Chris Pither reserves final BJR enduro seat

Chris Pither will share David Wall’s Wilson Security Racing Commodore in the inaugural Pirtek Enduro Cup held over the coming months. The kiwi will reunite with the top-level Brad Jones Racing squad after representing the Albury-based team throughout the 2013 Dunlop Series.

Pither will occupy the seat which became available after the tragic passing of Allan Simonsen, who was initially hired to partner Wall at the three endurance events taking place in September and October. However, the recently announced combination is not without a sense of familiarity, as Pither drove with Wall in last year’s Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

The 26 year-old gained precious time behind the wheel of Wall’s VF Commodore during the recent co-driver sessions on the streets of Townsville and Queensland Raceway. He will also be granted the opportunity to test the Wilson Security-backed Commodore at Winton Motor Raceway later this month, giving the kiwi additional time grasp the intricacies of the new Car of the Future chassis.

He was scheduled to gain further time behind the wheel of the Brad Jones Racing prepared Commodore on Tuesday; however the session was unfortunately cancelled due to inclement weather.

Pither has gained vast experienced in a number of different categories throughout his career. As is customary for most aspiring professional drivers, he worked his way through the ranks after commencing his racing career behind the wheel of a Formula Ford. The kiwi gained his first taste of V8 Supercars in the 2006 Fujitsu Series and the aligned V8 Supercar endurance events. Last year, he and David Wall recorded honest results for the now obsolete Britek Motorsport, finishing the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 in 22nd and 14th respectively.

Speaking about the opportunity to once again partner David Wall, Pither was glowing in his praise of the Car of the Future, and believes consecutive endurance drives will instil greater confidence that was perhaps lacking in last year’s enduros.
“It’s great to be doing it for a second year back-to-back and gain some momentum. I’ll be a lot more confident going into this year” said the 26 year old.
“The Car of the Future is a lot more like a race car to drive than the old V8s. They feel like they do everything a bit better with the main thing being the change of direction. They’re a lot more flowing so it’s more like a real race car would feel and braking is another main difference.”

Prior to competing in last year’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Pither had not contested the race since 2008. It was an unfortunate weekend for the Kiwi, who crashed heavily into a stationary Paul Weel during practice. His Team Kiwi Racing entry was repaired in time to see the green lights on Sunday; however it was withdrawn on the 8th lap of the race.

The inaugural Pirtek Enduro Cup will kick off at Sandown Raceway from the 13th to the 15th of September. Following a break of almost a month, the Bathurst 1000 will be run and won on the 13th of October, before the mini-championship is rounded out by the Gold Coast 600 on the 26th and 27th of October.