Scott Pye to join Triple Eight

The slot is the one vacated by Development Series dominator Andrew Thompson who is without a full-time drive for 2012.

His position in the Triple Eight Race Engineering car will be occupied by British Formula Ford champion Scott Pye who has never raced in a car with a roof.

"There's going to be a lot of outside pressure on me - more than from inside the team," says the 22-year-old Adelaide driver who this week moved to Brisbane to be close to team headquarters.

"Everyone says the Triple Eight car was the best, but Thomo also did a fantastic job last year, so there will be a lot of pressure on me to do the same.

"However, (team boss) Roland Dane has given me time to achieve my goals which are no crashes, no DNFs and learn as much as possible." 

Dane yesterday announced Pye has been signed to a two-year deal with Triple Eight. "For Scott there is a two-year program because he has to learn the circuits as well as the championship," Dane says. 

Pye has only raced at Queensland Raceway and Winton and will have to learn the other five circuits, including Bathurst. His lesson on Mt Panorama begins at the end of this month when he shares a Holden Astra VR-X in the Bathurst 12 Hour race. It will come just two days after his first test in a V8 Commodore at Queensland Raceway.

"It will be completelty different to what I'm used to so I'm keeping an open mind and will listen to the engineers and Craig (Lowndes) and Jamie (Whincup)," he says. "But at the end of the day it's another race car that still does the same sort of things so you like to think you can adapt fairly easily."

Dane says Thompson, who won the Development Series by almost 30 points, achieved his goals in 2011 and had to move on. 

"When he came to us it was to do the enduro drives with Jamie and that expanded into the Development Series which he was expected to win and dominate, which he did," Dane says. "He did everything he should have done but in his situation with his epxerience he couldn't really do it again. It doesn't make sense.

"I expected him to end up with a full-time drive in the main series this year. There are about two drives still left, but he's said he's not going to drive full time this year."

Dane says Pye will not be expected to co-drive in the V8 endurance rounds as Thompson did last year. "We will announce our enduro pairings next week," he says.

DEVELOPMENT SERIES