Tickford locks in two-car team for 2023 Super2 season

Tickford Racing has announced Brad Vaughan and Elly Morrow as its drivers in a two-car Super2 Series team in 2023.

Morrow makes the switch from Brad Jones Racing’s Super2 programme while Vaughan is vying for the Super3 title with Anderson Motorsport this weekend at the Valo Adelaide 500.

They will drive Ford Mustangs next year, when Gen2 machinery races in the second tier for the first time, in conjunction with start of the Supercars Championship’s Gen3 era.

Morrow made her car racing debut late last year, in a BJR VE Commodore, and has driven one of the Albury team’s VF Commodore for the bulk of the 2022 season, although she is competing exclusively in S5000 this weekend.

“I’m looking forward to racing with Tickford Racing in 2023,” said the 23-year-old Victorian.

“It’s going to be cool driving a Mustang straight off of the main game grid, and it’s a little extra special coming from a family that has always barracked for Ford.

“I’ve only been racing in cars for about 12 months which has been a big learning curve, but I’ve really enjoyed learning how it all works and am excited to learn more working with Tickford.

“I’ve been really happy with the environment they have and learning how they operate, and I’ve never had a team-mate in Super2 before so I’m looking forward to working with Brad.

“We did an evaluation day with Tickford a couple weeks ago and the car was really good to drive, it really did all you could ask for, so that’s made me that little bit more excited for next year; I can’t wait to get started.”

Vaughan has slightly more car racing experience, impressing current team boss Michael Anderson in just a handful of starts in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series.

He is 66 points back from Super3 Series leader Kai Allen ahead of the sixth and final round of the campaign, driving an ex-Tickford FG Falcon of Project Blueprint specification in which Cameron Waters won the Super2 title seven years ago.

“I’m really excited to join Tickford Racing next season,” said the 18-year-old who hails from Angaston, near Adelaide.

“We’ve raced in Super3 this year and have had a very successful year; it’s been great for learning a V8 and gets you on the big stage, but I’m really looking forward to hopping in a Ford Mustang.

“Jumping from a Project Blueprint car to a Gen2 Supercar Mustang will be a big learning curve, but we’ll be right.

“I have some great people around me both in Tickford’s Super2 programme and the main game team, so I’m really looking forward to it.

“It’s the best seat, I believe in Super2 in 2023, so while it’ll take some learning, I feel like I have no excuses.

“I can’t wait to get after it with the team in the new year.”

Tickford has become a fixture of Super2, although this will be its first multi-car attack on the series since 2017, after fielding Thomas Randle in 2018 and 2019, Broc Feeney in 2020, and Zak Best for the last two seasons.

The latter remains in contention for the title, one which the Campbellfield-based squad won with not only Waters in 2015 but also Garry Jacobson in 2016.

He will also stay on with Tickford in 2023, despite no longer being part of the Super2 team.

“Tickford Racing has a long history of developing young talent into future stars of our sport, and we are extremely happy to add Elly and Brad to our program in 2023,” said Managing Director Rod Nash.

“With the progression of Gen2 regulations to Super2, we felt the time was right to expand our Super2 team again and really build on our reputation for helping today’s talent become tomorrow’s stars, and we have a great opportunity to do just that with our 2023 driver line-up.

“We have a long-term vision with both Elly and Brad, we’re very excited about their potential in the sport, and are looking forward to developing them through our programme from 2023.

“The team is also excited to be supporting the Women in Motorsport philosophy.

“I’m a big supporter of this and enjoy watching any progression of women competing and advancing in motorsport in general.

“Having been part of these programmes before – way back with the Castrol Cougars in the late ’90s and another brief stint with Simona de Silvestro early in her Supercars career – we’d love to help Elly become the next female Supercars driver, so we look forward to working with her and Brad, and having some fun along the way.”

Both Morrow and Vaughan recently completed an evaluation day with Tickford.

Practice in Adelaide for S5000 and Super2/Super3 kicks off tomorrow, the latter from 10:50 local time/11:20 AEDT.

VIDEO: Elly Morrow, Brad Vaughan join Tickford’s Super2 stable