Denyer to host V8 Supercars reality series

Grant Denyer will front a new reality series produced by WTFN, aimed at fans of V8 Supercars, to air on 7mate.

Supercar Showdown will feature 10 young racing drivers from Australia and around the world, all vying for a rare prize.

Judges Todd and Rick Kelly will oversee a series of eliminations with the winner of offered the chance to race at the Bathurst 1000 alongside Denyer as a fifth entry in ‘The Great Race’ this October.

Todd Kelly said, “I remember getting the chance to go and join the Holden Racing Team when I was a 17 years old, and that was a long process of getting a test day and then eventually getting signed full-time.

“But one of these young drivers is going to get to drive at Bathurst in just a few months, so what this group has in front of them is a massive opportunity.”

The show will also feature behind the scenes action of the Kelly Racing V8 Supercars team.

“This is a brilliant concept which again demonstrates the enormous depth of V8 Supercars to have a mainstream reality show based around the living the dream premise,” said V8 Supercars’ CEO Martin Whitaker.

As well as unearthing a future V8 Supercar star, Shannons Supercar Showdown joins Kelly Racing as Rick and Todd Kelly, Greg Murphy and David Reynolds battle it out in the 2011 V8 Supercars Championship. Race fans will meet the people behind the scenes critical to the success of a motorsport race team from engineers and mechanics to designers, dieticians and personal trainers.

Local and international hopefuls, including three female drivers, will also descend on Kelly Racing headquarters to take part in this unique event. Ten of the hottest up-and-coming drivers from Australia and across the globe will compete for the coveted spot, as they eat, sleep and train with Kelly Racing and learn everything there is to know about becoming a champion driver.

Over the series they will be eliminated one by one until only the best of the best is left standing.

The drama of V8 Supercars racing at the elite level through the eyes of Rick and Todd Kelly will provide the ultimate contrast to our young hopefuls who are embarking on their own race of a lifetime to get a foot in the door of a V8 Supercar team.

The series will begin on 7mate on July 23.