Formula Ford champ seals Dunlop Series debut

Rising star Valentino Astuti will join the Supercars fold, with the Formula Ford champion sealing a Dunlop Series debut with MW Motorsport.

MW Motorsport, one of the powerhouses in Super2 history, returns to the third-tier with the young driver.

Astuti will make his debut in Supercars machinery in Super3 at next weekend’s Penrite Oil Sandown 500.

He's the second driver in line for a Dunlop Series debut, with Aaron Cameron to steer a Super2 Ford Mustang at the Melbourne event.

"Two things are for sure, grass is green and it feels damn good to see your name on a Supercar,” Astuti posted to social media.

"Stoked to announce I’ll be competing at next weekend’s Penrite Oil Sandown 500 with MW Motorsport in Super3.

"Got to cut my first laps in the car today, is pretty cool to be wheeling a car you watched race growing up.

Astuti will race a MW Motorsport-prepared Nissan Altima, with the car eligible for the Super3 category from 2023. The car is the former Kelly Altima that notably won at Winton at the hands of James Moffat in 2013, and finished second in the 2014 Bathurst.

MW Motorsport will make its second appearances in the 2023 Dunlop Series, having run a Ford Mustang for Jaylyn Robotham at the season-opening Thrifty Newcastle 500.

The young driver tested the car at Winton earlier this week, just three weeks after a landmark debut in a Gen3 Supercar at Queensland Raceway.

Midway through August, Astuti tested a Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustang — with the guidance of Anton De Pasquale and engineer Ludo Lacroix — as part of a DJR Evaluation Day.

Astuti won the DJR opportunity courtesy of his 2022 national Formula Ford triumph.

The Dunlop Series resumes at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on September 15-17, supporting the Repco Supercars Championship.

Erebus Academy driver Jobe Stewart leads the Super3 standings ahead of Cameron McLeod and Jett Johnson, who also tested the Gen3 DJR Ford.