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Ben Grice reveals new ‘American’ backer for Trans Am Bathurst tilt
Ben Grice will carry the support of All American Driveline and Autoparts for Round 3 of the National Trans Am Series at Mount Panorama this weekend.
The son of two-times Bathurst 1000 winner Allan Grice, Ben has secured the support from the Brisbane-based importer of American-focused aftermarket parts and products.
Grice’s Dodge Challenge will continue to carry the #03 that was famously carried by his father during his stint in Australian NASCAR racing in the late 80s.
After a mixed debut in the Trans Am class at Phillip Island three weeks ago that saw him run with the leaders until a clutch drama, Grice is looking forward to taking his Dodge to the famous Mount Panorama circuit.
“I was just starting to figure it all out in the first race at Phillip Island and I was running with the leading pack until the clutch gave up,” said Grice.
“I was running sixth, got past (Brett) Holdsworth, catching the guys in front of me but I lost drive.
“In the second race, I was forced onto the grass and slightly damaged the car, so our weekend really just unravelled from there.
“But it was really promising. We definitely learnt a lot. (Aaron) Seton and those guys have lots of experience, so to know that we are somewhere close to them is encouraging.
“The Trans Ams are really cool cars to drive. They require lots of driver input, and that’s exactly what race cars should be.
“It’s a huge opportunity to race around Mount Panorama. They will be wild. If you dropped a wheel off at Phillip island, worst case you’ll clip a goose. At Bathurst, if you drop a wheel, you’ll be going home early.
“And it’s great to have All American Driveline and Autoparts join us for the Bathurst round. It’s a match made in heaven, really – all American sponsor for an all American race car. They are good people and I really hope we can deliver a good result.”
The National Trans Am Series will hold six sessions in total this weekend, with two practice sessions and qualifying on Friday, two races on Saturday and the final race on Sunday morning.
Trans Ams is just one class amongst a huge weekend of motorsport, supporting the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour, the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, the Fanatic GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS, among others.