YOONG AND McINTYRE SET FOR SURFERS DEBUT
8/11/2004 19:06 (Press Release) -
Alex Yoong and John McIntyre will both have their debut drive around the tight Surfers Paradise street circuit when they line up this week in businessman Craig Gore’s Wright Patton Shakespeare-supported WPS Racing team.
The pair will drive the WPS Racing Ford Falcons in the Gillette V8 Supercar Challenge, with Yoong to take the drive in Car 48 and McIntyre to step into David Besnard’s Car 23.
Besnard has surrendered the drive in his regular-season V8 to take up his one-off drive in a Champ Car in the Lexmark Indy 300 around the streets of the Gold Coast.
He will drive Car 15, a Walker Racing Reynard that will carry the livery of Gore’s Wright Patton Shakespeare.
Besnard will watch from the sidelines as McIntyre and Yoong fly the Wright Patton Shakespeare flag in the V8 race, which is round 11 of the 13-round series.
Yoong, who himself has competed in several Champ Car races in the US, said he was looking forward to getting behind the wheel of a V8 for his first drive around the Surfers Paradise circuit.
“It is a technical course but we have a very good car that I feel will be suited to this course,” said Yoong.
“I have driven at quite a few street circuits and I rate Macau as the best of those and Monaco is very special in an F1 car.
“But from what I have seen of Surfers Paradise it is a very good circuit but it is best known internationally as a great event.”
His team mate, John McIntyre, got the call up to compete in Car 23 after turning in a very competitive drive for WPS Racing as Besnard’s co-driver at Bathurst two weeks ago.
He was invited to drive Car 23 late last week on the eve of competing in the first round of the NZ V8 Touring Car series where he turned in two top five drives in the three-race round.
“This is another great opportunity that WPS has given me and it’s a real honour to get into Car 23 and fill in for Bezzy while he races in the Champ Car,” said McIntyre.
“It is one of the toughest races of the year and it’s a home-town event for Wright Patton Shakespeare so I’ll be out to show I have what it takes in this category.”
It will be McIntyre’s third consecutive start for WPS following the Sandown and Bathurst endurance races.
However, it will also be his first solo round in Australia’s V8 Supercar Championship Series.
McIntyre arrived in Queensland late on Monday night to start preparations for the Surfers Paradise event.
Release Date: 20/10/2004
WPS Racing
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