Bathurst Champ samples Ozstaff Dallara

It was a step back in time for 2009 Bathurst Champion Will Davison today, swapping his regular Erebus AMG E63 V8 Supercar for a Dallara Formula 3 car.

Davison, scheduled to drive the Minardi Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Swisse Two-Seaterat this year's Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, jumped into the Ozstaff Racing machine usually driven by Chelsea Angelo to reacquaint himself with open wheel machinery before his gig at Mount Panorama next weekend.

"It was fun to jump back into a Formula 3 car again," said Davison, who raced in the category in the UK before returning home and establishing himself as one of the stars of the V8 Supercar class.

"It was nice to get some seat time in an open wheel car before I get to drive the F1 at Bathurst.

"They're great cars and I really appreciate the help that the team at Ozstaff Racing have given me in enabling me to jump in and use their Dallara today.

"The car was fantastic, I had a ball driving it and I'm looking forward to getting to Bathurst next week and driving the F1 on the mountain," he said.

The test was conducted at the Australian Automotive Research Facility near Anglesea in Victoria, but Davison said he'd love to jump back in the car and tackle a real race circuit.

"Today was great but it was just a taste. I'd love to jump back in on a real race circuit and do a whole day.That'd be a lot of fun."

Davison earlier told v8supercars.com.au how exciting the prospect of driving the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Swisse Two-Seater was.

"It's going to be pretty wild, an F1 car at Bathurst. It's going to be really special.

"It's nice because I put a lot of my heart and soul into open wheeler racing in Europe and before you know it eight or nine years has gone past, and I suppose this is a little reminder and a little something for all of those years. .. something like this pops up and you just jump at it.

"It's going to be a pleasure, I'm just going to enjoy the experience.

"What more can I say, it'll be a buzz... anytime you drive something like that with the old V10 engine, obviously the sound is incredible ... and it's a place, Mount Panorama, where I never dreamed I'd be able to do that. So really, really looking forward to it."

Three lucky fans can win a chance for a hot lap in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Swisse Two-SeaterwithZsolt Baumgartner, a Hungarian former racing driver who raced for the Jordan and Minardi teams in Formula One. He was the first Hungarian driver in Formula One. He now drives for the Minardi F1x 2 team. Click here to enter and for terms and condtions.