Almost a year to the day after he was injured in a serious crash, Matt Kingsley will return to the racetrack this weekend, February 20-22, in Round One of the Shannons Nationals at Mount Panorama, Bathurst. Kingsley, 24, will race in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, one of five Shannons Nationals categories running in conjunction with the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour. On February 24 2008, Kingsley was contesting a V8 Ute race at Adelaide’s Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar event, when he was seriously injured in a multi-car accident. Nerve damage and severe concussion saw Kingsley spend several weeks in Adelaide Hospital, before undergoing extensive rehabilitation on the Gold Coast over the following months. “After the accident I had a lot of nerve damage,” Kingsley said.

“I was getting severe headaches and spent a couple of months in a wheelchair while learning how to walk again, but I was fortunate to have the support of my family.

“The entire time, I was focused on getting back and racing again, which really gave me something to work towards and aim for.”

After receiving medical clearance, Kingsley elected to sit out the remainder of 2008, turning his attention to 2009 and a move into the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge,

His team, Action Motorsport, purchased a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup Car, with Kingsley getting back behind the wheel for a test session at Morgan Park Raceway late in the year.

“I’d done a lot of training and spent a lot of time on a racing simulator to keep my eye in, but nothing could match the feeling of getting back in the car and going fast again,” he said.

“Early on, I felt a bit rusty, but by the end of the day I was feeling really comfortable and pleased with how things were going.

“The Porsche is my dream car, it’s a completely different beast to what I’ve driven before; it feels like it’s meant to live on a racetrack.”

This weekend, Mount Panorama will host Kingsley’s racing comeback.

While Kingsley has tasted success at Bathurst before, winning in the Lotus Trophy in 2005, he will have to contend with 47 other drivers in the GT3 Cup Challenge season opener.

“It’s almost been a year to the day since my crash, it’s been a long haul, waiting for this opportunity to come around,” Kingsley enthused.

“I went to a couple of rounds last year to have a look, and it looks like a great series, it’s about getting out there and having fun.

“I’ll be racing against drivers with plenty of Porsche experience, I’m the new kid on the block but our aim is to run in the Top Five.

“As a driver, you can never get enough of racing at Bathurst.

“It’s an awesome circuit and quite a place to make a comeback - I can’t wait to get out there.”

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge is one of five categories taking part in the Round One of the 2009 Shannons Nationals on 20-21 February.

Including the Saloon Car National Series, Formula Vee National Series, HQ Holdens and Improved Production, over 260 competitors will tackle the mountain in races on Friday and Saturday, before Sunday’s growing WPS Bathurst 12 Hour production car enduro.

For more information about the 2009 Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships, visit http://www.thenationals.com.au.