James Winslow has today confirmed his retirement from wings and slicks racing to focus on plans to start a career in V8 Supercars this season.
After back-to-back victories in the opening round of the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship at Bathurst last weekend, the two-time series champion has decided to switch his attention to landing a seat in the V8 Supercars endurance events or the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.
“I’ve had many great successes and have really enjoyed all of my time in Formula 3 racing around the globe, and now it feels like the right time to look further into the opportunities that have been presenting in the V8 Supercar series.
“I’m confident that now is the right time for this decision, having been speaking with teams in the V8 Supercars, as well as looking at the opportunities within Porsche Carrera Cup which could also lead to racing around the world once again, but with a new challenge.
“First ideal is to race in the V8 Supercar endurance events this season. I have the experience, I know the tracks very well, and I have the speed so with a foot in the door and the break that I hope won’t be far away.
“I’m prepared to work harder than anyone to secure a seat and give my all in Australia’s premier level of motor sport.”
A 10-year veteran of Formula 3, Winslow took two Australian Formula 3 championship titles in 2008 and 20012 to go alongside titles in the British (2004) and Asian (2006) Championships. The Brit also won the Formula V6 Asia Championship title in 2007, before going on to achieve success in the A1GP for Great Britain, the American Atlantic Championship series and the Indy Lights Series. Earlier this year, Winslow teamed up with current WTCC champion Rob Huff and Peter Conroy for the 2013 Bathurst 12 Hour, battling to an eighth-place finish at the Mount Panorama Circuit.
With 63 international outright race victories, 35 Australian Formula 3 wins (including non-championship races at Melbourne’s Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Gold Coast event), six rounds wins from the last eight events, and the first ever race victory in Australian Formula 3 in 2006 where he beat home a young Bruno Senna, Winslow leaves the series as the most successful driver in world Formula 3 history.
“Having records to my name is a great achievement that I can always be proud of,” added Winslow.
“I’ve worked with some of the best teams in the business, I’ve raced and won at some of the best tracks in the Formula 3 world, and I’ve won multiple championships in my home country (United Kingdom), here in Australia and abroad, so you can’t ask for much more than that in a career with a series.”
