Sonic Motor Racing Services has confirmed a three-driver line-up for the opening round of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, with a new face locked into one of its Bob Jane T-Marts entries.

Former Porsche Sprint Challenge champion Simon Fallon will join Michael Almond in the Team Sonic-prepared Bob Jane T-Marts Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, aiming to repeat the past success of the famous yellow and blue entries.

Fallon, 21, is a rising star in the motorsport world, but after winning the 2018 Porsche Sprint Challenge with Sonic, was forced onto the sidelines when a budget shortfall kept him out of the driver’s seat.

Also joining Fallon and Almond will be Aaron Love, who is back for his third year with the squad, aiming to replicate the success of his older brother Jordan who won the Carrera Cup title with Sonic in 2019 before embarking on a drive in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

The three drivers have enjoyed a successful lead up to the opening round at Sandown this weekend, completing two test days at Winton and Phillip Island, ensuring they are ready to hit the ground in the best shape possible.

This year also marks the 17th straight season of partnership between Bob Jane T-Marts and Sonic Motor Racing Services.

The relationship has seen many young stars of the sport get their big opportunities in motorsport, helping to launch the careers of the likes of David Reynolds, Andre Heimgartner, Nick Foster, Garry Jacobson and more.

The opening round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia will be held at Sandown Raceway on March 20-21.

QUOTES

Simon Fallon

Sonic Carrera Cup driver

“It’s very exciting, especially to join such a formidable team with Bob Jane T-Marts support,” said Fallon.

“Bob Jane T-Marts has a massive history in Carrera Cup racing, and motorsport in general, so can’t wait to get in the car and be in one of those cars.

“It almost adds that bit more pressure, but it will be doing everything I can to make it work and hopefully we can get some good results.

“Motorsport is expensive, but I used the time away to get my builders’ license sorted and work on other aspects of my career,” he said.

“Of course, I missed the racing, and I feel I’m up for the challenge against the best Porsche drivers in Australia.”

Michael Almond

Sonic Carrera Cup driver

“It’s exciting to be a part of the Bob Jane T-Marts team, and I’m excited to have another crack at Carrera Cup before the new model Porsche comes in next year,” said Almond.

“I’m more eager than ever to come back to the driver’s seat. I don’t think I’ve been out of the seat this long before, so I’m really looking forward to having a proper assault at the championship.

“We’ve done a few test days this year, and I’m feeling fit and fast, and I feel I’m doing it more naturally than I ever have.”

“Having Simon in the team is a bonus. He is a proven race winner in Porsches. The only problem is that of the three team-mates I’ve had, they always seem to be younger than me!” he joked.

“As a whole, the Sonic team is a great place to be. We all get along well and it’s a very cohesive environment which is only going to push us forward which is really exciting.”

Aaron Love

Sonic Carrera Cup driver

“We had quite a successful couple of days testing and we made some ground, getting back and ready for the year,” said Love.

“It was a good way to get my head back into the right mentality to get ready for the season.

“We had good pace in the rounds that we did complete last year, so we will take in some confidence from that, but the expectation needs to be considered. I need to keep in mind that I’m still fresh at Carrera Cup and I’m still learning.

“For sure, I would like to be within the top six by the end of the year, but there are a few extra new faces in the field who have a lot of experience. It’s a bit of an unknown at the moment, so I’ll take it as it comes, but we want to be close to the pace and build as the year goes on.”

Michael Ritter

Sonic team owner

“Having Simon come back into our team is a positive, and we’re looking forward to seeing how he progresses during the year,” said Ritter.

“He has been out of the seat for almost two years, so we are expecting him to ease into it, but we’ve helped to give him this opportunity because we know what he can do and we know what his capabilities are.

“Michael Almond is now a very senior member of our driving team and again, we will be looking to him to lead our young drivers with his experience and speed.

“Aaron Love was one of the stand-outs in the short amount of running we did in 2020. Like his older brother, he has a tremendous future in the sport, and our job will be to harness that speed and help him turn it into results.”