James Golding to race S5000 in Tasmania

James Golding will contest Round 1 of the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship at Symmons Plains with Garry Rogers Motorsport.

It makes for a busy end of the month for the Victorian, who is back for a second season in the Repco Supercars Championship with PremiAir Racing.

As such, he will test on Wednesday at Sydney Motorsport Park before heading south for AWC Race Tasmania, which starts on Friday.

The drive at Symmons Plains, “a one-off at this stage” according to GRM’s announcement, continues Golding’s streak of having raced in every S5000 season held to date.

The Victorian has eight race wins in the category, finishing second in the 2022 Australian Drivers’ Championship, while his record on the Apple Isle stands at three podiums from six races.

“I’m really excited to be back in S5000 for Race Tasmania,” said Golding.

“It’s a very enjoyable car to drive, and it’s what really set the foundation for me to get back into a Supercars seat so I’ll always take any opportunity I can to go racing in S5000.

“Symmons Plains is a track where I’ve had a fair bit of pace, so there’s plenty of confidence in what we can deliver on the weekend.

“I’m looking forward to working with the team to try and bring the whole GRM attack up towards the podium places.

“The field is super-stacked and one of the most competitive fields we’ve seen, which is another reason why I’m really looking forward to it.

“With all the talent on track, it’s going to be very interesting to see how it all pans out.”

GRM will field five cars in S5000 at Symmons Plains, including team regulars Golding and Aaron Cameron.

Super2 race winner Jordan Boys has committed to the full season with GRM, as has Nic Carroll, while former Formula 1 driver Roberto Merhi will make a cameo with the squad.

Also racing in Tasmania will be Triple Eight Race Engineering Supercars wildcard Zane Goddard, two-time championship winner Joey Mawson, and 2021’s top Super2 rookie Matt McLean.

Golding’s Supercars Championship team-mate Tim Slade and Erebus Motorsport rival Will Brown will join him in making the mad dash off the mainland given the former is making a one-off appearance in the National Trans Am Series and the latter has now been confirmed in a Melbourne Performance Centre Audi.

Race Tasmania is the season-opener for the Shannons SpeedSeries, every round of which can be seen live and ad-free on Stan Sport.