CLEWS TO GET EARLY FATHER’S DAY PRESENT AT ORAN PARK
25 August 2009 (From Shannons Nationals)

Sydneysider Jim Clews will get his Father’s Day present one week early, when he hits the track in Round Eight of the Shannons Nationals at Oran Park Raceway this weekend.

In a reversal of the traditional ‘can I borrow the car, Dad?’ situation, Clews has been handed the keys to his son Kyle’s Aussie Racing Car, one of seven categories in action at Oran Park’s last national-level race meeting.

With Kyle overseas on a family holiday, though, Jim’s drive comes with the added responsibility of helping his son’s championship quest.

After four of the seven rounds in the 2009 Aussie Racing Car Super Series, Kyle is second in the standings, with Jim racing the #18 Commodore and scoring points on his behalf this weekend.

“Kyle has done a fantastic job this year, we’re very proud of him,” Jim Clews said.

“This weekend’s round at Oran Park was added to the schedule after Kyle had booked and paid for his regular family holiday to Bali.

“Under the series regulations, I can race his car and score points for Kyle to help in the title fight.

“There’ll be a bit of pressure but I’m looking forward to the weekend, it should be a lot of fun.”

While Kyle is a veteran of the Aussie Racing Car Super Series, Jim will be tackling just his second round of the series, having made his debut at Eastern Creek a fortnight ago in a spare car.

“Eastern Creek was a real eye opener,” Jim admitted.

“The weekend was about getting out there, doing laps and gaining some extra experience before Oran Park.

“I’ve raced karts for about 20 years and driven Kyle’s car a couple of times in practice, but the racing was pretty intense!”

While Kyle recorded three race wins from four starts, Jim learnt the ropes throughout the weekend, picking up results of 19th, 29th, 23rd and 22nd amongst the 33-car field.

Another field in excess of 30 of the motorcycle engine-powered pocket rockets is expected at Oran Park this weekend, with David Lawrence leading the standings over Clews and last-round winner Adam Gowans.

“Getting into Kyle’s car will be a big plus compared to the one I drove at Eastern Creek,” Jim Clews said.

“Kyle has his car set up very well and I’ve driven it a couple of times before, including at Oran Park.

“From what Kyle has told me, the setup should suit me a lot more, and he’s given me a lot of pointers.

“There’s going to be another strong field this weekend and there are plenty of guys with a lot of experience, hopefully I can get up the grid a bit further and score some handy points for Kyle.”

The popular Aussie Racing Cars will be one of seven categories in action across two historic days at Oran Park this weekend.

They will be joined by the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, Boylan Traffic Solutions Australian Manufacturers Championship, Kerrick Sports Sedans, Shannons V8 Touring Car Series, Southern Star Windows Commodore Cup and the Kumho Australian Saloon Car Series.

On-track action kicks off at 8:50am each day in Round Eight of the Shannons Nationals, with racing from 3:40pm on Saturday after practice and qualifying.

Tickets are just $10 on Saturday, $25 on Sunday or $30 for the weekend, while kids 10 and under are free.

Fans who pre-purchase their ticket through www.oranpark.com.au will save $5 and go into the draw to win a hotlap in a Shannons V8 Touring Car.

For more information about the 2009 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships, visit www.thenationals.com.au.