Record field for Super3 opener at Phillip Island

The 2019 Kumho Tyre Super3 Series will commence with a record 25-car field at Phillip Island next month.

The grid, the equal biggest of the three Supercars series in what is Super3’s first year as the official third tier, features a host of up-and-comers alongside some stalwarts of the series.

MW Motorsport has expanded its Super3 operation from two FG Falcons to three, fielding its 2018 runner-up Zak Best alongside ex-Formula Ford driver Hamish Ribarits and ex-Toyota 86 driver Nic Carroll.

Brad Jones Racing is running two drivers fresh out of karting in its VE Commodores, namely Josh Fife and Madeline Stewart, while Matt McLean makes the same step in the sole Image Racing FG Falcon.

Paul Morris Motorsport has second-year car racer Broc Feeney in its FG Falcon while current Formula 4 champion Jayden Ojeda is moving into Anderson Motorsport’s FG Falcon which was previously raced by Michael Anderson himself.

Of the aforementioned, seven are teenagers, also a record for the series.

Aussie Racing Cars front-runner Kyle Ensbey has moved up to race a VE Commodore, and talent search winner Matt Powers lines up in an FG Falcon.

Matt Stone Racing, like BJR, will run through all three tiers of Supercars, adding a third FG Falcon for team co-owner Jason Gomersall alongside Chris Smerdon and Bradley Neill.

Other familiar faces in the field include Super3 race winners Jon McCorkindale and Jim Pollicina, the latter of whom will compete for the Kumho Cup for ‘pro-am’ drivers.

“It’s an exciting time for the series and the perfect way to start a new season,” said category manager Liam Curkpatrick.

“The combination of an excellent calendar that includes four events on the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship calendar, a continued focus on affordability and a stable package has seen interest grow in the series in the last few years.”

The first of five rounds supports the WD-40 Phillip Island SuperSprint on April 12-14.

Entry list: Round 1, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

Num	Class	Team/Sponsor	Driver	Car
2	Kumho Cup	Page Bros Jayco	Steven Page	Commodore VE II
3	Kumho Cup	Edge Consulting Engineers	Shane Hunt	Ford Falcon BF
4	Kumho Cup	Crusher Parts International	Tony Auddino	Ford Falcon BF
5	Championship	MW Motorsport	Hamish Ribartis	Ford Falcon FG
7	Kumho Cup	Mocomm Motorsports Communications	Jim Pollicina	Commodore VE
8	Championship	Brad Jones Racing	Madeline Stewart	Commodore VE II
9	Kumho Cup	Neill Motorsport	Bradley Neill	Ford Falcon FG
11	Championship	Direction Plus	Jayden Ojeda	Ford Falcon FG
12	Championship	Image Racing	Matt McLean	Ford Falcon FG
14	Championship	Brad Jones Racing	Josh Fife	Commodore VE II
17	Kumho Cup	TFMaintenance	Jason Foley	Ford Falcon BF
19	Kumho Cup	Auto Openers Garage Door Openers	Mark Tracey	Ford Falcon BA
21	Championship	KE Motorsport	Kyle Ensbey	Commodore VE
23	Kumho Cup	HF Racing	Francois Habib	Commodore VZ
35	Kumho Cup	Matt Stone Racing	Jason Gomersall	Ford Falcon FG
37	Championship	Aussie Driver Search	Matt Powers	Ford Falcon FG
39	Kumho Cup	Vectra Corp	Chris Smerdon	Ford Falcon FG
48	Championship	MW Motorsport	Nic Carroll	Ford Falcon FG
67	Championship	Exit Timeshare Now Racing	Broc Feeney	Ford Falcon FG
69	Championship	Dial Before You Dig/Mac Motorsport	Jon McCorkindale	Ford Falcon FG
75	Kumho Cup	Strong Motorsport	Brendan Strong	Commodore VE II
76	Kumho Cup	Garry Hills Racing	Garry Hills	Commodore VE II
78	Championship	MW Motorsport	Zak Best	Ford Falcon FG
84	Kumho Cup	Rsport Race Engineering	TBA	Commodore VE
96	Kumho Cup	Protrack Automotive Performance	Gary Collins	Commodore VE II