Richards to race TCM title winning Falcon

Jim Richards will pilot an upgraded version of his title winning Ford Falcon Sprint in the Touring Car Masters at the Coates Hire Ipswich Super Sprint next weekend.

The four-time Australian touring car champion has brought the Falcon out of retirement while his AMC Javelin is undergoing repairs and maintenance.

The Falcon Sprint that guided Richards to two Touring Car Masters crowns in 2010 and 2013 has now been fitted with a 302-cubic inch Ford V8 engine alongside other developmental components.

Richards is set to campaign the Falcon for the remainder of the Touring Car Masters campaign.

“It is very popular and every round I have people coming up to me and asking ‘when is the Sprint coming back,” said Richards.

“We’ve gone up to a 302 from the 289 and the car has had a complete rebuild – the gearbox, diff and we’ve been through basically every nut and bolt. It’s good to go.

“We could have raced the Javelin, but the Sprint was good to go so we’ll run that and the intention is to run it for the rest of the year.”

Following a raft of upgrades, Richards is confident the Falcon will be competitive at Queensland Raceway.

“It will be quicker but it will still be a big ask to go against the Torana’s,” Richards added.

“As well as the engine, I’ve been allowed to add a front spoiler and a small rear wing which should make a difference – and the car actually looks really nice.

“I’m not worried about winning – as long as the car is competitive I’ll be happy.”

Richards will be part of a strong 26-car grid contesting the Rare Spares Ipswich Tourist Trophy round next weekend.

John Bowe (Holden Torana) leads the series standings with a nine point lead over Steven Johnson (Ford Falcon XY GTHO).

Touring Car Masters Entry List Queensland Raceway

No	Sponsor Name	Name	Surname	State	Year	Make	Model
2	Shannons Insurance	Jim	Richards	VIC	1963	Ford	Falcon Sprint
4	Skye Sands	Rusty	French	VIC	1970	Ford	Mustang Fastback
7	Werks Garage / Red Rock Winery	Rohan	Little	VIC	1974	Porsche	911 RS IROC
8	Sportsmed SA	Greg	Keene	SA	1974	Porsche	911 RS IROC
9	Jesus Racing	Andrew	Fisher	NSW	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GTHO
12	Giraffe Civil Contracting	Adam	Garwood	TAS	1974	Holden	Torana SL/R 5000
13	Mark Poole Motorsport	Rory	O’Neill	SA	1974	Porsche	911 RS IROC
17	Synergy Race Engines	Steve	Johnson	QLD	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GTHO
18	Wilson Security / PAYCE	John	Bowe	VIC	1974	Holden	Torana SL/R 5000
19	Tincone Industrial Services	Darren	Beale	QLD	1972	Holden	Monaro GTS Coupe
21	Giraffe Civil Contracting	Greg	Garwood	TAS	1972	Ford	Capri Perana
22	Aussie Muscle Car Run / PRT Fabrication	Graham	Stewart	SA	1972	Holden	Monaro GTS Coupe
25	Angliss Meats	Brett	Curran	QLD	1967	Ford	Mustang Fastback
30	Thunder Road Racing Team Australia	Glenn	Seton	QLD	1964	Ford	Mustang Coupe
35	iseek Racing	Jason	Gomersall	QLD	1978	Holden	Torana A9X Hatchback
46	THD Motorsport	Leo	Tobin	VIC	1969	Ford	Boss Mustang
48	Brisbane’s Cheapest Cars	Eddie	Abelnica	VIC	1974	Ford	Falcon XB Coupe
52	Outbound Racing / wheels.com.pg	Keith	Kassulke	QLD	1973	Holden	Monaro GTS Coupe
57	Corio Auto Parts	Graham	Alexander	VIC	1969	Holden	HT Monaro
65	Cannon Trailers	Michael (Blu)	Cannon	QLD	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GTHO
68	Trans Am Race Engineering	Grant	Wilson	QLD	1968	Chevrolet	Camaro SS
85	Whiteline Racing / King Springs	Mark	King	QLD	1970	Chevrolet	Camaro RS
88	TIFS – Warehousing & Distribution	Tony	Karanfilovski	NSW	1969	Ford	Mustang Trans Am
90	Werks Garage / Kalus Kenny Iterlex	Sven	Burchartz	VIC	1974	Porsche	911 RS IROC
95	Whiteline Racing / Fabre Australia	Adam	Bressington	NSW