An international racing debut awaits Hawkes Bay 20-year-old Jackson Rooney, who will partner Tony Quinn for Round 2 of Monochrome GT4 Australia at The Bend.
Rooney and Quinn will share driving duties of the Game Over Mercedes-AMG GT4 for two one-hour races over the weekend of May 31-June 2.
“This is a really exciting opportunity, and I can’t thank Tony and the team enough for having me along,” said Rooney.
“Stepping into the GT4 Mercedes for the first time will be a valuable learning experience. I’m going to go over, have some fun, and embrace the occasion.”
The GT4 drive is the latest opportunity in what has been a breakthrough 12 months for Rooney, whose accolades include winning five of the season’s last six races in the Toyota 86 Championship, including two in front of a sell-out crowd at the ITM Taupo Super400.
His performances saw him rewarded by the Tony Quinn Foundation with a Gen3 Camaro test with Red Bull Ampol Racing at Queensland Raceway, which will take place later this year.
“None of this would be possible without the Tony Quinn Foundation,” adds Rooney. “I’m not sure where I’d be without their support.”
Quinn competed as a solo competitor in Monochrome GT4 Australia’s opening round at Phillip Island in April but will split the driving duties with the Kiwi second time out.
“I’m looking forward to spending the weekend with Jackson in the Game Over Mercedes at The Bend and seeing what he can do with more horsepower on hand,” said Quinn.
“We’ve seen time and time again in a short space of time that he’s a very talented driver, and I’m sure he’ll demonstrate that when we hit the track together.”
Rooney burst onto the scene in September last year when he won the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy’s Toyota 86 Shoot-Out, claiming a $37,500 cash prize from the Tony Quinn Foundation that allowed him to progress from karting to cars.
From there, the rest is history.
“It was incredible to watch Jackson grow in his rookie season, and winning five of the last six races is no small accomplishment,” said Tony Quinn Foundation Trustee Daniel Gaunt, who was a judge in the shoot-out.
“He really started to show his true colours at the back end of the campaign.
“A drive at The Bend with Tony is a great opportunity for him to learn and get some valuable seat time in a GT4 car in preparation for his Gen3 Camaro test.”
Round 2 of the Monochrome GT4 Australia series takes place at the May 31-June 2 Shannons SpeedSeries event at Tailem Bend in South Australia.
Header Image: Monochrome GT4 Australia
Words & Images supplied
