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Cleary to Run Sixth GRM Car at Sandown after Major Rebuild

July 17, 2025

Elliott Cleary will return to the Garry Rogers Motorsport stable for next weekend’s round of the Trico Trans Am Series in an LMCT+ livery as part of a six-car line up which also includes a rebuilt chassis for James Golding.

Cleary had been set to make his first start of the season at Hidden Valley Raceway, filling in for Golding in the Custom Transport Equipment entry, however a significant fire following an engine failure in practice ruled the car out for the weekend.

With Golding returning to his seat for Sandown, missing three rounds this season due to Supercars commitments, Cleary’s next opportunity in the race-winning chassis wasn’t set to be until Tailem Bend in September. GRM Director Barry Rogers was instead able to source a sixth car for next weekend, allowing Cleary to run two rounds as planned.

While the team had initially hoped to get the car back on track in Darwin, the damage proved too large a task with notable fire damage on most of the car’s forward panels, an engine change and a fried electrical system amongst the laundry list of repairs required.

The team have since restored the 31 CTE Ford Mustang to its full glory, which will hit the track alongside Cleary’s Mustang for a shakedown on Friday.

After winning the round in Darwin and leapfrogging to third in the standings, GRM’s James Moffat (LMCT+) will be hoping to pick up where he left off last time the series visited Sandown when the 2024 champion swept the weekend to kickstart his title campaign.

Tom Davies, rookie Lachlan Evennett and Jordan Cox in the Schaeffler Mustang will complete the six-car line up for GRM in Sandown. It is the most cars GRM have run in a single category since running seven cars in the 2022 TCR Australia Series.

Quotes:
Barry Rogers
“I was very disappointed for Elliott following the Darwin engine failure and subsequent burnt-out car. We all know things can happen in racing and to Elliott’s credit he took the disappointment in his stride and continued to work with our crew throughout the weekend, even assisting in the truck pack late on Sunday.

“He is a very respectful, hardworking, and talented young man. I was determined to find a way to repay Elliott, although there was no expectation on his behalf. Thankfully one of our sponsors LMCT+ and their owner Adrian Portelli came to the rescue and bought the team a brand-new car and we will proudly race two identical LMCT+ cars at Sandown with James Moffat and Elliott Cleary.

“It’s also important to acknowledge the many, many hours of work the crew at GRM have spent rebuilding the #31. I cringe when I see major damage, but I am always inspired with the manner in which our guys get their head down and bum up, never whinge, and just get about fixing what needs to be fixed”.