V8 stars to battle in Top Gear Live challenge
Mark Winterbottom with his Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon and the famous Top Gear Peel
V8 Supercars will have a major presence at the Top Gear Live Festival at Melbourne’s Showgrounds this weekend.
V8 stars Mark Winterbottom, Lee Holdsworth, Craig Lowndes, Greg Murphy, Jamie Whincup, Tony D’Alberto, Luke Youlden, Michael Caruso and Steven Richards have confirmed they will participate in the V8 Drivers Challenge where they will race against the clock contesting three consecutive laps in three different cars.
Each driver will do a lap in a Arrow racing kart, a production road car, with the finale, a lap in the infamous Top Gear ‘Peel’ car (smallest car in the world).
Fujitsu Racing's Lee Holdworth in the Top Gear Peel at the Melbourne Showgrounds today
The driver with the lowest calculated overall time after completing the three laps will be crowned the winner and take possession of the Top Gear Live V8 Drivers trophy.
New dad Orrcon Steel FPR’s Winterbottom says that he is looking forward to some friendly fire before next weekend’s Clipsal 500.
“We’re here Friday night and have a bit of a challenge – a little bit of friendly competition,” he said.
“It should be a bit of fun. Obviously the Top Gear brand is massive and to be associated with that is terrific. I’m looking forward to doing all of this in front of 20,000 people.”
Both Winterbottom and Holdsworth got to sample the Peel car today, testing its limits (and tipping it onto two wheels!)
Other ‘racing’ events at the Top Gear show includes a Renault Sport Celebrity Challenge on the 1.52km purpose-built track.
Sam Newman, Livinia Nixon, Grant Hackett, Lehmo, Matt Welsh, Glenn Archer, Paul Chapman, James Kelly, Brodie Harper, Jonathan La Paglia and Melbourne Storm’s Cameron Smith are just some of the big names that will pilot Renault’s Clio R.S. 200 Gordini Edition in the shootout.