Mika Salo will drive alongside Will Davison at the Armor All Gold Coast 600 for the second consecutive year, Ford Performance Racing has confirmed.
The 45-year-old Finn partnered Davison to a podium finish in Saturday's race at the event last year, before a puncture scuppered the pair's chances on the Sunday.
Salo, who holds a resume boasting 109 Grand Prix starts and two GT2 class wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours, also competed in the GC600 with Walkinshaw Racing in 2010.
Salo is FPR's second confirmed driver for the October event, with Nick Heidfeld having already been locked in to drive the #55 The Bottle-O Racing entry with David Reynolds.
Australian IndyCar star Will Power is expected to complete the factory Ford squad's co-driver line-up.
According to team principal Tim Edwards, Salo impressed both on and off track in 2011.
“Everyone at the team is really excited to know Mika is coming back for the Gold Coast race as last year he proved that not only is he quick and consistent but also a lot of fun,” said Edwards.
“Unlike most Finnish drivers he is very chatty and having raced with a lot of British teams in Formula 1 he has a wicked sense of humour and fits in really well with the close-knit environment we have at the team.
“Good times aside, Mika knows that this is a championship round for us and when the helmet goes on he is quick and provides great feedback. He is the perfect sort of driver for the Gold Coast event.”
CLICK HERE for Salo's thoughts on his Gold Coast return