Smith to race in S5000 due to Eurocup delay

Smith, who is related to Supercars driver Jack, was set to compete in the Formula Renault Eurocup this season with JD Motorsport.

However the 18-year-old returned to Australia following a two-day test at Valencia in March as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, with his European plans still on hold.

His 2020 programme has now been altered to include the first three rounds of the S5000 season at Sydney Motorsport Park (August), Sandown (September) and Phillip Island (October).

More rounds could follow depending on what happens with the European season and his final year of school.

Smith will be reunited with the Team BRM squad that he raced for in Australian Formula 4 for the past two seasons, and sampled the V8 open-wheeler for the first time at Winton recently.

“It wasn’t as crazy as I thought it would be," he said. "The cars are really quite calm and I enjoyed it.

“From what I’m told, you drive these a little bit more like a Supercar. For an open-wheel racer that was quite a surprise to me.

“The braking is similar to any other single-seater that I’ve driven, and the overall package is very good. I can’t wait to get back in the seat again.

“We’ve locked in the first three rounds because we want to see what’s happening in the world with all that’s going on, and I still have my Year 12 exams to complete. Those exams are meant to be around the Bathurst race, which would be awesome to do, but we’ll just wait and see.

“I know Team BRM really well already from when I did F4 with them. At that time I was still learning, but now I’ve raced overseas, I have more experience and I’m looking forward to working with them again.

“At this stage of my career, we’re going to stick with open-wheelers and see how far we can get. I really want to go back overseas, but while that is not an option, S5000 is the best for me locally.”