Pither rules himself out of Supercars drive

After having been on the Supercars scene for a decade, the Kiwi made his full-time debut last season at the wheel of the Super Black Racing Falcon, run by Prodrive Racing Australia.

He went on to finish 21st in the points, the highlight of his season an emotional pole position at Queensland Raceway which came just days before team founder Tony Lentino lost his battle with cancer.

Pither won’t be returning to the grid this season though, having failed to line up a full-time drive following the sale of the Super Black Racing Entitlements Contract to Tim Blanchard.

“It is with mixed emotions that I write this evening,” Pither wrote on his Facebook page yesterday.

“I have been working hard since prior to Homebush last year, but unfortunately have not secured a full-time Supercars drive for the 2017 season.

“After a positive rookie season and pushing for so long to get into the series I’m disappointed I couldn’t continue for 2-3 years to really establish myself, but my childhood dream was to race in the series and looking back will always bring a smile, especially the pole position.”

Pither’s final chance would have been with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, the final team to announce its drivers for the 2017 season.

While he won't be on the Clipsal 500 grid, Pither has locked down a drive for next week's Bathurst 12 Hour.