Brenton Grove crosses ditch to compete in BNT V8s

Australian V8 driver Brenton Grove will compete in the BNT V8s Championship this season, making his debut in the series at Pukekohe’s Round One – November 2-4.

Grove (21) will line up in class one of the championship aboard a Richards Team Motorsport Toyota Camry. The Richards team winning the championship last season with Andre Heimgartner.

Grove’s sole reason for competing in the BNT V8s, is to gain valuable race miles to help prepare him for the upcoming 2019 Dunlop Super 2 season in Australia.

Grove is in his first season of the Dunlop Super 2 Series in Australia and says he hopes to learn as much as he possibly can both in and out of the car over the six round BNT V8 championship, while taking away valuable knowledge that he can put in to practice both in the New Zealand series and also next year at home.

“I am looking forward to coming over and competing in the series. It will provide a nice compliment to my racing in Australia, allowing me to do some extra miles and gain some more experience when I’d normally be out of the car,” says Grove.

“Spending as much time in the car and racing against such a competitive field, alongside the best drivers within New Zealand is the next best thing to racing in Super 2 and the Supercar scene in Australia. I haven’t followed the BNT V8s a whole lot in the past, however I have seen the benefits it’s afforded some of the other Australian drivers in previous seasons so that is a real attraction to the series.

“The fact that the series utilises the same tyre as we do in Australia is another big benefit as they are so limited in Super 2. For me, that should be a big help for my driving going into 2019.”

With focus on his race craft throughout the season, Grove says he has no real expectations of results for the season.

“There is no real expectation for me going into the year beyond learning and developing. If I am able to get some good results along the way then that is a bonus, but at the moment I am focussed on doing as many kilometres as I can and trying to gain some good solid experience to take with me in to the 2019 Dunlop Super2 Series.”

Driving with a proven, championship winning team was also a big draw card for the Australian.

“Richards Team Motorsport was the logical choice for the series. They have achieved some great results over the last few years and have the infrastructure needed to do a good job. I’m hoping to be able to draw off their experience and really cement my learning over summer.”

Grove is hopeful of getting at least one day testing under his belt before the championship gets underway at the notoriously fast Pukekohe circuit.

“The testing plan is still quite unknown at the moment as it is difficult to work in a day around my schedule in Australia. I will aim to try and do at least one day before the first round to get to know the car and the team going into Pukekohe.”

Grove will be part of a three car team at Richards Team Motorsport with Scott Taylor also returning for the 2018/19 season alongside a yet to be named third driver.

The BNT V8s Championship has six rounds starting at the Pukekohe Virgin Australia Supercars round in November and finishing at Hampton Downs in March.

 

Caption: Brenton Grove will compete in the six round BNT V8s Championship.

Media release: Freddy Foote