons with the likes of Larkham Motor Sport and Ford Performance Racing at Mount Panorama.
Most recently Halliday has been part of Team New Zealand in the A1 Grand Prix Series, drove selected events in the 2007 Champcar World Series and has many years experience in New Zealand Porsche GT3 Cup, Formula Holden and European open-wheeled competition.
It is this multi-category experience that has been highly regarded by IRWIN Racing and its Managing Director Jason Bright.
“Along with Marcus Marshall, the IRWIN Racing entry has a very strong line-up,” said Bright.
“In the long races you need two drivers that really complement each other. In the past Matt has shown outstanding speed and consistency at Bathurst. Phillip Island will be new to him, but it’s a new experience for all the teams.
“Importantly Matt has raced in many categories and seen just about every scenario you can think of. September at Phillip Island could see four seasons in one afternoon – plus the challenge of Mount Panorama is without doubt the greatest test in V8 Supercars.
“We are placing equal-importance on the IRWIN Racing and my own Fujitsu Racing entry for these two races. No car is going to be sacrificed over the other – we want both cars to finish towards the front.”
Halliday is excited about joining the IRWIN Racing team for the Phillip Island / Bathurst challenge.
“I’m delighted to be teaming up with Marcus and the entire IRWIN Racing team for Phillip Island and Bathurst,” said Halliday.
“Marcus has always been strong in the endurance races and I’m confident that we will combine to be a strong pairing.
“I’m keen to be part of the team as quickly as possible. The plan is to test as well as drive in Friday practice sessions at Queensland Raceway and Winton ahead of the Phillip Island 500.”
Marshall is looking forward to working with Halliday.
“An excellent driver and person to work with,” said Marshall.
“Matt has travelled a similar path in racing to me with a wide range of categories. Believe me this experience is crucial in long-distance races.
“We are of similar size – so I don’t expect a huge challenge in ensuring that we are both comfortable in the car. Again this is crucial for us to be successful in these big races.
“Importantly we have time in testing and practice sessions to work on improving these areas well in advance of Phillip Island.”
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