Paul Cruickshank Racing has confirmed that they will be running two cars this year with Kevin Mundy returning in 2004 to drive the number 56 Ford Falcon and new recruit Marcus Zukanovic stepping up into the number 65 Falcon, after competing in the Commodore Cup series for the past two years.
Dick Johnson Racing has also expanded to a two car team for 2004, making it the first Level One team operation to include two cars in the Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series since its inception in 2000.
The DJR backed team will operate under the name of Team Fujitsu this year and will have experienced V8 Supercar driver Owen Kelly and 2003 Konica Series debutant Jose Fernandez behind the wheel.
Kelly occupied the co-driving position for Ford Performance Racing for the two endurance events last year and will be looking to improve on his 7th position overall in the 2003 Konica V8 Supercar Series championship.
“I want to win the Konica Minolta Championship and I think that I can with DJR,” said Kelly. "Warren Luff did well at Mallala, and the Bathurst support event last year so it's obvious the Falcon is competitive and I know the team has done a lot to improve it for this year, so the possibilities are very exciting."
Another team looking to make an impact on the series this year will be Holden Young Lions. The team will start the season with a brand new look, including the new driver line-up of Michael Caruso and Kurt Wimmer.
Caruso, who comes to the Holden Young Lions team straight from a 2003 Australian Formula 3 Championship and F3000 testing in Europe, will campaign the team’s number 46 car, while Wimmer will drove the number 96 car.
"Coming from open wheelers to the V8’s is going to require some adjustments and a few more laps to get the best out of both me and the car, but I think we can give the championship a good shake in the end," Caruso said.
