KARTERS TO LINE UP IN NEW REALITY TV SHOW

Ten contestants will compete for victory in Shannons Supercar Showdown

Australian karters, both current and former, dominate the line up for a new reality TV show, the Shannons Supercar Showdown, which will hit screens in July.

The reality TV show, to be launched on July 23 on 7mate, has seen Kelly Racing throw open its doors to allow TV cameras behind the scenes of what really makes a V8 Supercar team tick.

From an initial cast of 10 contestants, all young, up-and-coming racing drivers in their own right, a series of eliminations will determine the winner of one of the most significant prizes ever offered in motorsport to race at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 this October.

The winner will race alongside the show’s host, TV personality and racing driver Grant Denyer, in the Shannons-Mars Racing entry at Mount Panorama, a fifth entry in ‘The Great Race’ for Kelly Racing.

As well as unearthing a future V8 Supercar star, Shannons Supercar Showdown joins Kelly Racing as Rick and Todd Kelly, Greg Murphy and David Reynolds battle it out in the 2011 V8 Supercars Championship. Race fans will meet the people behind the scenes critical to the success of a motorsport race team from engineers and mechanics to designers, dieticians and personal trainers.

Local and international hopefuls, including three female drivers, will also descend on Kelly Racing headquarters to take part in this unique event. Ten of the hottest up-and-coming drivers from Australia and across the globe will compete for the coveted spot, as they eat, sleep and train with Kelly Racing and learn everything there is to know about becoming a champion driver.

Over the series they will be eliminated one by one until only the best of the best is left standing.

The drama of V8 Supercars racing at the elite level through the eyes of Rick and Todd Kelly will provide the ultimate contrast to our young hopefuls who are embarking on their own race of a lifetime to get a foot in the door of a V8 Supercar team.

SHANNONS SUPERCAR SHOWDOWN’S TEN CONTESTANTS

AMBER ANDERSON (Female – 26 years old)
Amber Anderson is the regular leader of the pack in V8 Supercars Championship as the driver of the series Safety Car. She has degrees in Commerce and Law and is a qualified pilot and SCUBA diver. Has competed in Fujitsu V8 Supercars Development Series previously.

ANDREW JORDAN (Male – 21 years old)
All the way from Britain, Andrew Jordan adds international flavour. A three-time race winner in the British Touring Car Championship. Former rally cross and Renault Clio Cup driver who has highlighted V8 Supercars as the next step in his career.

BEN SMALL (Male – 23 years old)
Ben Small comes out of retirement for one last shot at a V8 Supercars career. After a decorated career in karting and Formula Ford he stepped away from racing several seasons ago to be a snowboard instructor in Colorado, USA. His father Les and older brother James both experienced racing engineers.

CAMERON WATERS (Male – 16 years old)
From Mildura, Victoria – also the hometown of Todd and Rick Kelly – Cameron Waters has been touted as one of the next big things in Australian motorsport. While only 16 and still in high school, he currently leads the Australian Formula Ford Championship and has already tested a V8 Supercar.

DAVID SERA (Male – 22 years old)
One of the most successful drivers in Australian karting history, David Sera has dominated karting events in Europe, Australia, the Middle East and the United States for the last decade, having starting racing at the tender age of seven. An 11-time Australian karting champion, has earned the nickname ‘Deadly’ as a result of his domination of the sport.

HAYLEY SWANSON (Female – 23 years old)
Some time race driver, some time model, Hayley Swanson has the same combination of speed and glamour that has made Danica Patrick a household name in the United States. Having raced in production cars and Aussie Racing Cars she now turns her attention to the big time with a shot at V8 Supercars.

NICK CASSIDY (Male – 16 years old)
Following in the legendary footsteps of New Zealand racing greats such as Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon and Scott Dixon, Nick Cassidy is flying the Kiwi flag. A race winner in Formula Ford, Formula Toyota and even Speedway competition in his homeland, Cassidy has set his sights on following countrymen Greg Murphy and Shane Van Gisbergen into V8 Supercars.

NICK FOSTER (Male – 19 years old)
The Queenslander eats and sleeps motorsport, working for a race team when not racing himself in the Australian Formula Ford Championship. Nick Foster is a multiple race winner in Formula Ford and karting and also studies Civil Engineering at university.

SAMANTHA REID (Female – 24 years old)
Samantha Reid started racing karts in her hometown of Adelaide as an eight year old and since then has tried her hand at Formula Ford, Formula 3 and was a part of an all-female production car team that raced in the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2007. Studied Mechatronic Engineering at university and is one of the youngest fully qualified driver trainers in Australia.

SHAE DAVIES (Male – 21 years old)
When he is not on the race track Shae Davies can be found working on heavy machinery such as cranes, drill rigs and excavators in his home state of Queensland. Another contestant from the highly competitive Australian Formula Ford Championship with a background in karting.