V8 SuperTourers team International Motorsport will conduct a shootout between prospective endurance drivers before the category’s first two-driver race at Taupo in September.
International Motorsport is searching for two co-drivers to team up with regular stars Jonny Reid and Ant Pederson – both of whom won races in the opening four sprint rounds.
The test will take place at either Pukekohe or Hampton Downs in three weeks time, with more than three drivers likely to take part.
One driver set to participate in the test is Ford Performance Racing’s Dunlop Series driver Chaz Mostert. The young gun has been earmarked by the team as a potential co-driver, but according to team manager Nick Williamson, his list has become longer since V8 Supercars confirmed it was discouraging its regular drivers from participating in the rival Trans-Tasman series.
“To be honest, we have a lot of people who are still chasing us,” Williamson told Speedcafe.com.
“We are going to have a run with a couple of guys, see who is the best fit with us, but there’s no shortage of guys keen on driving.
“Since Tony Cochrane made the announcement that no V8 Supercars drivers would be able to race with us, our phones have been running hot. The amount of Development Series drivers on our list is now very long.
“It’s a shame, because we were in talks with a few full-time V8 drivers, but to be honest, it’s not really going to be a big deal. With the time constraints on the race weekend, it will arguably be better to have someone who knows the track, rather than get a driver over who needs to learn both the track and the car.”
Williamson confirmed that he would like to finalise his list of testers within the next two weeks before strapping them in for the test.
“There’s three or four names who are high on our list, and then there’s a couple of wildcard possibilities,” Williamson said.
“Within the next 10 days, we’ll have it all sorted out, but I’d say more than likely we’ll have a minimum of three drivers do the test.”
The first V8 SuperTourers two-driver event will be held at Taupo on September 1-2.
