Will Davison to trade V8 Supercar for F1 car at Bathurst

V8 Supercars star Will Davison will drive the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Swisse Two-Seater at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 this October, taking V8 Supercars commentator Mark Beretta for a hot lap.

Davison will return to his open-wheeler roots and become the first person to lap Mount Panorama in the Minardi F1 car for the weekend on Thursday, before handing the reins back to regular driver Zsolt Baumgartner.

The Swisse Two-Seater will be at Bathurst as part of a collaboration between V8 Supercars and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation where lucky fans could receive the ride of a lifetime around the iconic circuit.

"What an awesome opportunity - to combine two of the biggest milestones of my motor racing career into one experience, driving a Formula One car again and doing it at Bathurst," Davison said.

"When V8 Supercars and the AGPC announced that the Swisse Two-Seater was going to be at Bathurst this year, I was really excited and then absolutely delighted to have the chance to drive it. To take Beretts (Mark Beretta) on a lap of Bathurst neither of us will ever forgot, it's going to be enormous fun.

"I tested for Minardi some years ago when I was racing in Europe and it remains a career highlight for me, right up there with winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2009.

"The fact that fans have the opportunity to win a hot lap in the car is incredible - we have a great history of competing alongside Formula One at Albert Park, so it's fitting that this year F1 will be on show at Bathurst."

V8 Supercars will again join Formula One on track in Melbourne for the 2015 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix on 12-15 March and Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott outlined the importance of the relationship.

"V8 Supercars is a big part of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix and it's fantastic that we are able to work closely together on a number of initiatives. There are quite a few V8 Supercars drivers who love watching Formula One and look up to legends like Ayrton Senna, including Will Davison, so it's fantastic that he'll be behind the wheel of the Swisse Two-Seater at Bathurst," Westacott said.

Fans will have the opportunity to win a ride in the Swisse Two-Seater at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, 9-12 October, simply by visiting the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix stand and purchasing a ticket to the 2015 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix (conditions apply).