April 08, 2013

 

The Midnight Motorsport, CSG Racing and Simink Motorsport teams today announced a number of changes to the various driver lineups utilised by each team throughout the 2013 Career Ladder series.
Without doubt the most significant change comes as a result of Australian racer Jamez Shepherd being released from his contracts as reserve driver for Midnight Motorsport and primary driver for the CSG Racing team in the Supercup series, the competition in which he currently holds an eighteen point advantage over his nearest rival.

Shepherd, who also serves in a management capacity with the three teams through the joint PGE Group project offered the following statement regarding the news that will no doubt come as a surprise to some.

"With a number of changes in my personal life recently I have been unable to commit enough time to help both CSG and Midnight grow and progress in the direction that all three parties are comfortable with. When you then factor in the time zone difficulties, this has meant that I have been unable to support my colleagues as thoroughly as I would have hoped.

Giving up a drive with teams such as Midnight Motorsport and CSG Racing was of course a tough decision, but it was the right one to make, before our seasons become too dependent on each other. I will of course be sad not to be driving for these two great teams during the remainder of the 2013 season, but now I have a new challenge ahead and can enjoy sharing the race track with some great friends and extremely talented drivers in the Superleague."


CSG Racing confirmed that newcomer Oscar Hardwick would replace the outgoing Shepherd with immediate effect; the team having been able to negotiate a deal with key rivals Target Racing, with whom Hardwick raced in Austria just two weeks ago, securing a podium on his debut despite numerous setbacks.

Team Owner Dave Carr-Smith was upbeat about the chances of continuing the success enjoyed by the team in the opening three rounds.

"Obviously losing Jamez is a big blow, but we respect his decision and wish him all the best with his Superleague campaign. We were initially a little concerned about who would be able to fill the void, but I don't believe that we could have found anyone better than Oscar. He showed in Austria that he has what it takes to compete at the front of the Supercup series, despite a late call up, and I am confident that together with Roy, the team will be able to continue to compete for podiums and victories."

In a somewhat late announcement, Simink Motorsport confirmed that David Fidock, who raced for the team in Austria, would continue with the Formula Challenge squad for the remainder of the season alongside championship contending team-mate Ryan Gilmore.

Fidock, who impressed many on his FC debut, will also fulfill the role vacated by Shepherd at Midnight Motorsport, acting as the team's test and reserve driver for the remainder of the 2013 season. Whilst the 'stretch' from Formula Challenge race driver to Superleague reserve driver may surprise some, Midnight Motorsport team bosses are said to be impressed with the pace, consistency and maturity of the Brit's driving.

In the past, the role has been fulfilled by the primary CSG Racing driver, as experienced with Alex Cooper in 2012 and Jamez Shepherd in the first three events of the 2013 season, but with newcomer Oscar Hardwick apparently opting for a reserve role in which he could 'help a team grow', the Midnight Motorsport team has called upon Fidock's safe pair of hands as they attempt to defend their 2012 championship successes.