Motorsport: World's best add spice at Surfers

After a short break to recover from the gruelling annual Bathurst 1000, the V8 Supercar series arrives in Queensland for the Gold Coast 600.

If fans thought Bathurst was entertaining, they're in for a treat on the streets of Surfers Paradise.

Some of the best open wheel and touring car drivers from around the world are pairing up with 18 V8 series drivers to add a huge dollop of spice to round 11 of the 14-race series.

Three-time World Touring Car Championship winner Andy Priaulx will pair up with three-time V8 Supercars champion Craig Lowndes, who's on a high after winning Bathurst with Mark Skaife.

Former touring car champions Alain Menu and Yvan Muller will share racing duties with Jason Bright and Greg Murphy respectively.

"After the victory at the L&H 500 and then coming off Bathurst we've got a lot of confidence and the car's working well," said Lowndes.

"But the different element this weekend is Andy Priaulx and all the international drivers this weekend are going to be up against it learning the track and cars.

"[Priaulx] knows where we are in the Championship and how important this weekend is for us. There's four rounds remaining and four or five of us all within 300 points of each other."

The top five finishers in this year's IndyCar series have made the trip to Australia, including two-time IRL champion and Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon.

IndyCar series champion Dario Franchitti is paired with Steven Johnson, Will Power with Steve Richards, Dixon with Todd Kelly, Ryan Briscoe with Will Davison and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves with youngster Tim Slade.

"It was good fun despite the weather being a bit off and the car was fairly quick so it was good," said Dixon. "The cars are much different [from IndyCars] and they don't stop nearly as well and there's no grip as far as downforce and all that sort of stuff. They've got a lot more movement and it's a lot more challenging. It's something totally different and it's almost like you have to re-learn quite a few things again.

"For the IndyCars guys it's pretty much the opposite of what we do but for the touring car guys it's a little similar in some ways.

"But it's a street circuit this weekend and if you step out a bit you're going to hit the wall."

The only all-Kiwi pairing in the race, Shane van Gisbergen and two-time NZV8 championship winner John McIntyre, are looking forward to the weekend with just a hint of trepidation.

"Street circuits are always challenging, and this one in particular doesn't allow any time to rest, if you can call it that, between corners," said McIntyre.

Although the track has been shortened considerably, a number of the international visitors have been to the street circuit when the Champ Car series, followed by the IndyCars, used to visit the Gold Coast.

Sebastien Bourdais, driving with Jonathon Webb, won four consecutive Champ Car series and won twice at Surfers.

Franchitti knows his way around the mean streets of Surfers and won in 1999. One to keep an eye on will be Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula One world champion. The Canadian has excellent pedigree, having also won an IndyCar series and Indy 500.

He is only one of three drivers who have managed such a feat; the others were Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi. Villeneuve has also raced Nascar, so is well-versed in keeping a car off the wall.

"There is a big chance you will see more of me here," he said. "I would love to come and race here because it is such a great place.

"I wouldn't mind coming and doing it full time because it could be a lot of fun. They are cars I always have been intrigued by. Mainly because of Bathurst.

"I have also spoken a lot to Ambrose [former V8 champion turned Nascar driver] about it."

If Wednesday's test session for the international drivers is anything to go by, some of the visitors may be capable of taking it to more seasoned V8 drivers.

European touring car pilot Priaulx, paired with Lowndes, was the fastest of the overseas drivers at Queensland Raceway.

Priaulx pulled a 1min 11.3sec lap out of the bag on a damp track with IndyCar driver Ryan Briscoe not far behind on 1min 11.09sec lap, a 10th of a second faster than his co-driver and V8 regular, Will Davison.

Dixon put in a 1min 12sec dead, proving having a roof over his head isn't going to slow him down.

There'll be a fair amount of chaos and carnage over the weekend but the racing should be something to behold - as long as some of the V8 novice invitees can keep their cars off the wall.

Today the lead drivers get into qualifying, before the top-10 shootout decides the final starting positions for the afternoon's 300km race.

Tomorrow's schedule follows a similar structure. Each co-driver is required to complete 30 per cent of each race.

Points table
* James Courtney: 2323
* Jamie Whincup: 2198
* Craig Lowndes: 2039
* Mark Winterbottom: 2030
* Garth Tander: 1938
* Shane van Gisbergen: 1773
* Rick Kelly: 1688
* Lee Holdsworth: 1631