Piastri, Brabham join Supercars Eseries

Formula 2 series leader Piastri will make a one-off wildcard start tonight as part of a two-car BP Ultimate Racing line-up tonight alongside Supercars driver Thomas Randle.

The pair are set to campaign virtual Ford Mustangs in the All Stars component of the series, which will race on the Charlotte oval for its opening round.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it, I watched [the Supercars Eseries] at home on TV before I flew back to Europe last year, so I’m looking forward to providing entertainment for everyone back home in lockdown,” said Piastri.

“I’ve done a little bit of oval racing; I’ve done some practice at Charlotte which is the track we are racing at so it should be fun. I’ve got a little bit of experience, but I’ll be putting some practice in.

“I’m using my sim from home in Oxford so hopefully my ping isn’t too bad and I’m not virtually hitting people from 10 metres away, but I think as we are on oval circuits with the same setups, we will be evenly matched.

“When I was at home in Australia last year and in lockdown, I did some races against Shane van Gisbergen and Brodie Kostecki online, so I’m looking forward to racing them again.”

Brabham, meanwhile, will form part of Repco Racing's line-up, the third-generation racer teamed with professional sim racer Jordan Caruso.

They too will campaign Mustangs, Brabham's the carry the iconic gold and green made famous by his grandfather Sir Jack Brabham.

It's the younger Brabham's second outing in those colours this year, after he sampled the Repco-owned Brabham BT19 Formula 1 car at the real-world Supercars season-opener at Bathurst back in February.

Brabham will compete in the All Stars Series and Caruso in the Pro Series.

“I haven’t done a lot of simulator racing, but I definitely enjoy it,” said Brabham.

“I raced in the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship last year, so my experience level is limited, but as the Porsche season went along, I seemed to get better, so I’m looking forward to the new challenge of the Supercar.

“It will be good to use the tribute BT19 livery too. It’s an iconic livery made famous by my grandfather. I’m not sure what he would think of virtual racing like this, but I know he’d love the colours of the car, even if it’s on a computer game.”

Having risen to prominence during the pandemic-induced break last year, the format of the Supercars Eseries has been tweaked for 2021.

The All Stars Series will feature real-world stars like Chaz Mostert, Cam Waters, Anton De Pasquale, Brodie Kostecki and Richie Stanaway, their six-round season mostly taking in oval circuits.

The Pro Series is populated by professional rim racers and will be contested at the Red Bull Ring, Long Beach, Road America, a fans' choice circuit, Bathurst and Phillip Island.

Supercars All Stars Eseries entry list