WHILE all eyes are on the status of his Supercars eligibility, Joey Mawson has scored a racing cameo for this weekend.
As the Repco Supercars Championship gets stuck into its Darwin Triple Crown event, Mawson will be competing 4000km away in the Radical Cup Australia season-opener at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Mawson will join forces with his S5000 stablemate Mark Rosser for a pair of 50-minute races in a Radical SR3 prepared by Team BRM.
“I’ve raced Radicals a few years ago and I’m really looking forward to getting back in one this weekend, thanks to Mark for the opportunity,” said Mawson.
“I’m very much excited to see what it’s like again, it’s completely opposite to drive to the S5000 – Radicals have a lot of grip and not as much power, so the driving style is very different.
“It will be good partnering with Mark this weekend and a great chance for him to properly learn the track and continue his process of reaching the limit.
“It’s about giving him more confidence at the limit that he can translate to the S5000 and continue to get to the front of the field in the Radical as well.
“The Radical is hooked up, but it moves around and if he can be confident with that, he will be confident in everything.”
Mawson leads the S5000 standings after three rounds this year, putting him in the box seat for a third successive Gold Star.
He’s also in with a shot at joining PremiAir Racing for Supercars’ Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 pending an eligibility saga.
Motorsport Australia has indicated it will issue Mawson a Superlicence, but that alone will not guarantee him a spot in the main game enduros.
Without six Super2 rounds under his belt, Mawson will either need his FIA licence upgraded from Silver to Gold, or be granted special dispensation by Supercars – a situation that reportedly is looking increasingly likely.
Among other drivers in the 20-car Radical field at SMP will be five-time Bathurst 1000 starter Melinda Price, who is teaming up with Greg Kelly for Volante Rosso Motorsport.