HRT's future looking Bright; Jason to replace Lowndes
13/12/2000 0:13 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - Jason Bright has given up on his overseas ambitions, for now at least, to once again pursue V8 Supercar glory – and he’s grabbed the seat everyone wanted to do it.
The future of the country’s number one Supercar team is looking Bright, after the Holden Racing Team today named Jason Bright as Craig Lowndes’ replacement for next season.
Much like the man he will succeed, Bright – who appeared to be on the cusp of breaking into the CART World Series after his debut drive on the Gold Coast earlier this year – has put his single-seater dreams on-hold in favour of a seat in the country’s number one team.
A lack of funding is believed to have thwarted any possible Indy drives for next season.
Bright joins Mark Skaife in Factory Holden colours next year, after Craig Lowndes instigated a messy divorce from the team earlier this year.
The 27-year-old, originally from HRT’s home state of Victoria, drove for the Ford-powered Stone Brothers operation in 1998 and 1999. He won Bathurst with Steven Richards in his sophomore year as a full-timer.
He spent this year in the United States, running an Indy Lights car in the hope of securing a CART drive for next season. Despite his impressive sixth-place finish in the Lights Championship, and a strong showing at Surfers Paradise, the drive hasn’t materialised.
Bright today tested with the team at Winton Raceway in Victoria – his first time behind the wheel of a Commodore – with HRT’s hierarchy singing his praises.
HRT are yet to release a formal statement on the signing.
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