Matt Halliday to be TPR enduro driver

TRADING POST RACING RECRUITS MATT HALLIDAY

Bathurst and Phillip Island will see Jason Bright team with Matt Halliday in the Trading Post Racing Commodore.

Halliday, who currently competes in the Porsche Supercup, has made ten appearances in the V8 Supercar Season of Endurance, debuting in 2004 with Mark Larkham to finish 11th at Bathurst and most recently with Marcus Marshall and Britek in 2008 to finish 14th at the iconic street track.

Bright says this is one of his best chances in recent times to take his second Bathurst 1000 win after the recent rule change preventing team-mates driving together.

The L&H 500 at Phillip Island is from September 10-12 with the Supercheap Bathurst 1000 four weeks later from October 8-10.

Jason Bright

Trading Post Racing #14

"This year is a bit different because of the new rules preventing team-mates driving together. Now drivers outside the championship don't have to compete against regular drivers for a seat, which makes the choice far less difficult as far as I'm concerned because it's the same for everyone.

"Matt did a good job for us in 2008 and I thought that he did a good job at FPR. He's got some good experience in V8s in good cars and has been to Bathurst a few times. He's been quick and he didn't require a lot of laps to do it.

"It's going to be a much better race this year because you'll have drivers of the same level competing against each other throughout the day, which will probably bring strategy into it a lot more. The timing of when you've got your lead driver in the car compared to your co-driver is going to be important as to track position going into the last hour.

Matt Halliday

Trading Post Racing #14

"I've driven in the same team as Jason [Bright] when we were at FPR together and in his team after that so I know Jason really well. He is one of those guys who have succeeded internationally not just V8s so he is a really good guy to be involved with. There's no one I would prefer to be with actually.

"I have a really busy schedule of racing all over the world this year but the enduros are two of the best races in the world and the interest in them from drivers is very high. I had a date clash last year and it was quite painful missing out so it was high on my list of priorities to sign a good deal this year.

"I get the feeling already that BJR is a really tight knit team. As far as Bathurst is concerned, BJR has had a strong run there for the last few years and we're going there to try and win it."

-source: tpr