Former GT4 racer Zoe Woods becomes the second female to enter Mustang Cup Australia. Image: Supplied
National motorsport stalwarts GWR Australia will expand to two entries at Sandown, with Woods piloting a brand-new Mustang Dark Horse R alongside Ben Kavich.
After testing earlier in the year at Queensland Raceway, the 23-year-old had mooted the idea of racing in the category having stepped away from GT4 Australia this year to focus on business in her family’s squad TekworkX Motorsport.
Woods was surprised on her recent birthday by her family with the news that she would contest the category at Sandown.
“I’m definitely looking forward to my first Mustang Cup Australia race at Sandown this weekend,” said Woods.
“I was actually told by the family on my birthday that this had been arranged, so that was really cool to hear that it was all locked in.
“My first impression of driving the Mustang in testing was overwhelmingly positive, and I love the Sandown circuit – it is one of my favourites – so I can’t wait to get out there competitively.
“Our main objective at Sandown is to keep it clean and, above all, have fun. Driving a brand-new Mustang chassis will feel phenomenal and I can’t wait to press on with GWR and learn as much as I can throughout the weekend.
“Dad and Garth [Walden, GWR team owner] have been good mates for a long time, so it was a natural fit to make my Mustang Cup Australia debut with GWR.
“It’s been a roller coaster of a year for the family, so now we’ve got back into a rhythm and things have settled back down to normal, we are all very much looking forward to being trackside this weekend.”
For GWR itself, future expansion was always the end goal, with the early addition a bonus.
“It’s great for GWR to have two Mustangs locked in for the final round,” said Walden.
“Having enjoyed our first outing with Mustang Cup Australia at Sydney, our goal was to run multiple cars in 2027, so to have Zoe onboard with the team for the last round is a real coup.
“Zoe’s definitely a rising star in Australian motorsport. She’s done a great job in GT4 Australia and has been putting in the testing miles.
“She’s got some serious speed and we’re really looking forward to seeing what she can bring to Mustang Cup at Sandown.”
The inaugural Mustang Cup Australia season concludes this weekend, October 31-November 1 at Sandown as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries finale.
Josh Anderson holds a 44-point advantage over Joe Fawcett.