Schwerkolt assessing SuperUtes entry

Gold Coast-based businessman Charlie Schwerkolt is considering expanding his Preston Hire Racing team into the ECB SuperUtes Series.

Preparations for the inaugural SuperUtes season will step up tomorrow with a five-Ute test at Queensland Raceway.

The test will mark the track debut of the Holden Colorado and Toyota Hilux, which will be parity tested alongside the Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton and Mazda BT-50.

SuperUtes’ inaugural season will kick-off at the Adelaide 500 on March 1-4, with up to a dozen of the dual-cab, turbo diesel machines expected on track.

Schwerkolt is keeping tight-lipped on any plans to join the action, but has confirmed to Supercars.com that he will attend tomorrow’s test as an observer.

“The team is looking at all other categories at the moment, whether it’s Super2, SuperUtes or whatever else is out there,” he said at today's PIRTEK Enduro Cup co-driver announcement.

“We’re assessing everything and I’ll be at Queensland Raceway tomorrow to see what the SuperUtes are up to.”

Teams confirmed for the inaugural season include Ross Stone Racing (Holden), Ranger Racing (Ford), the Sieders Racing Team (Mitsubishi and Toyota), Peters Motorsport (Mazda), Western Sydney Motorsport (Toyota), Ben Walsh Racing (Toyota) and Steve Wilson Racing (Isuzu).

The Isuzu will not be completed in time for tomorrow’s test, but will have its parity set in a subsequent outing at Queensland Raceway prior to Adelaide.