Classic touring car racer Gavin Bullas will replace American muscle with German ingenuity when lining up in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia at Mount Panorama next weekend.

The dual Touring Car Masters champion contested the opening three rounds of the 2013 Touring Car Masters series before moving to the all-Porsche championship for the Bathurst event, carrying the backing of Australian bottle-shop retailer, The
Bottle-O.

In a stark contrast of racing machinery, the Victorian will swap his V8-powered 1969 Ford Boss Mustang muscle car for the six-cylinder sports car inspired Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car at a circuit where Bullas has found success in the past.

“I’ve driven at Bathurst for quite a few years, I’ve won races there but I’ve never won a round there. It will be interesting to race there in Carrera Cup to see where I fit in,” said Bullas.

“I haven’t driven a 911 GT3 Cup car for a long time; everyone has been raving about how good the current model is. They brake well and turn in well – not like our older touring cars that I’m used to. Though I’ll do a bit of testing on Thursday to become familiar with the car and I’ll be fine.”
Bullas’s Porsche entry will feature a livery inspired by The Bottle-O sponsored V8 Supercar of 2007 Carrera Cup Australia champion, David Reynolds.

“It’s great having The Bottle-O on board. Rod Nash has done a great job with The Bottle-O over the years to help them lift their brand. We’re hoping that running The Bottle-O on the Porsche and hopefully getting inside the top 10 will give the brand a little more exposure.

“I’ll be talking to Dave Reynolds and Steve Richards to get some tips with these cars so I’ll be full of information by the time Bathurst comes around.”

Porsche Carrera Cup Australia will commence its penultimate round of the 2013 season at Mount Panorama on Friday October 11, holding two races on Saturday and its third race as the curtain-raiser for the iconic Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 race on Sunday morning.