19 Oct 2011

Englishman Darren Turner to replace Dan Wheldon

7:16 am on 19 October 2011

The field for this weekend's All Gold Coast 600 motorsport event in Australia has been finalised with the signing of English driver Darren Turner as a replacement for Dan Wheldon in the Holden Racing Team.

Wheldon was tragically killed in the final round of the IndyCar Series in Las Vegas on Monday in a 15-car accident and fellow countrymanTurner will now fill the co-driver's seat beside current V8 Supercars champion James Courtney.

Turner, 37, is a current FIA GT driver and a former F1 test driver for McLaren and more recently he has been competing in the FIA GT1 World Championship for the Aston Martin Racing team - winning the most recent round held in China.

Australian Will Power also injured his back in the Las Vegas crash and has been replaced in Mark Winterbottom's Falcon by Northern Ireland's Richard Lyons.

Brazilian Tony Kanaan has decided not to make the trip after the accident and will be replaced in Jason Bargwanna's Commodore by Danish driver Allan Simonsen.

The other three drivers who were involved in the Las Vegas race - Ryan Briscoe, Alex Tagliani, and Helio Castroneves have all been confirmed as making the trip to the Gold Coast.