The Townsville Undercard

09 Jul 2015

Remember the names you see during the support categories this weekend - there's every chance you're watching a future Bathurst winner or F1 star.

4 mins by James Pavey

Paul Dumbrell

Pit Stop

...

History will be forged as Formula 4 takes to the track for the first time this weekend; the Dunlop Series will continue the 'Generation Next' vibe and then there's Porsche Carrera Cup, Australian GT Championship and the V8 Utes to complete a huge line-up at the Castrol EDGE Townsville 400.

Dunlop V8 Supercars

Townsville marks the halfway point in the Dunlop Series and the question is can anyone beat Cameron Waters? Yes is the simple answer.

He may have won the last six races but I don't think he'll have it so easy in Townsville. He's yet to score a podium up there so this is the best chance Paul Dumbrell has at beating him again.

Last year's Townsville winner Chris Pither will be strong again as we revert to the two race, two qualifier format.

Porsche Carrera Cup

If the form guide is anything to go by you'd be crazy not to back a Kiwi-born driver in Carrera Cup this weekend, they've won all four rounds held previously in Townsville.

Series leader, Steven Richards won there last year and has won five out of the six races held on street circuits in 2015.

If there's an Aussie to stop the streak it might just be debutant, John Martin. He's a quality sportscar racer who gained international praise for his LMP2 performance in last year's Le Mans 24 Hour race. He's signed on for the rest of the season and is keen to impress the V8 Supercars teams.

The other team to watch out for is Sonic. They've been as exciting as the video game of the same name this year and their two Nicks (McBride and Foster) have both won races in the last two rounds. I'm backing one of them for pole.

Australian GT Championship

After a sizable shunt or two on the streets of Adelaide and a confusing yet thrilling race at Phillip Island the Australian GT Championship is ready for round three.

This is the hardest category to predict a winner as different pit stop times are used to give the gentleman drivers a sporting chance against the pros.

With a high chance of Safety Cars don't be surprised if a bloke you've never heard of pops up in the lead after the pit stops but expect the likes of Steven Johnson, Steven Richards, Tony D'Alberto, John Bowe, German hotshot Christopher Mies and round one star Nathan Antunes to come ripping through the field.

East Coast Bullbars Australian V8 Utes

The Utes put on some of their best racing in years in Darwin with the final race being the second closest in Ute history.

The event was so exciting they're still talking about it this weekend in the Steward's office. Points leader Ryal Harris might yet cop a very late post-race penalty, which will see his series lead diminish.

Making an appearance is former Champ Car driver Marcus Marshall. He's made one V8 Ute appearance before in Perth in 2011, you may remember that event was overshadowed by fellow ex-A1GP driver, Karl Reindler.

CAMS Jayco Formula 4

When it comes to things I've most been looking forward to in 2015, the Formula 4 debut is second only to the new "Jurassic Park" movie.

This is now the premier junior class in Australia and the cars are really cool. French-built Mygale chassis with wings, slicks and a turbocharged 1.6 litre Ford EcoBoost motor. They're not too loud but the turbos flutter like the old Ford Sierras once did.

There's $250,000 in future funding up for grabs, as well as a test with Daniel Ricciardo's old F3 team in Europe. That'll get any teenager out of bed early.

Chad's Fast Four

- DVS: I get the feeling Macauley Jones is about to do something special. BJR won here last year and 'Macca' is due for his first podium.

- AGT: Jono Lester has taken both poles this season and Tony D'Alberto has the Townsville AGT lap record so it could be a 'Prancing Horse' front row.

- F4: Formula 4 will have its haters this weekend but give it time and it will come good. They may even take the outright lap record too.

- Tyres: Interestingly we have five different tyre companies across the five support categories. Dunlop, Michelin, Pirelli, Yokohama and Hankook.

All support sessions will be LIVE on Fox Sports 506 and you can catch selected races on Network Ten.