By Matthew Agius

Steven Ellery will drive a V8 Supercar for the first tim🉐e since being dropped from the series last year as he drives the second car for his new outfit, Team🍬 Sirromet Wines.

Ellery will step into the #39 Sirromet Wines VZ Commodore at the upcoming Hidden Valley Raceway ﷽round and the subsequent Queensland Raceway event. He will replace Alan Gurr and Fabian Coulthard who each have rotated the driving honours in the car since the Clipsal 500 earlier this🍌 year.

Regarded as one of the best endurance and Bathurst drivers in the national circuit, Ellery, who has not driven a V8 Su♑percar since being axed from Team Betta Electrical at the end of 2005 will line up along team boss and regular driver Paul Morris at the upcoming two championship events.

"I've had six months off racing these cars fulltime, so driving at Darwin and Queensland (Raceway) gives me some extra track time to get ready for 𓄧Sandown and Bathurst, which is my main fꦐocus this year" Ellery said.

"The team is invꦅolving me in testing, which is good, but you're on the track by yours𓆏elf and I need to be out there getting the feel of being in a race with 30-odd cars again."

"I want to learn as much ℱabout the car as I can and get used to working with the team under race conditions," said Ellery. "That said, I'm a competitor and I'm not going to just roll aroᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚund."

"To be honest,ಞ I've been racing these cars a long time. I know the tracks, and I think I can get up to speed quickly enough. The hard thing will be finding that extra bit for a quick qualifying lap, but by the time Queensland comes around I should be pretty sharp."

Even though Ellery will get the opportunity to drive at the next two rounds, it will limit the progress of Alan Gurr and Fabian Coulthard as V8 Supercar drivers. That said, t♐eam owner Morris is adamant that their development is progressing well.

"We're pleased with the progress Alan (Gurr) and Fabian (Coulthard) are making, and we simply want to give all our endurance drivers ♌as much racing as possible before Sandown and Bathurst," said Morris.

"Originally we thought ✤about running Steve (Ellery) in Queensland, and we've decided to go ahead with tha🍎t, and add Darwin as well. It means Steve and the two young guys will each get two starts over the first six rounds of the championship."

Ellery will drive with Paul Morris in the 2006 e⛄ndurance races at Sandown and Baꩲthurst.