After a tightly fought first round at Phillip Island, the National Sports Sedan Series will return to the track at Winton Raceway this weekend with a famous name joining the grid.
Mason Kelly, the son of Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly, joins a packed 24-car strong sports sedan field for the second round of the season which will act as a support to the Supercars Winton SuperSprint.
The 17-year-old junior racer will drive the MARC car owned by Stuart Eustice in his debut, as he looks to forge a career in motorsport just like his dad.
“Mason is a bit of an unknown, he’s a late entry. He’s in a very good car suitable for that track, it’ll be ideal for him,” Robinson told Auto Action.
“I’ve been really enjoying racing in the Hyundai Excel series on and off for the past few years and couldn’t I believe the offer from Stuart to drive his Mazda Marc car at Winton this weekend.
Kelly has had one test in the car prior to Winton and explained how different it is to anything he has previously raced.
“Stuart gave me a few sessions at Phillip Island last weekend in the car and it’s a lot faster than the Excel but very nice to drive so I’m really looking forward to it.” Mason Kelly said.
Kelly headlines a list of nine new competitors for the Winton round, which will host competitors from every state.
The boost in demand is linked to the opportunity to race in front of a national audience, as all the Sports Sedan action will be broadcast on Foxtel.
Robinson is confident that his category will give a good account of itself.
“We supported Supercars back in 2015 at Winton and are looking forward to heading there again. Foxtel coverage of our races is a big drawcard for all the competitors.
“The whole area is booked out for accommodation – it’s a very well supported event and when the fans see the Sports Sedans I’m sure they’ll be excited.
“We want to put on a good show for the public – 24 cars around that track will be pretty impressive, lots of noise!”
Audi A4 steerer Jordan Caruso enters Round 2 as the points leader, just five points clear of veteran Steve Tamasi.
While those two will be hard to beat this time around, Robinson believes that the tighter track at Winton will bring others into contention.
“The current leader Jordan Caruso is fired up and ready to go, as are fellow frontrunners Steve Tamasi and Shane Woodman,” Robinson said.
“Those three, plus others like Shane Bradford and Daniel Crompton will be in contention at the pointy end.
“I think the shorter track will change the order a bit, level the playing field.
“One third of the field haven’t been to Winton before, so they’ve been working hard on the simulators.”
The Winton SuperSprint will take place from May 21-22 in country Victoria.
