Fabian Coulthard

Shell V-Power Racing stalwart Fabian Coulthard’s road to Supercars title contender started in karts and Formula Ford in New Zealand.

A trip to the Australian Grand Prix support races at Albert Park in 2002 proved his worth, and he then jetted to England to compete in Formula Renault.

Coulthard’s return to Australia came in 2004 in Porsche Carrera Cup with Greg Murphy Racing, finishing third as the best rookie and winning the title the following year.

After a pair of Supercars enduro campaigns with Tasman Motorsport, he signed to drive with Paul Morris Motorsports, sharing a car with Alan Gurr and Steve Ellery across 2006 and ’07.

The next two seasons with countryman Paul Cruickshank’s eponymous outfit gave Coulthard’s career renewed momentum.

In 2008 he finished in the top 10 on six occasions, before a switch to a new FG Falcon for ’09 included his first two Supercars podiums.

A pair of trying years with Walkinshaw Racing – including a frightening Bathurst rollover – was followed by a move to Brad Jones Racing in 2012 and a breakthrough ’13, when Coulthard claimed his maiden race wins and sixth in the championship.

Coulthard grabbed victories in his next two seasons with BJR and was then signed by emerging powerhouse DJR Team Penske for 2016.

He outscored teammate Scott Pye and then held the upper hand over new colleague Scott McLaughlin for much of 2017, leading the championship deep into the season before having to settle for third.

Besides a Winton win, 2018 was much tougher, the English-born Kiwi slipping to ninth in the standings as McLaughlin soared to the championship.

He rebounded with an excellent first half in 2019 to secure a DJRTP contract extension before a largely forgettable second half marred by the Bathurst ‘go-slow’ controversy.

But a pair of Newcastle podiums gave Coulthard a timely injection of confidence to take into the summer break and he’ll again at the very least play a vital role in the Ford powerhouse’s teams’ championship hopes.