AUS Utes: Charlie O'Brien enters series

Charlie O'Brien to race Series Winning V8 Ute

Touring car veteran Charlie O'Brien is making a return to motorsport in the 2010 Yokohama V8 Ute Racing Series -- protected by Armor All.

O'Brien hadn't raced since the 2005 Melbourne Grand Prix in a Porsche, however after driving in the V8 Utes "Ten Years of Legends Race" earlier in the year is keen to get behind the wheel again.

"I've being thinking about getting back into it for about 6 months now and the opportunity driving in the Legends race really pumped me up. It gave me a chance to see if I would enjoy it and I did," said O'Brien.

Although O'Brien has never raced in the Series until this year, he was involved in 2008 with Rhys Hansford and Paul Williams and has just purchased Layton Crambrook's 2008 series winning Ford BF.

"I chose the Ford because I liked the idea of going to an FG next year, I don't have a particular biased to either Ford or Holden and hopefully the car is the way it was when Layton drove it."

The Gold Coaster has found some local backing from Coombabah Shopping Centre and will run under car number 15.

"The number doesn't really mean anything to me. It's just a number I've run for the longest in my 30 -- 40 years of racing. I ran it in NASCAR days and Carrera Cup," explained O'Brien.

At 21 years of age, the Queenslander was the youngest ever winner of an Australian Touring Championship round until Rick Kelly's first win in 2003, and was a front running touring car driver in the 70's and 80's, driving for Peter Brocks Holden Dealer Team as well as his own O'Brien transport team. He also finished 9th in the Australian Gold Star Championship in a Ralt RT4 in 1983, before going on to NASCAR, Super Touring and Carrera Cup.

The Coombabah Shopping Centre backed Ford BF will be run by Peter Sportelli who O'Brien befriended in his NASCAR days. Sportelli use to manage Ian Thomas's Bright Eyes AUSCAR team, which ran in the late 90's.

O'Brien will head to Winton in a few weeks (14 -- 16 May) for his first full round of the Series and later in the year he will have a chance to run in front of a home crowd at the Gold Coast Supercarnivale'.

Race 1 of Round 2, Winton Raceway will be televised live on Network Seven, Saturday, 15th May.

-source: aus v8 utes