Fiore Looks for 2014 Co-Drive
Dean Fiore has confirmed he will not be driving full-time in the 2014 V8 Supercars Championship. The West Australian is instead focusing on securing a PIRTEK Enduro Cup co-drive for next year.
“For me, I would rather only race three times a year and be in a position to be right up there, rather than be in a position I was in the second part of the year,” Fiore told v8supercars.com.au.
“Don’t get me wrong about the team – the boys who worked on my car were absolutely fantastic – but it just wasn’t all up to scratch.
“I did have some things on the boil for next year but I didn’t have quite enough commercial backing to make my own REC stack up.
"I’m fully focused now on trying to sort out a top line endurance drive and potentially race in Carrera Cup as well.”
It’s not the first time Fiore has spoken about the tough end to this season with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, particularly after struggling at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. He finished the year 24th in the Championship standings.
Although V8 Supercars has been his home for the past five years, Fiore feels good about moving forward.
“I feel good because the last half of this year was very difficult. It wasn’t enjoyable at all.
“The only way I would do it (continue driving full-time) is with a team I’m confident will have the goods, in terms of being capable of being up there all the time.
“It frees up a bit of my time to pursue other things as well. I’ve always wanted to do a bit of stuff in the business world and that’s what I’ll do, I’ll tackle that head on.”
Fiore hasn’t just had to focus on securing a full-time drive for 2014 as the ‘silly season’ has kicked off. With family members he holds a REC (Racing Entitlement Contract), but despite positive talks in the tail end of the season, he has been unable to lock something down. His major sponsor Dodo Insurance will not continue in the sport.
Fiore said there had been interest from teams looking to secure his services for the PIRTEK Enduro Cup, comprising of the Wilson Security Sandown 500, Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600.
Having contested Carrera Cup in previous years, Fiore finds the identical equipment and strong field an attractive additional option.
The future of LDM is currently unclear, with second driver Scott Pye announced at Dick Johnson Racing for the next two years. Pit lane chatter has linked Russell Ingall to a drive at the team, though there is also talk of the veteran running as a co-driver in 2014.
