Michael James and Troy Rolley will make their Shannons Nationals debut this weekend, entering their Oracle Motor Sport Toyota 86 into the Australian Production Car Series.
The duo will compete in Class D and said they were looking forward to the featured ‘Fight in the Night’ race on Saturday evening.
“We are super excited to be racing under lights … neither Troy or myself have ever raced under lights before,” James said.
“For us, I think one of the bigger challenges when it comes to night racing will not be knowing what car is behind us, as we will only be able to see their lights. Knowing when to protect our position or when to yield to a faster cars will certainly be keeping our spotters on the ball!”
Although James and Rolley are new to the national circuit scene, the duo hope to be at the front of the field after testing their respective 86s’ pace in their own state series.
“We certainly expect to be competitive in Class D and to come away with a car that is still in one piece,” James said.
“In the state competition, we have the quickest Class D car in the field, so we are looking forward to seeing where we stand with others from further afield as we step up to the national category.
“We are super excited to be part of the Shannons Nationals for the first time this weekend.
“We have a few races in our bucket list… next year we want to get to Bathurst, Phillip Island and probably Sydney Motorsport Park, as well as the Queensland round.”
The pair are excited about working together on the national stage to put themselves on the map.
“With Troy and I co-owning the car, we have a great understanding of each other’s ability,” James said.
“Generally, we are pretty close in our lap times and enjoy the challenge of getting our little car around the track as fast as we can push it.
“We have a fantastic team of people in the pits keeping the car running perfectly and making sure we don’t forget to have a laugh along the way as well… I am sure we will have a great weekend no matter what comes.”
The Australian Production Car Series is part of Round 7 of the Shannons Nationals, taking place at Queensland Raceway on 4-6 August.
