Australian motorsport legend Glenn Seton will contest his first race meeting at Adelaide's Mallala Motor Sport Park in a decade this weekend, in Round Nine of the Shannons Nationals.

The two-time Australian Touring Car Champion will compete in the SA Historic Touring Car Cup, 10 years after he last raced at Mallala in the circuit's final V8 Supercar event in 1998.

Fresh from racing in the V8 Supercar Bathurst 1000 earlier this month with the Holden Racing Team, Seton will drive a Ford Capri against almost 30 Group N racers in their classic rides.

"I'm looking forward to the weekend," Seton said.

"Historic racing is something I really enjoy and there's going to be a good field - it should be a lot of fun."

Having made his Bathurst debut in a Capri in 1983, Seton built his current ride over a period of 12 months, before racing it for the first time in September last year.

Since then, he has done a handful of race meetings, including a successful run at the recent Muscle Car Masters event at Eastern Creek Raceway, where he took three wins from four starts.

Despite his extensive time behind the wheel of V8 Supercars, Seton rates the V6-powered Capri highly.



"It's an excellent car to drive, I probably enjoy driving the Capri more than anything else," he enthuses.

"There's so little grip from the road-style tyres which challenges you a lot, and you need to manage the old components like the brakes over the course of a race.

"It was about 12 months between deciding to build the car and getting it on track.

"I've done four race meetings in it so far and I couldn't be happier with how it's turned out."

Seton's last race meeting at Mallala was Round Six of the 1998 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Driving an EL Ford Falcon as reigning series champion, Seton recorded results of seventh, fourth and third in the three races.

"Mallala's an enjoyable circuit, I've got a lot of fond memories from racing there in the past," he said.

"It's quite challenging and, especially in these older cars, its stop-go nature means you need to manage your brakes.

"The kink at the back of the circuit is really quick, you can get into trouble there quite easily if you get it wrong.

"It should suit the Capri quite well this weekend."

Almost 30 Historic Touring Cars will line up on the grid to contest four races across the weekend.

Nine manufacturers are represented in the diverse range of classic machinery, with everything from V8 GT Falcons to a Datsun 1600.

The Tankworld Australian Supertruck Nationals, Southern Star Windows Commodore Cup Endurance Challenge, Supaloc Saloon Cars, BeanBagShop.com.au Formula Vee and the Australian Superkart Championship will also be part of a big weekend of racing.

After practice and qualifying, racing kicks off at 2:30pm on Saturday, ahead of a full program of races on Sunday.

Tickets are $15 on Saturday, $25 on Sunday or $35 for a weekend pass including free pit paddock entry, while kids under 14 are free all weekend.

For more information about the 2008 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships, visit www.thenationals.com.au.




About the Shannons Nationals

The Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships was formed in 2006 as a partnership between racing categories, circuit promoters and the Confederation of Australian Motorsport (CAMS).

Providing a regular and stable home for a wide variety of national-level motor racing categories, the Shannons Nationals combines a mixture of open-wheel, touring car, sports car and even truck racing.

Events deliver value-for-money entertainment for motorsport fans, with non-stop quality racing and affordable admission prices.

In 2008, the championships will consist of 10 rounds across four states of Australia, visiting seven different circuits.

Mitchell Adam , Media Relations, Shannons Nationals