V8 Supercars: Mitch Cunningham teams up with Cameron Waters

Young Australian V8 Supercar star Cameron Waters will join local driver Mitch Cunningham for the NZ SuperTourer endurance race series.

Mitch Cunningham has joined the growing list of BNT NZ SuperTourers racers who have picked Australian V8 Supercar drivers to join them for the three endurance races.

The Aucklander, a former Toyota Racing Series champion, has engaged Cameron Waters to be his co-driver in his Cunningham Construction Falcon for the endurance series, starting with the Rush Security Taupo 400 on September 27-28.

"He's a development driver for Ford Performance Racing, in the Dunlop V8 Supercars Development Series," Cunningham says. "He's co-driving with Jack Perkins in the V8 Supercar endurance races.

"He's raced in the BNT NZ SuperTourers before, with Simon McLennan, so he's got that valuable experience - he knows the tracks we're going to race on, and he knows the car.

"He goes good so I'm happy to have him in the car."

Cunningham is also pleased to have the experienced Craig Russell as his engineer this season. "Craig has worked with Cameron in the Dunlop V8 series and he recommended that we sign him up.

"We've stripped the car down and dropped some weight off it. If you can just save 25kg, that can make a difference.

"We're going to test the car this week but unfortunately Cameron can't be there because he's getting ready for the Sandown 500 at the weekend."

Cunningham, now 28, has a full-time job with the family construction firm and says that these days he races for fun; he is not aiming to build a career in motorsport.

"I just get in the car seven times a year plus the odd test," he says.

The endurance series continues with meetings at Hampton Downs on November 1-2 and Pukekohe on November 28-30. The overall championship then continues with four sprint meetings in the first art of 2015.