Well known racer Melinda Price will return to national level motorsport later this month in the Radical Australia Cup.
The former Supercars driver will drive for Volante Rosso Motorsport spearheading the team’s five-car assault on the five-round championship.
Greg Kenny, Peter Clare, Josh Hunt, Alex Gardner and Chris Papadopoulos will also represent the series, which kicks off at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 16-18.
Price will share driving duties with Kenny, while Hunt and Clare are paired together.
The drive marks a return to national level racing for Price, who is best remembered for her solid Supercars stint racing under the Castrol Cougars banner.
She and Kerryn Brewer teamed up to finish 12th at the 1997 Bathurst 1000, only to better it the following year in 1998 in a Perkins supported VS Commodore.
Their result still places them as the highest achieving all female driver pairing in Bathurst history, while she also took on Mount Panorama’s 24 Hour race.
In addition to making 16 Supercars race starts, Price also has international racing experience completing three Nurburgring 24 Hour races.
After taking a break from motorsport, raising a family and beating breast cancer, Price has recently returned to racing through the Queensland Excel Series and will step up to the Radical Series this year.
Price said she cannot wait to return to national level racing.
“I’m excited to be back on the national scene with Volante Rosso Motorsport and the Radical program,” she said.
“It has been a while since I’ve raced a national level category, but have been keeping my eye in over recent times with the Excel series in Queensland and karting.
“I definitely haven’t lost any competitive desire and am aiming to be right there from the first round later this month.”
Melinda Price testing the Volante Rosso Motorsport Radical at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Price revealed she has already completed a test in the Radical at the venue of the opening round and eventually got up to speed with the new machine.
“I adapted to the car fairly quickly in the test day that I’ve done,” she said.
“Going flat into turn one at Sydney Motorsport Park was a different experience!
“It took me a few attempts to get that but it felt right at home.
“Getting used to having so much aerodynamic grip was a feeling I haven’t had in a while.
“But I was soon pretty comfortable and the Radicals are a great chance to build confidence with a car that relies on aero.”
Papadopoulos said Price is a great addition to the team.
“Melinda has a big history in motorsport and we’re thrilled that at Volante Rosso Motorsport we get to be a part of her journey back into competitive racing after her health battle,” he said.
“The Radical is a big adjustment and she did well to get up to speed quickly, so we’re optimistic of what Melinda and Greg can achieve.”
The Radical Australia series begins at SMP on June 16-18 before rounds at Queensland Raceway, Phillip Island, The Bend and SMP.
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Andrew Clarke and Auto Action’s Bruce Williams and Paul Gover sat down for a candid chat on the teams, drivers and the #Supercars series championship.
