V8 Supercar star to replace Hunt in Lexmark.

Toyota Atlantic star Josh Hunt has made the decision to surrender his drive in this year's Lexmark Indy 300 race in favour of a second year in the TA series next season, with Australian V8 Supercar driver David Besnard set to take his place.

Queensland businessman Craig Gore's WPS Financial Group, agreed a partnership with US Champ Car Series owner Kevin Kalkhoven earlier in the year that would fund Hunt in a drive in the 12-round Toyota Atlantic series plus a one-off Champ Car drive in Australia's Gold Coast in October.

Hunt was offered a difficult choice between extending his US career for another year or taking a one-off shot at driving in a Champ Car and has made the decision of backing his long-term goal of a full-time Champ Car ride.

"I was presented with two incredible options - gaining another year of experience in the US under the tutorage of Champ Car series owner Mr Kalkhoven or having a one-off drive at Indy," Hunt said. "I'm just 19 so really the only decision I could make was in the interests of furthering my career with the continued support of Mr Kalkhoven and Mr Gore.

"I know how difficult it is to break into the US and to be given the option of a second year over there was more sensible than putting everything on the line and hoping that a good one-off drive at Indy this year would open up future options."

Hunt is set to be replaced by Besnard, who drives for Gore's WPS team. He had sympathy for Hunt having been forced to return from America himself when funding ran out.

"It must have been a tough choice for Josh but I know how difficult it is to get a start over in the US," he said. "I had to come home from over there in 1999 after my funding ran out so I think Josh has made the right call."

"I am looking forward to whole experience of the test and doing enough to make sure I am in the car on the Gold Coast."

Gore said he was extremely confident that Besnard would impress in his test and the Gold Coaster would be racing in a Champ Car in front of a home crowd at the end of October. He feels that Hunt has made the right decision to focus on the long term.

"The Queensland government was keen to get a local driver into the Lexmark Indy 300," he said. "We all believed that driver would be Josh and we put up the cash and have been working hard all year to get him to Indy. But as the year progressed we started asking where Josh was going to be next year and in the course of those discussions we came up with two options.

"Both Kevin and I spoke about the prospect of giving Josh another year in the US and it came down to choosing between that or a one-off Champ Car drive this year.

"It is extremely expensive to run cars at this level and it was simple economics at the end of the day. We couldn't do both and I think Josh made the right move in deciding to spend another year in the US.

"Josh wins as he gets to further his career; the Government wins in that they have a local driver competing at Indy; Champ Car wins because of increased profile for the Gold Coast event and the category, and WPS Racing wins as we have Josh in the US and Bezzy (Besnard) in the Champ Car at Indy."