The Tyrepower V8 SuperUte Series will officially pay tribute to the late Craig Jenner when it ventures to Darwin this month for Round 2 of the 2024 season at Hidden Valley Raceway (June 14-16).
Jenner, who competed in the series from 2021 to 2023, passed away on 28 March this year after a long battle with cancer. He will be honoured at the upcoming round in the Northern Territory with every V8 SuperUte adorning a memorial sticker that reads “Racing for The Rookie, In Memory of Craig Jenner”.
“Craig was a huge supporter of not just the series but all of the other competitors and got as much enjoyment out of them doing well on track as he enjoyed the racing himself,” said series operations manager Filippa Guarna.
“So we chose to create a memorial sticker that will go on the passenger side door of every V8 SuperUte to signify him ‘riding shotgun’ with our drivers next week, which we know he’d get a huge kick out of if it were actually possible.
“As much as everyone in the paddock knew how sick Craig was, his passing a few months ago still hit us all hard and it’s surreal to think he won’t be with us physically at the events anymore. The sticker is only a small gesture but we’re very grateful to his family for allowing us to pay tribute to him this way, and creating something to ensure he remains at the forefront of our minds as we go racing this year.”
The 55-year-old from Melbourne made his debut in the series in 2021 as a complete racing novice but finished fifth outright and highest-placed rookie that year, before finishing 12th outright in 2022 while running the “Get Checked” livery on the side of his Mazda BT-50 as a message for everyone to take important steps to regularly check their health.
Jenner, who raced under the moniker “The Rookie”, remained a much loved member of the V8 SuperUtes paddock despite hanging up the helmet at the opening round of 2023 in Perth in the midst of having ongoing rigourous cancer treatment.
Last year, the series chose to pay tribute to Jenner’s involvement in the category by renaming the Rookie of the Year award as the ‘Craig Jenner Perpetual Cup’ in his honour. Jimmy Vernon was the first recipient of the trophy as the highest placed rookie of 2023 and Jenner attended the awards night on the Gold Coast last October; his last event with the series in person.
Category Manager Luke Sieders paid tribute to Jenner back in March on the news of his passing: “From the beginning, during the rebirth of the V8 SuperUte Series back in 2020, Craig Jenner was one of the biggest supporters of mine helping to push the category forward. His belief, support and passion for what we all believe in at the Tyrepower V8 SuperUte Series is part of the reason we have made it here and so quickly as a great series. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten and everything we do as a category will be in honour and dedication to the commitment, belief and passion Craig showed for our category and sport. The Craig Jenner Rookie of the Year Trophy is truly an amazing way for us to celebrate a great man and his passion for our series and will be special to us all.”
Round 2 of the Tyrepower V8 SuperUte Series heads to Darwin next week, June 14-16, as part of the betr Darwin Triple Crown as a support to the Repco Supercars Championship. Event and ticket information can be found here. All races will be broadcast on FoxSports and Kayo.
