All Black front rower Angus Ta’avao has confirmed his spot on the grid for the inaugural Supercars celebrity Eseries race staged on the hallowed Mount Panorama circuit on May 18.
The celebrity race builds on the success of the introduction of wildcards in the official BP Supercars All Star Eseries rounds hosted every Wednesday evening, which has attracted the likes of Formula 1 drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Since 2018, Ta’avao has been a regular starter for the Waikato Chiefs and made his test debut against Argentina in the Rugby Championship the same year. He was also selected as part of the wider squad for last year’s World Cup campaign.
Joining the already confirmed list of storied sporting superstars includes Motocross ace and dual Dakar Rally winner Toby Price, SuperX rider Dan Reardon, five-time 500cc (now MotoGP) World Champion Mick Doohan and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
Brown will race alongside fellow Supercar team bosses Brad Jones, Barry Ryan and DJR Team Penske Managing Director Ryan Story in what is shaping up to be an exciting one-off race.
Other celebrities already announced are former Australian Test cricketers Brad Hodge and Peter Siddle, surfing champion Luke Egan, AFL premiership winner Jack Riewoldt and retired NRL player Nathan Hindmarsh
Ta’avao will be hoping to mirror the success kiwi compatriots Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen have had in the virtual series as the two have quickly proven to be the boys to beat after five rounds.
The race will be broadcasted live on Sky Sport 5 and live streamed via the official Supercars Facebook page from 9 pm NZT.
Sources of Velocity News also suggest that Crusader and fellow All Black front rower Codie Taylor is also set to join the grid for next week’s event.
