ENTRIES for Saturday night’s (November 5) V8 Dirt Modified Lord Mayor’s Cup at Castrol Edge Lismore Speedway have been bolstered with the return of five times Australian Champion Tim Morse who is on the comeback trail.

The last time Morse, from Warrnambool, Victoria, raced a V8 Dirt Modified was 2008. In between time he tried Sprintcar racing but without a lot of success.

Morse is one of the all time greats of the V8 Dirt Modified ranks and he is treating his comeback to the category very seriously.
He will drive the latest model American car out of the TEO factory in Vernon, New Jersey for Maryborough’s Andrew Schilleto who is the Australian distributor for the TEO Company.

“I am really looking forward to getting back into the Modified scene,” Morse, 38, said yesterday.

Shilleto has described Morse’s comeback as “the best news for V8 Dirt Modifieds in years” and it is a tribute to the standard of racing at Lismore he has chosen the Northern Rivers venue to make his comeback.

Shilleto says Morse has the talent and ability to get the job done once he settles into the car.

“He is a driver who thinks and he looks after the gear. You can go to a race meeting knowing that your gear is in good hands.”
Morse is well aware the standard of competition has dramatically improved since 2008 and he knows it will be a tough assignment especially as local race officials have received over 23 nominations for the annual trophy race at the Lismore season opener.

“I will need a few laps to get my hands and feet organised. I hope it will be like riding a bike: you don’t forget,” Tim joked.
Morse says potentially the biggest obstacle he faces is to adapt to driving an American car after his entire career was spent running his own designed and built cars.

“The biggest thing will be going from cars I have always constructed myself, which were a different style to what the American cars are. At the end of the day we can only do our best but the desire to win is still there.”

The multi national titleholder is quietly confident he will have the car dialled in sufficiently to put on a good show and be competitive in the main event.

The V8 Dirt Modifieds will be supported with racing for AMCA Sedans, National Four Cylinder Sedans, Street Stocks, Modlites and Junior Sedans.

Gates open at 3PM and racing commences at 6.

** Article courtesy Dennis Newlyn- lismorespeedway.com **