Cleary and Gillis are ready to take on the full year of Super2, stepping up from the National Trans Am series.
17-year-old Cleary, who will race the #9 ZB Commodore this year, comes out of 2023 on a high, finishing second overall for the round at the Bathurst International in Trans Am.
It’s been a rapid-fire ascension from karting to circuit racing for the teenager, who only got behind the wheel for the first time in 2020.
While COVID interrupted his debut year in karting, in 2021 he finished eighth in the KA2 class in the Australian Kart Championship.
Getting into open wheeler racing, Cleary came away with the Gold Star title in the West Australian Formula Ford Championship in 2022 – with only two years of experience under his belt.
Dovetailing his Trans Am duties with more Formula Ford outings, Cleary found himself on the podium at Bathurst, after securing pole position for the Formula Ford Challenge as a support to the 12 Hour.
“Really excited to work with BJR and to step up to the challenge that Super2 presents.
“The racing in Super2 is very competitive and it will be awesome for me to learn and grow with the team.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity and for all the support I have around me, especially my family.” – Elliott Cleary
The 24-year-old Gillis, a karting sensation, made the step up to Trans Am in 2023.
Gillis, who will drive the #19 ZB Commodore in 2024, didn’t miss a beat and finished the year 7th overall, mixing it with experienced contenders.
The rookie became a regular on the podium from the later half of the season, with a break-out round at Winton.
The Wollongong-local scored second in the first two races and rounded out the weekend with a third place – making him a rookie to watch in the series.
“I’m pretty keen to be in Super2 this year. It’s been a big dream of mine since I was young. I’m probably a little bit older than most of the field at the moment, but it’s not going to stop me. And I’ve always wanted to be here. I’m keen for the big year.
“The goal is to improve and as a racing driver, you always want to win. But if we can sort of aim for top five and then as the year goes on, probably consistently to be top three would be amazing. And then a couple of wins along the way -It’d be perfect.” – Cody Gillis
Gillis impressed at a test day for BJR in late 2023 and the team are excited by the young prospects’ chances coming into the new season alongside team-mate Cleary, who had tested a few years ago for BJR.
“Having such exciting new talent like Elliott and Cody in Super2 for us is a boost to that program.
“You don’t take the decision to expand lightly, it always has to stack up but there is a lot of sense to running these two very capable drivers.
“Looking at the results from karting and how they’re accelerating through the ranks in other categories, it’ll be interesting to see how they come to grips with the Super2 car.
“We’re looking forward to getting on track at Bathurst.” – Brad Jones
Super2 presents new challenges for both drivers, but they’re eager to get racing at the first round at Bathurst – picking up where they left off last year.
However, first they’re getting some miles in at Winton Motor Raceway testing their new machinery over February 5 and 6.
