» V8s: HRT confirms GC600 line-up

The Walkinshaw Performance stable has finalised the driver line-up it will run in next month’s ArmorAll Gold Coast 600 endurance event, in which the V8 Supercars’ regulars will share their cockpits with a host of ‘international class’ drivers.

As was the case at last year’s event, IndyCar racer Ryan Briscoe and British GT driver Darren Turner will serve as co-drivers in Garth Tander and James Courtney’s respective TOLL HRT entries.

Meanwhile, endurance racing veteran Peter Dumbreck will make his V8 Supercars debut in the SuperCheap Auto-sponsored entry driven by Russell Ingall.

Dumbreck currently races in the World Endurance Championship alongside David Brabham in the Highcroft Racing HPD LMP1 entry (pictured), and he has plenty of tin-top racing experience under his belt as well. Along with his endurance racing background, the Scot has also competed in GT racing, sports car racing and contested the DTM championship for five years.

“I’m really excited to be racing V8 Supercars,” the 38-year-old said in a team media release.

“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.”

The announcement means that just three seat vacancies are still up for grabs, with the two-car Tekno Autosport team and the one-car Tony D’Alberto Racing stables still to confirm the identities of their international co-drivers.

The Garry Rogers Motorsport operation is still to announce which of its hired co-drivers – out of James Hinchcliffe and Ricky Taylor – will be partned with regular drivers Michael Caruso and Alexandre Prémat.

Since its inaugural ‘co-driver’ realignment in 2010, the event has proven a popular billing for motorsport stars who have raced in a host of categories, including Formula 1, the IndyCar Series, Le Mans Series and the FIA GT championships.

This year’s event is no exception, with the provisional entry list reading as follows:

2012 V8 Supercars ArmorAll Gold Coast 600 Provisional Entry List:

	Entry / Team	Driver	Co-Driver
1.	Team Vodafone / Triple 8 Racing	Jamie Whincup	Sébastien Bourdais
2.	TOLL / Holden Racing Team	Garth Tander	Ryan Briscoe
3.	HIFLEX Racing / Tony D’Alberto Racing	Tony D’Alberto	TBA
4.	Irwin Racing / Stone Brothers Racing	Lee Holdsworth	Simon Pagenaud
5.	Orrcon Steel / Ford Performance Racing	Mark Winterbottom	Will Power
6.	Trading Post / Ford Performance Racing	Will Davison	Mika Salo
7.	Jack Daniel’s / Kelly Racing	Todd Kelly	Marco Andretti
8.	Team BOC / Brad Jones Racing	Jason Bright	Stephane Sarrazin
9.	SP Tools / Stone Brothers Racing	Shane van Gisbergen	Jeroen Bleekemolen
11.	Fair Dinkum Sheds / Kelly Racing	Karl Reindler	Franck Montagny
12.	Jim Beam Racing / Dick Johnson Racing	Dean Fiore	Gianni Morbidelli
14.	Lockwood Racing / Brad Jones Racing	Fabian Coulthard	Nicolas Minassian
15.	Jack Daniel’s / Kelly Racing	Rick Kelly	Graham Rahal
17.	Jim Beam Racing / Dick Johnson Racing	Steven Johnson	Max Papis
18.	Team Norton / Dick Johnson Racing	James Moffat	Peter Kox
19.	Tekno Autosports	Jonathon Webb	TBA
21.	Wilson Security / Brad Jones Racing	David Wall	J. Campbell-Walter
22.	TOLL / Holden Racing Team	James Courtney	Darren Turner
30.	Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport	Taz Douglas	Mike Conway
33.	Fujitsu Racing / Garry Rogers Motorsport	Alexandre Prémat	James Hinchcliffe?
34.	Fujitsu Racing / Garry Rogers Motorsport	Michael Caruso	Ricky Taylor?
47.	Lucky 7 Racing / Stone Brothers Racing	Tim Slade	David Brabham
49.	VIP Petfoods / Dick Johnson Racing	Steve Owen	Boris Said
51.	Pepsi Max Crew / Kelly Racing	Greg Murphy	Justin Wilson
55.	The Bottle-O Racing Team / Rod Nash	David Reynolds	Nick Heidfeld
66.	Supercheap Auto / Walkinshaw Racing	Russell Ingall	Peter Dumbreck
91.	Tekno Autosports	Michael Patrizi	TBA
888.	Team Vodafone / Triple 8 Racing	Craig Lowndes	Richard Lyons