Although it is not a front line contender, this entry is worthy of special mention because it contains the youngest driver in the Wakefield 300, 16-year-old Mitch Pullen.

The son of V8 racer and engine builder Hayden Pullen has already tested a V8 Supercar around the Winton circuit, and has tasted a lot of success in club-level autocross and khanacross events in his home town of Wagga Wagga. The Wakefield 300 will mark his circuit racing debut, but his widespread mechanical experience will be useful for the endurance format.

Meanwhile, Shane Baker is lining up for his third Wakefield 300 start, and his first in a Proton after he previously competed in a Daewoo. The Proton should be somewhat faster than a Daewoo, and Baker is hoping for a podium in the car’s division.

“We’re aiming to run mid-pack, and the car should be good in its class,” he said. “The great thing about the Proton Satria GTI is that it’s pretty much bomb-proof.”

While the Proton should be reliable, it is simply not fast enough to match it with a lot of other cars in the race, and Mitch Pullen is still something of an unknown quantity in circuit racing, so a top-20 finish would be a respectable outcome.

Driver Profiles

Jake Shelley was one of the revelations of the Wakefield 300 last year, teaming up with his father Steve Shelley in a Mazda MX5 to finish fourth in his first-ever race meeting. The Shelleys backed up their outstanding debut performance by finishing second in the Winton 300.

For 2012, the Shelleys have purchased Jim Pollicina’s Mitsubishi Evo VIII production touring car, and with Steve away overseas, Jake has signed talented sports car racer Michael Shaw as his co-driver for this year’s event.

“The car is a completely different ball game to the MX5,” Jake explained. “It’s all-wheel drive and turbocharged, where the Mazda is rear-wheel drive and not turbocharged, so the way the Evo handles and delivers its power is completely different.

“I sincerely think we can win. Michael is a very good driver and I think we should be one of the fastest Division 2 cars, so if the luck goes our way, we can definitely win.”

The Mitsubishi Evo should be reliable, and as a Division 2 car it should therefore only need to make one pit stop, so Jake Shelley’s ambition to win the race is definitely not out of the question.

Driver Profiles

After a strong run in a Mazda 3 MPS for the last couple of years, Anthony Soole and John Willmington have changed to a Nissan Pulsar for this year’s event.

In the last two Wakefield 300s, Soole and Willmington were joined by Clark Stott in the only three-driver entry in the race, yet despite the handicap of an extra pit-stop, they still managed to finish sixth on both occasions.

“We’ve only got two drivers this year, which means we only need to make one pit-stop,” Anthony Soole explained. “The Mazda 3 MPS was using a bit too much fuel for us to get through the race on one stop, which is why we’ve swapped to the Pulsar for this year.

“We’re looking to have a bit of fun, and to finish around where we have for the last couple of years.”

While they will no longer have to make an extra pit stop, the Pulsar will not be as fast as the Mazda 3, and given the extra strength of the competition this year, it will be a big ask for Willmington and Soole to repeat their result from the last couple of years. In fact, a top-10 finish would be an achievement, and Willmington and Soole will be praying for some wet weather to nullify their horsepower disadvantage.

Driver Profiles

Geoff Kite’s racing experience started when he received a V8 drive day gift voucher as a birthday present. That taste of motorsport was enough to give Kite an addiction, and he subsequently purchased Steve Briffa’s VZ Commodore production car in 2009.

The relationship between Kite and Briffa has continued since then, with both drivers teaming up for the 2010 Wakefield 300 and finishing an impressive fifth outright.

Kite is looking for a reliable engine package to ensure his car can go the distance.

“We’ve had a few problems with the engine, so we’re working hard to make sure they’re sorted out in time for the race,” he said.

“In these sorts of endurance events, it’s important to have a good team of people behind you and Steve has been really good in getting a crew of people together.”

Briffa is one of the most experienced production car racers lining up for the Wakefield 300, having achieved numerous outright and class wins in production cars as well as state championship victories in sports sedans.

Overall, this car is a definite chance for a top-10, possibly higher if it is wet.

Driver Profiles

Last time James Flanagan raced in the Wakefield 300 in 2010, he generated plenty of attention, largely thanks to several spectacular off-track adventures in his bright yellow Hyundai Sonata.

This time, he’s aiming to generate just as much attention, but for different reasons.

“I’m aiming to win my division, and also to finish in the top-10 outright,” he said. “The car goes well at Wakefield Park and I’ve had some good results in the championship in the iRace Series as well. The car isn’t as powerful as some of the others so I’m hoping for some rain to even things up a bit.”

Flanagan’s co-driver is Stephen Turner, who is making his racing debut after previously engineering Flanagan’s Hyundai Sonata.

The car should be reliable and will be a contender for a division win, but Flanagan’s aspirations of a top-10 finish will be tough to achieve, given Turner’s inexperience. A top-15 result would be a good effort.

Driver Profiles

Morsillo drove a commodore last year this year he will drive a V8 Triumph

No Triumph has ever competed in the Wakefield 300… until now. Mark Morsillo and Elliot Wright will campaign a TR7 V8 (otherwise known as a TR8) in this year’s event, and for these drivers the emphasis is on having fun rather than aiming for outright victory.

Morsillo made his Wakefield 300 debut in 2011, driving alongside Terry Denovan. Morsillo enjoyed his first taste of long-distance racing, and with Denovan not entering his car in this year’s race, Morsillo has elected to team up with Elliot Wright.

