RANDLE RECEIVES ENDURO CALL UP WITH THE BOTTLE-O RACING TEAM

A big weekend was had by Thomas Randle just gone, he debuted in the Supercars Main Game with Tickford Racing in the Scandia Racing Mustang, he topped the charts in the additional drivers practice session on Friday morning, and was in the top 10 for Saturdays practice session which saw him get the free pass to qualifying 2 the same day and he finished both races with a creditable 17th place.

Probably the biggest news for Randle came the following Monday after The Bend SuperSprint in that his seat with Lee Holdsworth for the Pirtek Enduro season starting with Bathurst was confirmed.

Summing up his weekend, Thomas had this to say: “It was a fantastic weekend at The Bend Motorsport Park marking my debut in the Supercars championship. I topped the additional drivers practice session on Friday morning and ended Friday in the top ten progressing straight into Q2 on Saturday. I ultimately qualified 14^th and after getting turned around on lap one at turn one and falling to the back of the pack, I made it back up to finish 17^th, whilst setting the seventh fastest race lap in the process. Sunday’s qualifying was a little trickier, I qualified P21 after a small mistake but some great car speed in the race got us up to finish in 17^th position once again.”

“Aside from what was a fantastic weekend, I can finally confirm that I will be partnering Lee Holdsworth in the Bottle-O Racing Mustang for the upcoming Enduro Cup Season. I am seriously excited to get this underway, and I will be making my debut in the Bathurst 1000 at October.”

Thomas confirmed this morning to Velocity Magazine that he’ll be on double duties as he will still be racing in the Super2 Series at Bathurst as well, “Will be a busy weekend indeed. Got a Super2 championship to try win,” he said with a grin!

MEDIA RELEASE/Tickford Racing – All Photos: Velocity Magazine (Darin Mandy)

Tickford Racing has finalised its 2019 Enduro Cup line up, confirming team Super2 driver Thomas Randle as co-driver for The Bottle-O Racing Team alongside Lee Holdsworth in the No. 5 Ford Mustang.

Now in his second Super2 season, Randle sits fourth in the championship after four rounds, having scored his first career race win at Queensland Raceway in late July, and is quickly gaining a reputation as a star of the future in Australian motorsport.

“I’m extremely happy to join Tickford Racing and Lee for the Enduros this year,” Randle said. “Having been around the world trying to forge a racing career, I came back to Australia with the goal of being a Supercars driver, so I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to race with Lee and The Bottle-O Racing Team at some of the biggest races in Australia.”

In preparation for his Enduro Cup assignment, Randle made his Supercars debut at The Bend SuperSprint this past weekend, aboard the No. 66 Scandia Racing Ford Mustang, placing 17th in both of the weekend’s races.

Tickford Racing CEO and Team Principal Tim Edwards is keen to see the young Victorian join the Enduro roster after showing consistent progress across his first 18 months in the category.

“Tom impressed us from the word ‘go’ last year, so we’re very excited to have him joining our main game team for the Enduro Cup,” Edwards said. “Coming from a largely single seater background, he had a very steep learning curve, but he’s handled it extremely well. He’s been competitive from day one, and he’s only gotten better since, which is indicative of his talent and work ethic. We’ve had a lot of success with our Super2 program over the years, guys like Cam (Waters) and Chaz (Mostert) are evidence of that. This is the next step in Tom’s development and we’re looking forward to seeing him in The Bottle-O Mustang.” 

Randle will pull double duty at two of this year’s enduro events, competing in Super2 races at Bathurst and Sandown alongside his co-driving duties. The 23-year old scored a race podium at Sandown in 2018, and had front running pace at Bathurst before he was incorrectly assessed a pit lane penalty, ultimately rallying to eighth.

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While also looking to improve on that result in his second attempt at the Mountain in Super2, making his debut in the Great Race will be a special moment for Randle, whose passion for racing was sparked by his family’s involvement in the sport.

“I remember growing up watching Bathurst with my dad, so to think I’ll be on the grid and competing in the ‘1000’ this year, with my family there with me is a dream come true,” he added. “It’s a race I’ve always wanted to compete in, and to do it with a team like Tickford Racing is really exciting. It’s been a strong season for the team, being up the front again, so hopefully we can keep The Bottle-O Ford up there and have a crack. I really can’t wait to get out there and do my best for the team.” 

The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 kicks off the 2019 Enduro Cup, October 10-13, followed by the Gold Coast 600 (October 25-27) and the Sandown 500 (November 8-10), making up the season’s endurance series.

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