Paul Morris will make his return to the driving seat in the final round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS at the Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit.
Morris will drive with Mark Griffith in his Mercedes AMG GT4 around the famous Adelaide streets, replacing his son Nash who partnered with Griffith at the previous sprint round at The Bend Motorsport Park as well as the endurance finale at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International earlier this month.
The event will mark Morris’ first in a GT4 car, and his motor race since the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour in 2021.
There will be an added pressure for his racing return too. Griffin currently leads the GT4 standings in the hotly-contested class, holding a mere nine point advantage over the same-spec Mercedes of Sam Brabham and Chris Batzios.
Morris, the winner of the 2014 Bathurst 1000, says that he is excited to compete in his maiden GT4 race.
“It should be good to get out there. I’m looking forward to having some fun and enjoy driving a cool car on a cool track,” said Morris.
“The GT4 title means a lot to Griffo. Like any time you go motor racing and there’s a championship on the line, it means a bit extra.
“The good thing with Griffo is that he has plenty of speed. He is a very capable driver in his own right, so we’re safe there. He might even knock me off!
“And being there for the return of Adelaide is great. It’s one of the events that everyone wants to be at. After the race was canned a couple of years ago, I thought it was gone forever. They were selling off equipment and assets, but to have the iconic event back in Adelaide, I really wanted to be there for it.
“I really encourage everyone to get there and support it, which from the sounds of things people will, and prove that it deserves its place.”
Morris also noted that one of the added reasons for accepting the drive with Griffin was the future of GT4 racing in Australia.
Announced at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, the Australian Racing Group has formed a joint venture with the Australian Production Car Series, ensuring that the popular category will have a enviable racing calendar to participate on in the years ahead.
Also confirmed was GT4-specification cars will be eligible to compete in the Australian Production Car Series from 2023.
Morris is excited by this news and is keen to see GT4 competition prosper in Australia.
“From a team and competitors point of view, I’m interested in the GT4 announcement,” he said.
“That category has some strong potential. GT3 cars are going too fast for some Am competitors. Even Porsche CC is a bit too much. GT4 seems to be the perfect regulations for a wider variety of racers.
“I’m looking forward to finding out more about GT4 next weekend, so there’s plenty of reasons for me racing.”
The Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS will contest three 40 minute races around the Adelaide street venue, with qualifying and Race 1 on Friday, followed by one race on both Saturday and Sunday.