“We’re both Christians who attend the same church, and Elliot has had experience in sprints but wanted to try a longer distance event, so we’re going to do it together,” Morsillo said.

“We know that the car isn’t fast enough to win and we’re also well aware that Triumphs aren’t renowned for their reliability, so the plan will be to keep the engine revs down and make sure it lasts the distance.”

While the Triumph is at best a top-20 finisher, it is bound to attract plenty of interest from motorsport enthusiasts throughout the weekend, and its presence further establishes the Wakefield 300 as the most varied Australian endurance race.

Driver Profiles

The Father and Son Kirkham Team return for the Wakefield 300

Phil and Declan Kirkham are one of three father-and-son combinations in this year’s Wakefield 300, and while their Ford Fiesta will not have the pace to contend for outright victory, it is a proven package that has taken a number of class wins in the Australian Manufacturers Championship over the last couple of seasons.

Phil Kirkham’s career started in rallying in the 1980s but it is in production car racing where his achievements are most widely recognised. Some of the most notable moments in his career include second place in the 1995 Australian Production Car Championship and 15^th outright in the 1998 Bathurst 1000, driving a production car against purpose-built touring cars. Kirkham also finished third outright in the 2000 Bathurst 3 Hour “Showroom Showdown”, sharing a Mazda RX7 with Ric Shaw.

Declan’s circuit racing career started in the Victorian Improved Production championship in 2010, and he was immediately successful, wining his class in the state championship.

Over the last couple of seasons, the Kirkhams have shared their Ford Fiesta in a number of long distance races and won their class at last year’s Phillip Island 6 Hour.

“We’re aiming for a division win, and the car is a lot quicker than it was last time we raced in the Wakefield 300,” Phil Kirkham said. “The best thing about the car is that it’s really consistent and you can just drive it around at the same speed all day.”

In terms of the outright race result, a top-15 finish is a realistic goal and anything above that will be a bonus, given the car’s lack of straight-line performance compared to the outright contenders.

Driver Profiles

Henry Draper and Linda Devlin will be in action again at the Wakefield 300

A few former Mini Challenge cars have been given a new lease of life in various categories, including the Wakefield and Winton 300 events.

Unfortunately for Henry Draper and Linda Devlin, the 2011 Wakefield 300 did not go according to plan thanks to a driveshaft failure. There were more problems to come at the Winton 300, where the car suffered ABS problems and made several unscheduled pit stops en route to a finish of 14^th after running well inside the top-5.

Experienced production car endurance racer Henry Draper has tasted a lot of success, winning the Winton 6 Hour and also scoring class wins at the Bathurst 12 Hour in the early 1990s, but even he has been challenged by the Mini’s technical nuances.

“This is the most technically challenging car I’ve raced, because of all its electronics and computer systems,” he said.

“We think we’ve solved the ABS problems, and we’re just hoping to get to the finish of the Wakefield 300 without anything going wrong.”

21-year-old Linda Devlin came up through the ranks of go-karts, scoring numerous podiums and class wins in the various events she contested.  Her father, Barry Devlin, has been the long-time team manager for Henry Draper’s team and will again manage the team at the Wakefield 300.

Like Henry, Linda is hoping to get to the end of the event, as she seeks to accumulate more tin-top racing experience to help her fulfil her ultimate ambition of racing in V8 Supercars.

Driver Profiles

Mazda MX5s have had a superb record in the Wakefield 300 over the last few years, and have become a popular weapon of choice for many drivers.

Berry Campbell and Luke Otten line up for their first Wakefield 300 start after an eighth-place finish in last year’s Winton 300.

Berry Campbell says that these endurance events are more enjoyable than his former racing exploits in the Australian GT Championship Porsche Drivers Challenge.

“I can’t get motorsport out of my system, and the MX5 is a really fun car to drive,” he said.

“The engine has done a lot of kilometres, so it’s a little bit down on power but it’s extremely reliable.”

Campell’s co-driver is Luke Otten, brother of Wakefield 300 winner Shane Otten. Despite not having as much racing experience as his brother, Luke is just as enthusiastic.

“I’ve always been interested in racing, and Berry has provided the car and the opportunity for me to get involved,” he said.

The MX5s strength will be its reliability and consistency, so look for this car to be inside the top-10 and at the pointy end of its division come lap 137.

Driver Profiles

Ronke & Sheehan to tackle 4th 300

This is the lead entry in a seven-pronged Tampered Motorsport assault on the Wakefield 300. Ronke and Sheehan haven’t had the best of luck in past seasons, but Adam and the team have put a massive effort into the R33 Nissan Skyline, formerly a drift car, in preparation for this year’s race.

“We’ve been working hard to make the car more reliable over the long distance,” Adam said. “The last couple of years, the car has finished the race but there have been some problems which have worked against us.

“Before entries started coming in, we were aiming for a top-5 finish but now, with the quality of competitors, we would be happy to finish in the top-10.”

Adam Ronke made his racing debut back in 1992, running a 1971 Chysler Galant in sprint meetings. The Galant is owned by Adam today and is part of his massive collection of racing cars.

Adam’s co-driver Warren Sheehan is coming off the back of an impressive season in the Victorian Super TT Championship in 2011, in which he took a dominant victory at one of the rounds en route to third in the final standings.

With six other cars to look after over the weekend, Adam will be kept busy, but as long as the R33 Skyline runs reliably, a top-10 result is certainly achievable.

Driver Profiles