Image Credit: Colson Photography
Jackson Rice is ready for another year in the TRCIO Trans Am Series with team, Dream Racing Australia and is eager to make his mark against some well-known drivers.
The Wodonga born racer launched his First National Real Estate livery on his Ford Mustang via social media last week, with the fresh new look set to hit the track for round 1 at Symmons Plains, Tasmania this weekend.
“I’m stoked with how the car looks,” said Rice.
“A big thank you to First National Real Estate for coming on board as our major partner ahead of Tasmania this weekend. The car looks fresh, and I can’t wait to get it onto the track.
“We’ve got some continuing sponsors from last year as well as some new ones. So, a big thank you to everyone who is onboard with us for the 2025 season.”
Behind the scenes, it has been all hands-on deck in preparation for the season, with well-known Australian Touring Car legend, Glenn Seton playing a vital role in mentoring the young gun.
“It has been a massive few months, since finishing back in December,” said Rice.
“We’ve stripped the car completely, back to a fresh chassis, fresh drive line, brand new gear boxes, the whole lot.
“I’ve been working closely with Seto (Seton) throughout the off season, as well as my engineer, Cambo (Cameron Fisher.) I’m super grateful to be able to work with both of those guys. They have a wealth of knowledge.
“Seto has obviously been involved in a lot of categories and has been around a long time, so I feel privileged to be able to learn from him. I’m just taking it all in.”
Tasmania this weekend will feature a 30-minute practice session, followed by split qualifying and then race 1 on Saturday at 4:20pm. Sunday is set to be busy, with three races packed into the one day.
Rice shares that he is confident going into the weekend,
“We had a really great test day, so I’m feeling really confident in the car,” shared Rice.
“I really enjoy Symmons Plains. It’s a short track, with only six corners and has the notorious hair pin, one of the slowest corners in the country. We go from about 260km/h down to 43km/h, so it’s going to be interesting having 32 cars run into that corner from high speeds to almost a dead stop. We’ll be doing our best to keep our nose clean and keep the car straight.
“Qualifying will be key this weekend, so I’m hoping that we can get a decent flying lap in. The session is broken into two sessions of 16 cars, the reason being because the track is so short and there’s 32 cars, so we will have to make sure that we finish in the top split.
“It’s set to be a busy weekend, but I’m really looking forward to it.”
The TRICO Trans Am Series will be televised on Kayo and SBS across Saturday and Sunday, 22 – 23rd March.