Kai is in for a wild ride at Bathurst

Former Mount Gambier driver secures supercars drive at Australia’s Great Race

He might be only 18 but Mount Gambier’s Kai Allen is set to write another chapter in his motor racing career, securing a wildcard entry into this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000.

Allen will be teaming with Swiss driver Simona De Silvestro in the wildcard Ford Mustang entry for the Shell V-Power Racing Team, making them one of three DJR Mustangs in the field at the Bathurst 1000, with De Silvestro/Allen in Car #98 alongside Will Davison/Alex Davison in Car #17 and Anton De Pasquale/Tony D’Alberto in Car #11.

It will make for a hectic Bathurst for Allen, who will still compete in the Dunlop Super 2 Series at the October 5-8 event in his Eggleston Motorsport ZB Commodore, as well as his first start in the Great Race in a supercar.

After a stunning performance at the most recent Super 2 round in Townsville, where he secured his first pole position and race victory, Allen has moved from seventh to second in the series championship. Allen’s relationship with DJR dates back to last May when he took part in an Evaluation Day driving one of the Gen2 Mustangs and impressed team powerbrokers and that day, combined with his Super 2 form has seen the 18-yearold land the wildcard Bathurst contract.

He has certainly been on the radar of DJR (Dick Johnson Racing) team principal Ben Croke, even prior to the Queensland Raceway Evaluation Day.

“Kai Allen is a young talent we have had an eye on for over a year now,” Croke told Speedcafe’s Daniel Herrero.

“He drove the Mustang last year on an evaluation day and I was impressed with his speed, maturity, and work ethic.

“Simona brings a wealth of experience to the team. She will be a fantastic mentor for Kai through his first Repco Bathurst 1000.”

The newly paired duo will head to Queensland Raceway early September for a couple of test days in the Gen3 Mustang but Allen’s steep learning curve started at the weekend when he headed to Sydney to shadow the team.

“I will just be sitting back to watch and learn,” Allen said, before leaving for his first taste of the supercar pits.

“It will be all about observing and taking in as much information as possible. There are things like I have never done a pit stop before – there is so much to learn.”

Fortunately, Allen is used to the more cerebral side of motor racing, given he makes notes each time he gets behind the wheel of a race car, working in tandem with team engineers to ensure driver and car are in synch, as well as self-analysis of his own performance and areas for improvement.

Allen is also working hard on his off track preparation for Bathurst to avoid excessive fatigue given he will be driving two cars. “I have been doing a lot of training behind the scenes,” he said.

Allen has been working with Mount Gambier’s Rob Povey, focussing on building strength in the lower back, his arms and his grip strength.

He will also have the elite support from DJR on the Bathurst weekend, with team chefs preparing meals and constant monitoring of his hydration levels.

While the lion’s share of Allen’s focus is on this Bathurst opportunity, he also has one eye on the future and the talented driver is committed to a second season of Super 2 with the view to stepping into the top grade in 2025.

“I guess you would call Super 2 an apprenticeship and every time I jump in the car I learn something,” Allen said. “Another year of learning and development will be really important. I want to build experience, confidence and understanding.”

As well as his inaugural Bathurst drive, Allen has three rounds of the Dunlop Super 2 Series, where he is sitting second in the championship, to complete with Sandown, Bathurst and the season ending Adelaide 500 still on his calendar.

JOINING FORCES: Shell V-Power Racing Team – Dick Johnson Racing team principalBen Croke, Kai Allen & Shell V-Power Racing Team – Dick Johnson Racing CEO David Noble