Young driver's second chance after concussion battle
Ryan Gilroy to replace Zane Morse for Perth round
Gilroy suffered concussion in Bathurst crash last year
Morse broke wrist in recent fall, ruling him out of Perth
An injury to Zane Morse has opened the door for Ryan Gilroy to make a comeback to the Dunlop Series, seven months after he suffered a concussion in a big Bathurst crash.
Singleton-born Gilroy will return to racing at next weekend's Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint with AIM Motorsport, and will make his Super2 debut.
The 22-year-old has been on the sidelines since October, when he crashed across the top of the Mountain.
Prior to Bathurst, Gilroy had impressed in his AIM #89 Holden Commodore, scoring a top three finish on his Super3 debut in Newcastle, before adding another in Townsville.
He switched to a Nissan Altima at the next round at Sandown, before coming undone in Bathurst. Gilroy has since undergone a rehabilitation program, with an injury to regular driver Morse opening the door to a comeback for the Novocastrian.
In the weeks after the Bathurst season opener, Morse suffered a fall and sustained a broken scaphoid (wrist).
With Morse still on the road to recovery, Gilroy was parachuted in to substitute in the #11 Ford, which he tested at Winton Motor Raceway last week.
Gilroy will work with Adam DeBorre, who has been recruited to head up AIM Motorsport as crew chief.
“It all came together pretty quickly," Gilroy said of the Morse replacement deal.
"Obviously I was itching to get back in the seat, and when I got the call from the AIM Motorsport crew, I jumped at the opportunity. We did the deal on Monday, and on Friday I was in the car at Winton for a test day."
Gilroy revealed he was only cleared in February, and missed the start of the new Dunlop Series season.
“After the Bathurst hit, the doctors wouldn’t clear me to return for the race weekend," he said.
"I spent Thursday night in Orange Hospital, and it turned out to be a bit of a big hit to the ol’ brain - I actually didn’t get medically cleared until early February 2024.
"I spent four weeks with minimal brain stimulation, no phone, no driving and no exercise, to help the recovery process, and then just eased back into normal life.
"I’m back training now and driving my road car, and to get back in the race car last week was just awesome."
Gilroy will partner third-generation racer Jett Johnson at the May 17-19 Perth round.
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