New driver and team confirmed for S5000

Michael Gibson is the latest driver to be confirmed for the S5000 category debut at Sandown.

Gibson, a motorsport engineer, comes from a well-known Australian motorsport family. His father was a well-known sports car racer, while his uncle, Bevan Gibson, was tragically killed at Bathurst in 1969. Two of Gibson’s other uncles have raced sports cars and Formula 2, and have spent time in Formula One as race mechanics.

Gibson said “since I was 16 I’ve been trying to put together a deal to race at a decent level – the fact that it is now happening, especially in something as awesome as S5000, is a bit surreal.”

“I’m incredibly thankful and grateful that Albert, Mark Jeffs (WM Waste), Joe, and others have combined to make this happen. We’ll be giving it our best shot.”

Gibson’s S5000 entry, for the two rounds of the 2019 season, will be managed by Albert Callegher of ACM Finance, and sponsors WM Waste and Apex Steel.

Callegher said “as a former team owner and driver in Formula Brabham/Holden, I’m looking forward to backing Michael, with a view to growing a team much the same as I operated in the 90s – only this time as a team owner.”

“Having watched S5000 evolve, and with my love of open-wheelers all the way up to F1, what has been created is a practical race car, economical to run, yet very fast – and with all the sound and looks of an F1 car to the average spectator and the corporate partners proposing to join us.”

Chris Lambden, Category Manager, said that the Australian Racing Group had brought the pair together. “This entry represents one of the things we hoped to achieve with S5000.”

“Knowing Michael had the basics of a budget, and the motivation to get involved, and on the other hand Albert – a former racer with the desire and capability to create a team – we simply brought the two of them together. They met for the first time a couple of weeks back and now we have a complete entry.

“People who can remember back that far will recall that legendary F5000 champion in the 70s, Warwick Brown, got his start because his neighbour wanted to go racing … it’s great that we are able to put something like that together today.”

The team will be based at Apex Racing’s Melbourne facility and will take part in the lead-in test day at Phillip Island in two weeks time before the category debut at Sandown.