Two American national sporting heroes, one of them a home grown Aussie, will be the first guests to drive a V8 Supercar on American soil when they team up with James Courtney and Fabian Coulthard at the Circuit of the Americas next week.
NASCAR Champion Kurt Busch and Australia's most decorated Supercross rider Chad Reed will next Tuesday cut laps in the VF Commodore V8 Supercar at the stunning Austin circuit where V8 Supercars makes its debut on May 17-19.
"I'm flattered for the invite from V8 Supercars," Busch said. "Not only driving one of their style of cars was high on my list but to do it at COTA makes this a dream opportunity."
As part of this exciting day, Furniture Row Racing will bring down their Gen-6 race car to be the first NASCAR car to drive at the COTA track. Due to this rare opportunity to have these superstars and their cars in the Capitol, Busch will swap cars with Courtney and Coulthard.
Courtney will this weekend become the first V8 Supercar driver to drive a V8 Supercar in America, and just the second internationally acclaimed Australian after Mark Webber to drive the COTA track, when the Commodore cuts exhibition laps at the MotoGP event.
Courtney and Coulthard flew to Texas yesterday on the back of HRTs form resurgence in Tasmania and New Zealand and Lockwood Racing's dominant season so far.
Courtney and Coulthard will remain in Texas after the MotoGP weekend for a series of media and promotional engagements with Busch and Reed, including cutting passenger laps on Tuesday.
Busch is an American legend and one of the biggest names in the US. Busch, 34, has earned 24 NASCAR victories, 88 top-five and 174 top-10 finishes to go along with 15 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole awards and the 2004 Sprint Cup Series Championship title.
Busch, who also boasts an IROC championship on his impressive resume, skyrocketed to the top of the stock car racing world early in his career and has maintained a high level of performance since he burst onto the scene.
He won the Cup Series Championship in 2004, the first ever season using the "Chase for the Cup" points format, finishing just eight points ahead of Jimmie Johnson. With a 2006 win in the Nationwide Series, Busch became one of only 23 drivers with a win in all three of NASCAR's top divisions: the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series.
He currently drives the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet SS for Furniture Row Racing in the Sprint Cup Series.
Reed is a multi-time Supercross champion, winning the U.S. AMA Supercross Championship in 2004 & 2008. In 2009, he won the 2009 AMA 450 National Outdoor Motocross Championship, and the Australian Supercross Series for his fourth time.
"I am really excited to be given the opportunity to drive a V8 Supercar at the Circuit of the Americas. I am huge fan of V8 Supercars and it is exciting that the series is making its debut here in the USA," Reed said.
"The last time I drove a V8 Supercar it was with the old H pattern gearbox so I am looking forward to driving the Holden car of the future prototype."
After winning the Australian Supercross Championship in 2000, Reed went to Europe in 2001 to ride for Jan DeGroot's factory Kawasaki team. Reed and his KX250 won the MX Grand Prix of Lierop and eventually finished the year second to multi-time World Champion Mickael Pichon.
In what is the ultimate "Aussie invasion," the V8 Supercars of Ford, Holden, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG will take to the track May 17-19 at Circuit of The Americas with an aggressive, do-or-die racing style that is sure to have U.S. motorsport fans hungry for more.
V8 Supercars will contest four 100km sprints at the stunning Austin racetrack with two races on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, preceded by a qualifying session each morning. Friday, May 17, features practice sessions and support race activities on track. The goal is to show the massive motorsport heartland what V8 Supercars racing is all about, promising to leave a lasting impact on Texan and American audiences.
About V8 Supercars:
The V8 Supercar Championship is the premier motorsport category in Australasia and one of Australia's fastest growing sports. International expansion is occurring as the sport becomes globally recognised as the best touring car category in the world and a leader in motorsport entertainment.
Almost 1.9 million people attended V8 Supercar events in 2012, an increase of 9.5% on the previous year. In 2013 there are 14 Championship events as well as one event held at the F1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Two events will be held overseas - the first in Auckland, New Zealand and the second in USA at Circuit of the Americas in Texas. The domestic events occur across every state of Australia plus the Northern Territory. V8 Supercars internally promotes nine of these events.
The 2013 season is the first year for the Car of the Future (CoTF). These new cars are lighter, more economical, have increased agility and are highly competitive. They make better racing which ultimately makes for a better sport and a more attractive product.
The Ford versus Holden battleground of the last 20 years has been supplemented by new manufacturers and investors in Nissan and Erebus Motorsport entry running Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG V8 Supercar.
V8 Supercars will deliver exhilarating and accessible motorsports-led entertainment to engaged and passionate fans, creating a proud and aligned set of partners, race teams and employees.
For further information please contact:
Cole Hitchcock
General Manager Communications
V8 Supercars
+61 412 743 097
ch@v8supercars.com.au