Renee Gracie joins Paul Morris Motorsports

Renee Gracie will join forces with Paul Morris Motorsports (PMM) for her debut season in the V8 Supercars Dunlop Series next year.

Gracie, who turns 20 in January, will compete under the Fujitsu Racing banner driving a Triple Eight Race Engineering-built Ford FG Falcon, to be run out of PMM's headquarters in Norwell, Queensland.

PMM is owned and run by veteran V8 Supercar driver and team manager Paul Morris, who won this year's Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with Chaz Mostert for Ford Performance Racing. PMM has competed in V8 Supercars since 2000, and in that time has fielded leading drivers including Morris himself, Russell Ingall, Greg Murphy, Tim Slade, Fabian Coulthard and Steve Owen.

Gracie's Fujitsu Racing FG Falcon was previously campaigned in the V8 Supercars Championship by Coulthard and Dean Fiore, and most recently in the V8 Supercars Dunlop Series by Garry Jacobson.

"I am thrilled to be joining Paul Morris Motorsports in 2015 and grateful to be part of a team with such a wealth of experience," Gracie said.

"PMM is one of the most professional teams in the Dunlop Series and there is little Paul hasn't experienced or achieved in motorsport, so I am incredibly fortunate to be benefitting from his knowledge and guidance. It's not often you get to have the reigning Bathurst winner in your corner.

"V8 Supercars is a whole new ball game for me and I am expecting one hell of a challenge next season, but I am ready to race and grow in the Dunlop Series and hopefully surprise a few people along the way. I cannot think of a better team to help me do that than PMM."

Morris, a four-time Australian Super Touring Champion and veteran of over 150 V8 Supercar starts, will be a team-mate and mentor to Gracie, continuing his history of guiding and coaching numerous young drivers in V8 Supercars.

"I'm really looking forward to working closely with Renee as she makes the step from Carrera Cup to V8 Supercars," Morris said.

"Over the years I've enjoyed working with a number of youngsters coming through the ranks. Guys like, Chaz Mostert, Scott Pye, Lee Holdsworth and more recently Andre Heimgartner, and Renee will present a new and exciting challenge that I am keen to maximise.

"Her continued performance improvement in Carrera Cup this year has been impressive and I am sure with the right development Renee will turn a more than a few heads on track during next year's Dunlop Series."

Gracie will also be partnered with experienced and respected race engineer Ian Walburn, whose career of over 30 years in motorsport includes a long stint working with touring car legend Allan Moffat.

The former karting star moves to the V8 Supercars Dunlop Series after two seasons in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, the most recent of which yielded five top-10 race results and a 100 per cent race finishing record matched only by five-time series champion Craig Baird.

Gracie will be the first female to commit to a full season of V8 Supercar competition in 14 years when she makes her Dunlop Series debut at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide from February 26-March 1.

Her shift to the V8 Supercars Dunlop Series for 2015 was announced earlier this year at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. [Read ithere]