Asian Motor Sports

Leanne Tander has taken a serious step in achieving her best possible result at the endurance races this year, running a car in the Fujitsu Series.

Drivers who are not in the main game, but are taking part in the L&H500 and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 are allowed to take part in six practice sessions in the lead up to the two events.

The first session was held this weekend at Winton and while Tander said the session helped immensely, she has secured more track time in a V8 by driving in the Fujitsu Series.

Wilson Security Racing (WSR), who has signed Tander on for the enduros, has acquired Jason Bright’s 2008 BA Falcon for her.

And the #222 car is run by Tandersport, the team she formed with her husband, Toll Holden Racing Team driver Garth Tander.

“The development drive is going to help tremendously,” she said.

“I don’t think I could put a measure on how much it’s going to help because there’s nothing more valuable than laps in a V8 Supercar and with four test days per team, they can’t really afford to give me the time that I need out of their own test bank.

“I’m not racing anything else this year, so it would have been a big ask, but now I’m already feeling so much more comfortable that when I get to the enduros, I will be ready.”

Tander said the team was still getting the hang of the #222 car.

“We got the car I am racing in the Fujitsu Series on Monday night,” she said.

“We haven’t done any testing in it, so we don’t really know yet how it responds to changes and things like that so basically this weekend, that’s what we’re learning – it’s a shakedown.”

Jumping between the two cars is both a hindrance and a help for Tander.

“It’s a bit of a challenge jumping into different cars, but each one helps the other one,” she said.

“I drive the Fujitsu Series car and that one gets me more ready when I jump in the #333 car to push harder, and after driving that one I can feel what I want in the car and then try to apply that back to the #222 car.”

Depending on sponsorship, Tander will compete in at least two more Fujitsu Series events, and the experience serves another purpose.

“It is a great opportunity and experience for Tandersport to get a toe in the water for the development series because we would love to be able to run a car full-time in the development series and this way the guys are getting some experience and were all learning together and it’s great,” she said.

Wilson Security Australia/New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, John McMellan, said the company had a lot of faith in Australia’s best female motor racer.

“We are proud to create this opportunity for her to race the new #222 WSR car and help her to step up with her own team,” he said.

“Leanne is a great ambassador for Wilson Security and we have a long-term focus for our relationship with her both on and off-track.

“Our support to help Leanne get this development series program up and running at Tandersport is not just about getting her up to speed for the enduros, but also to help develop her career in the bigger picture.”