Moore back in the game

One of the surprising inclusions in the entry list for the 101 is Auckland’s Richard Moore — the former NZ SuperTourer driver set to co-drive with Tony Longhurst in a Miedecke Stone Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

For the 24-year-old, the Australian GT drive signals the potential end to a hiatus from top-tier racing.

“What sane human wouldn’t chop off their left proverbial to drive an Aston Martin GT3?

“I’m looking forward to working with Tony Longhurst and I’m sure I will be learning a huge amount from him. Hopefully together we can achieve a strong result,” said Moore.

It’s currently a one-off deal, but it could potentially help him rekindle his motorsport career. Opportunities in GT racing could see him replicate the path of names such as Earl Bamber and Jono Lester.

“This isn’t a ‘one off’ for me — it’s a chance to prove that I can be a valuable asset to a team both locally and abroad.

“It’s an awesome opportunity for me to put my foot in the door and expose my ability to a heap of people, many of whom won’t know me and many who will have assumed I was not still serious about professional motorsport anymore — totally not the case.

“The cars are second to none, and the racing is just as hot. It has a massive challenge in front of it to compete with the age-old Ford versus Holden rivalry. Australia has proven it can do that, so I have no doubt it will continue to rise in popularity here.”