Comebacks are rare in the world of motorsport but Chris Pither has earned a second chance says Ice Break CEO Craig Garvin, who will support the racer’s campaign this year.
Pither, who will compete in this year’s Dunlop V8 Supercar Series, thought his racing days were numbered after crashing heavily in the 2008 Bathurst 1000 when co-driving for Team Kiwi.
Brad Jones enlisted him as a co-driver for last year’s V8 Supercar Season of Endurance, however, when the 2011 Australian Ute Racing Series Champion proved to be a talented and intelligent racer.
Garvin believes teaming up with BJR, using Fabian Coulthard’s 2012 Commodore, is Pither’s best chance at showcasing his talent and progressing his career.
The 2013 Dunlop V8 Supercar Series will kick off in Adelaide at the Clipsal 500 next month. In addition to this, Pither is hoping to raise the budget to provide another youngster with a ute championship drive after managing a successful scholarship programme with Ice Break in 2012 for Jesse Dixon and Andrew Waite.
Chris Pither
Ice Break Racing Driver
“It’s definitely taken a long time to get back to this point. I didn’t drive in Australia at all for two years after the accident so I had a lot of time to think about it.
“Winning the ute championship with Ice Break was a massive achievement in itself and I was rapt with that so if I’d never made it back that would have ticked the box, but to do Sandown and Bathurst last year was pretty special for me. That was four years since I had driven a V8 Supercar so it was a dream come true for me and I was very grateful for the chance.
“I really enjoyed the races with the team last year. Brad Jones Racing is a great bunch of enthusiastic racers and everyone puts 100% effort in, which will be good this year. Hopefully it’s going to lead onto bigger and better things and I’m just so grateful to everyone who’s supported my comeback, Ice Break and everyone else.”
Craig Garvin
CEO, Ice Break
“We’ve worked with Chris for a number of years now and I’ve been impressed with his approach. He’s clearly very talented but he’s a smart racer as well. He knows when to take risks and when to consolidate.
“He’s been a fantastic ambassador for Ice Break, representing the true “Bring it On” spirit that the brand represents. Moving to the DVS is the logical next step in his ambitions to get into the V8 Supercar series and it’s an exciting step for us as a brand.”
