IRL confirms 24 cars for Surfers race
Indy Racing League Commercial President Terry Angstadt said the series and its stars are looking forward to heading to the Gold Coast in just over two months time.
"We are looking forward to delivering an exciting race in October for the great fans of the Gold Coast and we will be bringing 24 high speed, high tech Indy Cars to race through the streets," said Angstadt.
Amongst those drivers fans can expect to see the likes of current championship leader and Brisbane-born Kiwi Scott Dixon along with his fellow championship front-runners Helio Castroneves, Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan; as well as other famous names such as fast femme Danica Patrick and the historic racing families of Rahal and Andretti returning to dart through the concrete barriers and high-speed turns.
Home-grown fans will also be pleased to see the entirety of the Trans-Tasman contingent of drivers, with the familiar face of Queensland’s Will Power, who has competed on the Gold Coast as part of the Champ Car World Series with two consecutive poles (2006 and 2007) being joined not only by Dixon but also by Sydney’s Ryan Briscoe, who has enjoyed two victories so far this year.
“I am delighted to be able to confirm that 24 of the IndyCar Series stars will head to the Nikon Indy 300 to join the big-names of the V8 Supercar Championship Series on the Gold Coast this October 23-26," said Nikon Indy 300 General Manager Greg Hooton.
“The Australian fans and our New Zealand visitors will have the special chance to see no less than three home-grown heroes on the track, amongst all of the front-running teams and drivers, as they compete for the major prize pool for which details will be released by the IRL closer to the Event.
“As well as our local stars, names such as Andretti and Rahal will return to the Australian racing landscape for the first time in years, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about that prospect."
Today’s confirmation of drivers by the Indy Racing League follows quickly on from the recent announcement of Nikon as the new naming rights sponsor for the Event, and as construction of the circuit prepares to get underway in the coming week.