Go Daddy's IndyCar Driver Revving-Up for 1st V8 Supercar Race

One of IZOD IndyCar Series' most charismatic and talented young drivers is joining the field for the Armor All Gold Coast 600 in Surfers Paradise next month.

Go Daddy IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe will make his V8 Supercar debut on the Gold Coast streets through a Go Daddy sponsorship deal at Queensland's largest annual sporting event, putting "Hinch" as he's known, in the race with the Fujitsu GRM Racing Team.

Australia is a key market for Go Daddy with its growing small business community. Partnerships like this give customers and racing fans there the opportunity to connect with Go Daddy, the world's largest provider of Web hosting  and domain name registrations.

"I'm looking forward to carrying the Go Daddy flag into Australia," said Hinch.  "It's a cool partnership with Go Daddy coming on board. For me it's a dream come true - to get behind the wheel of one of those cars. And because we're in Kirsten's backyard it will be cool to have some locals in my corner, too!"  Hinch has been dating reigning Miss Sydney, Kirsten Dee and is likely to have some local support on race weekend.

Hinch is racing in this year's IZOD IndyCar Series driving the No. 27 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, but October will mark his first time in a V8 Supercar. Hinch was the 2011 IndyCar Series Rookie-of-the-Year and is currently ranked 7th in the series. He replaced Danica Patrick on the Andretti Autosport team driving the GoDaddy.com car.

Hinch is one of the 'larger than life' personalities in the IZOD IndyCar Series. He's the self-proclaimed "Mayor of Hinchtown" and jokingly refers to himself as "Manica" after wearing a Danica wig prior to this year's first IndyCar race. His tech-savvy website and series of off-beat YouTube videos engage with racing fans, both in North America and around the world.

While the Toronto native is racing on the Gold Coast for the first time, Hinchcliffe is no newcomer to racing in Australia. He competed for Team Canada in the A1 Grand Prix series at Eastern Creek in Sydney in 2007.

This time Hinch is preparing for different driving style. After speaking with Aussies Ryan Briscoe and Will Power, Hinch said, "With the V8 Supercar you probably have just as much horsepower as an IndyCar but a lot more weight, tin top, closed cock-pit, and the tires are a lot skinnier with a lot less grip. It's also a pretty gnarly track and we'd like to get the GoDaddy.com sponsored Commodore on the podium for sure, just a V8 car instead of an IndyCar."

It's quite easy to see why Hinch will no doubt be a hit with the Aussie racing fans when he heads to the ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600, October 19 - 21. The enormously popular Canadian driver and Go Daddy have teamed up with Fujitsu Racing/GRM for the twin 300-kilometre races, where 28 international co-drivers from various racing backgrounds team with drivers from the V8 Supercars Championship will compete. The race is supported by the Queensland Government through Events Queensland as part of a growing calendar of sporting, cultural and regional events across the state.

To find out more about how to get online easily and affordably, visit au.GoDaddy.com.

To find out more about Go Daddy customer James Hinchcliffe, visit au.GoDaddy.com/Hinch

To find out what Hinch is talking about on race day follow him on Twitter: @Hinchtown

About James Hinchcliffe

-      Recorded 3 Top-five & 7 Top -10 finishes to earn the IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie-of-the-Year title in 2011 despite missing the season-opener; finished 4th at the Long Beach, New Hampshire & Kentucky races

-      Finished 2nd in 2010 Firestone Indy Lights championship with 3 wins & series-best 4 pole positions; recorded 10 Top-five finishes & 12 Top -10 finishes in 13 starts.

-      Won Greg Moore Legacy Award as Firestone Indy Lights rising star in 2010

-      Finished 5th in Firestone Indy Lights in 2009 with best finish of second at Mid-Ohio; recorded 5 podium finishes, 6 Top-five & 10 Top-10 finishes in 15 starts

-      Finished 4th in the 2008 Atlantic Championship with a win at Laguna Seca, 2 poles & 4 podium finishes

-      Finished 4th in the 2007 Atlantic Championship; earned 3 pole positions, 6 Top-five results & 9 Top -10 results in 12 races

About Go Daddy

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