James Simpson will return to the National Trans Am Series field for the first time since his roll at AWC Race Tasmania in two weeks time when the category heads to Queensland Raceway as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries.
The 21-year-old missed the previous two rounds at Phillip Island and Hi-Tec Oils Race Winton due to the extreme damage to his Cairns Plaza Hotel backed Dodge Challenger – but has confirmed a return for his home round in Ipswich in August.
Following February’s scary crash at Symmons Plains, Simpson and his team were forced to order a new chassis from Howe Racing in the United, since the damage was found to be unrepairable shortly after the incident.
Having only recently received the new chassis just last week, the team were able to complete the repairs and get the car ready just in time for the fourth round of the season.
“you don’t realise how addicted you are to motorsport until you can’t actually do it”
Ahead of his return to the series, Simpson will look to continue his development after an impressive top 10 finish in the opening race of the season.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back out on track, you don’t realise how addicted you are to motorsport until you can’t actually do it,” Simpson said.
“I thought having a little bit of a break wouldn’t be too bad but I’m super keen to get back in the car.
“It couldn’t really be any better than returning at my home circuit. I know the track like the back of my hand and I’ve done plenty of laps there in the past.
“It’s good that my first round back will be somewhere I’m comfortable with and I’m confident of getting a good result.”
Despite the severity of the accident, Simpson remained focused on the positives and has recovered from any injuries that were sustained.
“That was easily the biggest accident I’ve been in; I’ve had some big ones before, but nowhere near as big as that,” Simpson explained.
“It goes to show you can have a big accident like that and still walk out of it, it was almost a good thing. It was an eye opener for me what happened because I now know if something like that happens, there Is still a good chance of walking out of it.
“I did physio for about six weeks on my right shoulder, it was a bit torn, but I think it’s okay now.
“I have had no problems with it since, I haven’t hurt it at work or anything so its feeling good.”
While Simpson is all but ruled out of title contention for 2023, the remaining rounds provide a perfect opportunity to learn some new circuits and further develop ahead of next season.
“We are chasing a good result being a home track, I’m confident we will do quite well and as long as the car is all put back together properly,” Simpson added.
“We are just going to try keep our nose clean to get through the rest of the year.
“It’s more of a learning opportunity now, and we can come back next year and give it a good crack.”
The National Trans Am Series is one of six national categories to feature at Queensland Raceway in August and will take the track for the first time on Friday for two practice sessions.
Qualifying on Saturday morning will decide the grid for the weekend’s first of four races across the weekend.
All four of the category’s races will feature in the Stan Sports coverage, as well as every other round of the National Trans Am Series, where fans can watch the action live, on-demand and ad-free.
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The fourth round of the National Trans Am Series will take place at Queensland Raceway as part of the fifth round of the Shannons SpeedSeries on 11-13 August.