Walkinshaw Racing’s driver line-up for the Armor All Gold Coast 600 has been finalised with respected Scottish Sportscar driver Peter Dumbreck joining the team for the international V8 Supercars event.
Dumbreck joins Englishman Darren Turner and Australian Indycar star Ryan Briscoe as international guest co-drivers in the three-car squad.
The 38-year-old Scotsman will co-drive the #66 Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore with dual Bathurst winner Russell Ingall.
Briscoe will again team up with reigning and three-time Bathurst winner Garth Tander in the #2 Holden Racing Team Commodore, while Turner returns to partner V8 Supercar Champion James Courtney in the #22.
Dumbreck has a long and successful career, winning races in every category he has contested from Formula Vauxhall to Super GT Japan and Germany’s DTM.
He currently drives a HPD LMP1 Sportscar in the FIA World Endurance Championship for JRM, where he partners Aussie David Brabham and Karun Chandhok.
Dumbreck is no stranger to Ingall, Courtney or even Australia, having worked with and raced against Ingall in the UK, raced against Courtney in Japan, and having spent three months backpacking down-under, celebrating New Year’s Eve on the Gold Coast in 1993.
“I have great memories of the Gold Coast and I’m looking forward to finally getting back there after almost 20 years, and to also catching up with Russell for the first time in 15 years – it’s going to be fun,” Dumbreck said.
“I’m really excited to be racing V8 Supercars. I watched last year’s race on TV – it was a great spectacle, the racing was close and the track looks amazing. The cars are close to my heart, similar in ways to DTM and Super GT.
“I’ve also heard they are difficult to drive, so I’m under no illusion that I’ll jump in and be quick straight away. The pre-race test will be important for me to get my head around the car and what I need to do to take care of it for Russell and his championship.”
Dumbreck is perhaps best known in Australia for his factory Mercedes-Benz Sportscar somersaulting at speed off track during the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1999 – his flip the third for team that weekend following Mark Webber’s two similar crashes.
“That was my infamous moment – it was just one of those things. Aside from being a little punch drunk I walked away without any broken bones. Thankfully, I’ve come a long way since then,” Dumbreck said.
Turner is one of the UK’s most successful and experienced racing drivers. A former winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, Turner was a long time test driver for the McLaren F1 team and has two GT1 class victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours to his credit, along with three other podium finishes in the classic.
In 2012, he is an official works driver for Aston Martin Racing competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
“I’m excited about returning to the Gold Coast. A taste of V8s has you wanting for more so I’m very happy that Walkinshaw Racing has asked me to again be part of their team – it’s amongst the most professional racing organisations out there,” Turner said.
“[V8 Supercars] is good, honest, clean racing, and to race through the hi-rise buildings in such a beautiful and spectacular location is just incredible. It’s a world-class event.”
Briscoe returns for his fourth campaign with HRT having made his V8 Supercar debut in the 2006 enduros and driven for it the past two years on the Gold Coast – partnering Will Davison in 2010 and Tander last year.
Briscoe is one of Australia’s most talented drivers with championship and race wins in categories such as Formula Renault, F3, Sportscars and Indycars, while also having been a test driver for the Toyota F1 team.
He drives for Team Penske in the IZOD Indycar Series and finished sixth in this year’s championship, winning the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma last month.
In seven Indycar seasons, Briscoe has a series best finish of third (2009), with seven race wins and 12 poles to his credit, including pole for this year’s Indianapolis 500 – the first Australian to do so.
The Armor All Gold Coast 600 is supported by the Queensland Government through Events Queensland as part of a growing calendar of sporting, cultural and regional events across the state.
The Armor All Gold Coast 600 takes place on the streets of Surfers Paradise on 19-21 October.
