Young Australian to get Champ Car debut at home.

A young Queenslander has been given the chance of a lifetime and will line up in the Champ Car race at this year's Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast in October.

Queensland state premier Peter Beattie revealed that 18-year old Surfers Paradise native Josh Hunt will be given the opportunity to drive in the US-based Toyota Atlantic Championship this year, in preparation for his Champ Car debut on home soil over the weekend of 21-24 October. The opportunity has been made possible by sponsorship from high-profile Gold Coast businessman Craig Gore's WPS Financial Services company, and US-based Australian Champ Car series owner Kevin Kalkhoven.

Hunt will become the first Australian to drive a Champ Car at Queensland's premier event since Jason Bright debuted in 2000. Gary Brabham, son of three-time world champion Sir Jack Brabham, is the only other home-grown driver to have competed in the race, having done so in 1992 and '93.

"This is one of the biggest announcements we have ever made on the Lexmark Indy 300," Beattie said, "A young Queenslander has the opportunity to further his international motor racing career and also line up in front of hundreds of thousands of screaming fans in his home town. It also adds a new and exciting element to this year's Lexmark Indy 300, with a Queensland driver on the grid for everyone to support. The atmosphere will be electric.

"I must thank Craig Gore, who has seen the potential in Josh, and also to Aussie Champ Car principal Kevin Kalkhoven, who is leading the resurgence in this great motor racing category which is a feature of Indy."

while the Lexmark Indy 300 involvement will serve as an extension of WPS's involvement in Australian motorsport, which already includes a V8 Supercar team and sponsorship of the V8 Supercar safety car programme. Gore said that his support of Hunt was a natural extension of his company's motorsport branding and the start of WPS motorsport's junior development programme.

"Indy is a fantastic event, and we are delighted that we have been able to provide the support needed to get a young Aussie into the field for this year's event," he said,
"We are using motorsport at all levels to brand WPS Financial Services, with the V8 Supercar programme being our number one priority. We have taken a corporate box at the event each year and now we will have a car in both the V8 Supercar and Champ Car events, which will be fantastic.

"Josh has shown maturity beyond his years and we really think he is a star of the future. The fact that he is Gold Coast born and bred is also another appealing thing about this young guy. It would be great if we could kick-start Josh's career into the big time, and for him to be a part of our V8 Supercar operation in the future.

"However, for this deal to proceed, I acknowledge the support of Kevin Kalkhoven, who has put his money where his mouth is regarding the Champ Car World Series, and we look forward to working with him and his team."

Kalkhoven said he was delighted to have Hunt racing in the US and, more importantly, to have him set to drive in a third Champ Car from his own PKV Racing operation at the Lexmark Indy 300 later in the year. The US-domiciled Australian already plans to field cars for Champ Car veteran Jimmy Vasser and Mexican Robert Gonzalez in 2004.

"I am Australian and I am proud that we have been able to put this deal together," Kalkhoven said, "I think it is important to have an Australian in the Gold Coast race and, hopefully, full-time in the future.

"It will be a bit of a buzz for me personally to have a young Aussie in a Champ Car on the streets of the Gold Coast, and we have to thank Craig Gore for his support of this programme. I am sure Josh will do a fine job."

Lexmark Indy 300 event chairman John Cowley admitted that he was thrilled with the announcement.

"I think having Josh in the Toyota Atlantic Championship will give fans plenty to focus on during the season," he said, "It is a great breeding ground for future Champ Car stars, and will give him plenty of experience before focusing on that big race on the Gold Coast come October."

Hunt's entry into the Toyota Atlantic Championship will be with the crack Lynx Racing team, and he will travel to the US tomorrow [Tuesday] for a two-day test in Las Vegas later this week. Another test at Buttonwillow Raceway in California is already planned for next Tuesday, before the rookie travels to Long Beach for the opening round of the championship.

"There is no doubt that this is one of the greatest opportunities I could be given," Hunt enthused, "The door has been opened for me thanks to Mr Kalkhoven and Mr Gore, and I know I have to make the most of it.

"I realise I have responsibilities as a representative of Queensland and the Lexmark Indy 300, and I will be doing everything possible to fulfil those on and off the track."

Still only 18, Hunt has shown an enormous amount of talent behind the wheel over the past couple of years, having moved abroad at an early age to further his racing career.

After winning the Australian CIK Karting Championship in 2001, he moved to Europe at the age of 15 and recorded some impressive results in the pressure-packed world of European karting. Last year, he competed in the US-based 'Stars of Tomorrow' kart series in the US, taking several wins. He also contested four rounds of the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship, with some top ten results despite not necessarily using the best equipment after joining the series mid-way through the season.

More recently, Hunt was invited to complete a Formula BMW test with 2003 Asian championship-winning team - Meritus. Not only did he quickly get used to the car, he also broke the current lap record at the Sepang Formula One circuit just outside Kuala Lumpur. As part of the test, Hunt was given a written driver appraisal from former F1 driver Alex Yoong, which recommended that Hunt would start as one of the favourites in the championship in 2004 if he was to compete.

Hunt was in the process of trying to get the budget together for the BMW series when the partnership with Kevin Kalkhoven and Craig Gore presented itself.

He is no stranger to the Lexmark Indy 300 either, having been a young ambassador for the 2001 event and carried event signage on his race suit and kart.

Hunt will live in Sonoma in California, and will work with the Lynx team on a daily basis. Kiwi-born engineer and team manger Steve Cameron will act as his mentor.