Young-gun Romano to roar under TWR wing
3/3/2001 18:59 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
Paul Romano has received the biggest possible boost to his V8 Supercar career, taken under the wing of the giant TWR Australia organisation.
Romano Racing effectively becomes the third V8 Supercar operation under the banner of European-based Tom Walkinshaw Racing (the Holden Racing Team and K-Mart Racing the other two) in a startling new deal announced yesterday.
The modest Queensland-based Level 1 team will house Holden's Young Lion V8 Supercar development program, rebuilt around 27-year-old Romano.
K-Mart will support the program, possibly to include a second Commodore to run alongside Romano’s.
TWR Australia’s John Crennan said the “strategic alliance” was a win/win situation for all parties.
“It's good for Romano Racing and Paul Romano, it's good for Queensland having the Holden Young Lion program in that state, it's good for such a key investor in the sport in Kmart, it's good for TEGA, it's good for AVESCO, it's good for Holden and it's good for TWR. Most importantly, it's good for Australian motorsport and its fans,” he said.
The deal also serves to bolster Holden’s diminished driver/team stocks – a strange phenomenon given the manufacturer's success in recent years.
Young Lion Romano will campaign Todd Kelly’s 2000 mount (purchased, ironically, earlier this year by Romano Racing) at Phillip Island later this month.
|
|
