2011 V8 Supercar test day

The Official V8 Supercars Championship Test Day and Launch happens this weekend on Saturday January 29th, 9am to 5pm at Eastern Creek Raceway, Sydney, New South Wales and the best part of it all, it's open FREE to the public.

All 28 V8 Supercars Championship cars and their 2011 drivers will be there testing their rides for the first time this year as they prepare for the opening event of the season in Abu Dhabi, mid-February.

Cars will be on-track from 9am to 12.30pm and it promises to be a very competitive affair as each team vies for the fastest time and a one-up-manship at the conclusion of the day.

There will be a grid walk for fans at 12.30pm to see up close all of the new paint liveries and driver/team combinations with testing resuming afterwards for the second and last test runs through to 5pm.

Only the regular Dunlop Control tyre is permitted to be used by teams between 9am and 2pm and the softer Dunlop Sprint tyres are permitted to 5.00pm.

Potentially crowds will be treated to the fastest-ever V8 Supercar lap time around Eastern Creek as the softer Dunlop Sprint tyre has never been used at the circuit before.

There's the very real possibility of one driver being able to claim bragging rights this Saturday as the fastest man ever around the circuit in a V8 Supercar.

Holden fans will also have a first on-track look of reigning V8 Supercar Champion James Courtney in his new-look number 1 Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VEII and Ford fans will rejoice on the first run of his replacement, James Moffat (Touring Car Champion, Alan Moffat's son), in last year's championship-winning car, the number 18 Jim Beam Racing Falcon.

Gulf Western Oil Racing squad have revealed a striking look for 2011, the #30 Commodore to be driven by Warren Luff after he competed in the final three events of last year for the team.

Other things new include, the debut of Will Davison's Trading Post FPR Falcon, Greg Murphy's new car and livery for the 2011 season, the new-look TeamVodafone Commodores of two-time champion Jamie Whincup and reigning Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Lowndes and Steve Owen's number 49 VIP Petfoods Commodore from Paul Morris Motorsports.

The revamped Supercheap Auto Commodore of 2005 V8 Supercar champion Russell Ingall will be raring to go as well as the new-look, black Bundaberg Commodore for Kiwi ace Fabian Coulthard and the new Lucky 7 David Reynolds /Stone Brothers Falcon.

The youngest owner in the V8 Supercars Championship, Lucas Dumbrell will also be there in his team's second season in the country's top motorsport category with the new look Gulf Western Oil Racing number 30 Commodore driven by Warren Luff, who is looking forward to the season getting underway with the official test and launch day at Eastern Creek.