Tiago Monteiro, guest star of the Australian V8 Supercars

Tiago Monteiro will take part in a round of the prestigious Australian series V8 Supercar series this weekend when he lines up for the new Gold Coast 600. The Portuguese driver is just one of 18 international drivers considered to the fastest in the world, apart from those taking part in the Formula One world championship.

After competing in the World Series by Nissan, ChampCar, F1, the 24 hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Tiago Monteiro will add this new famous series to his resume. Tiago will share a car with Tony d’ Alberto in the Centaur Racing Team. The 24 year old Australian has 7 years experience at the wheel of a V8 Supercar and the duo of Tony and Tiago will be well armed to contest the two 300 kilometre races which will take place on a new version of the Surfers Paradise Surfers circuit on the coastline.
The starting grid will be determined by two qualifying sessions and both drivers will have to take the wheel for two practice sessions.

Among the international drivers who will be taking part in the Gold Coast 600, are Sebastien Bourdais, Alain Menu, Mika Salo, Dario Franchitti, Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Yvan Muller and former Formula One champion, Jacques Villeneuve. "It will be a great challenge because the V8 cars are very different to the ones we are usually racing. The biggest difficulty will be fighting with the local drivers and I already know that the tyre wear will be crucial because with 650bhp under throttle, wear comes quickly! But my aim is to enjoy myself and of course to fight and try to get the best possible result," explained Tiago Monteiro.

Tiago arrived in Australia several days ago so that he could acclimatize for the race as well as take part in several promotional activities instigated by the Australian tourism office.
The Gold Coast 600 will officially open its doors on Friday October 22 with four practice sessions. The following day, the drivers will qualify for the first race, that will get underway at 13:35 local time. Sunday’s program will be identical to Saturday’s.