Walkinshaw Andretti United have announced Indycar stars Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe will race at this year's Bathurst 1000 in a wildcard entry.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The pair will race alongside the team's regular entries of Scott Pye/Warren Luff and James Courtney/Jack Perkins in the #27 Holden Commodore, an Andretti Autosport number with many wins under its belt.
Ever since Walkinshaw Racing secured its partnership with Andretti Autosport and United Autosports in 2017, the team has explored fielding a wildcard in the Great Race.
Rossi, with a celebrated motor sport resume featuring a Formula 1 stint and a Indy 500 win, says that he is very excited for this opportunity.
"It's 100 per cent a bucket-list item," Rossi said.
"It's in one of those six big races alongside the likes of the Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
"Bathurst is right up there, so to be able to have this opportunity to do it with Walkinshaw Andretti United and still be close to home with the Andretti Autosport connection, is very cool and I can't wait to get started."
Whilst it will be Rossi's debut in the series, Hinchcliffe has past experience in Supercars, having co-driven with Lee Holdsworth at the 2012 Gold Coast 500.
That weekend, Hinchcliffe was involved in the infamous start line incident that saw his team-mate barrel roll down the front straight.
"It will be a learning curve for both of us, but the test days will give us enough time to get a little bit comfortable with the cars before we have to go learn one of the most daunting tracks in motor sport," Hinchcliffe said.
"The Gold Coast race some years ago was a huge blast.
"But for Supercars, the Bathurst 1000 is their Indy 500.
"It's their hallmark event, so to get to add that one to the resume is very special."
Despite spending his weekends driving well above 300km/hr in his Andretti Autosports Indycar, Rossi said that he is very wary of the skill of the competition he will face at the Mount.
"I've got a few friends who are Supercars drivers, so I know how talented the competition is and how challenging this specific race track is, but at the same time it's a really exciting challenge and something that has been on my target list for a long time," he said.
Hinchcliffe also recognises the challenge that is the Mount Panorama circuit, especially because it will be his first time at the mountain.
"Excited and scared, I think those are two good words, excited and scared go hand-in-hand with Mount Panorama," he said.
"It's a really high-speed and high-commitment track with a lot of blind corners. Circuit knowledge is really key there, so the fact that I don't have any will make it really interesting."
The Bathurst 1000 runs October 10-13.
