The Bottle-O Racing Team has signed ex-Formula 1 ace Nick Heidfeld to drive with the team at this year’s Armor All Gold Coast 600 V8 Supercars race where he will partner David Reynolds in the #55 The Bottle-O FPR Ford.
Heidfeld raced in Formula 1 as recently as last season and just last weekend finished fourth outright in the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race.
The quiet spoken German raced in F1 for 11 years and for six different teams including the famous Williams team and most recently for Renault (now Lotus) last season.
With 13 Grands Prix podiums and a pole position to his name he is one of the most credentialed F1 drivers to drive in the Gold Coast street race.
“I am very excited to be racing at the Gold Coast 600 this year. V8 Supercars is a category I am hearing a lot about from friends in Europe who have driven on the Gold Coast and they all say very positive things,” Heidfeld said.
“The cars are very unique and look like a lot of fun to drive. They are very different to what I have driven for most of my career but I am looking forward to the challenge.
“To be part of Ford Performance Racing is a privilege especially given the season they are having. I know Prodrive well from my racing in Europe and I know they are very professional and well run.
“My team-mate in The Bottle-O car David Reynolds is a rising star and I look forward to learning a lot from him when I test for the first time in October.
“The Gold Coast 600 looks like a fun event and one that now attracts a lot of attention from drivers all around the world. I can’t wait to race there in October.”
Team owner Rod Nash is thrilled Heidfeld is joining the team and believes FPR’s history of success with a multitude of international drivers will enable him to quickly adapt to V8 Supercar racing.
“Nick has raced for some of the best teams in world motorsport and is certainly on form after his performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Nash said.
“While he is known as ‘Quick Nick’ he is also renowned for getting race cars to the finish so that will be a handy skill at a track as notoriously tough on cars as Surfers Paradise.
“The broader FPR team has a lot of experience dealing with successful international drivers at the Gold Coast 600 so we expect Nick to quickly adapt to life in a V8 Supercar.”
The Armor All Gold Coast 600 is scheduled for 19-21 October and the event will again feature high profile bands playing post-race concerts with American punk rock group Good Charlotte headlining this year’s line-up.
