Renault Megane R.S. 250 Puts Bathurst Hopefuls Through Their Paces In TV Revolution

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – June 23, 2011: Renault Australia today announced that the award-winning Mégane R.S. 250 will play a starring role in the revolutionary motorsport television series: ‘The Shannons Supercar Showdown’. To be broadcast in July on 7mate, the Shannons Supercar Showdown will embark on a televised global search to find the next young gun driver to join Kelly Racing. The winning contestant will join Grant Denyer on his return to V8 supercars and compete at the pinnacle of Australian motorsport – the Bathurst 1000.

The Shannons Supercar Showdown will be hosted by Grant Denyer and filmed in Melbourne. Viewers will go behind the scenes of Kelly Racing to see the inner workings of a successful V8 supercar team.

Ten handpicked contestants will compete over 13 weeks 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. At the end of each week, the contestant that fails to impress will be eliminated by Rick and Todd Kelly.

In order impress the judges and to show off their vehicle handling and driving skills, the contestants will drive a red-hot Mégane R.S. 250 in a series of challenges.

The latest version of the Mégane R.S., Top Gear Australia Magazine’s 2011 Car of the Year, has just set a new front-wheel drive lap record at the famous Nurburgring, scorching around in under 8 minutes and 8 seconds.

Given this giant-killing display of performance and chassis control inherent in all Mégane R.S. 250 cars, the contestants in the Shannons Supercar Showdown will have the perfect vehicle with which to explore the limits of their abilities on the track.

Renault has a long and proud history of motorsport success and has always backed young talented drivers through the various classes it supports. Motor sport provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase Renault Sport’s exceptional engine and chassis technology, with a full 25 percent of the 2011 Formula 1 grid powered by Renault, including Australia’s Mark Webber. In Europe Renault is active in rallying as well as running the World Series by Renault which supports several Formula 1 rounds and hosts reserve drivers for many of the F1 teams.

“We are very excited to be able to provide the contestants with such a high-powered Renault Sport car with which to prove themselves ahead of a debut at the famous Bathurst 1000 race. We congratulate the Kelly Racing team and Grant Denyer for bringing this innovative and exciting series to the screen,” said Chris Brown, Renault Australia Director of Marketing.

“Motorsport, and Bathurst in particular, hold a magnetic attraction for many Australian car enthusiasts. There can’t be many who would not have dreamed of a drive at the Great Race. I am delighted that Renault, via the Shannons Supercar Showdown, is going to help make this dream come true for one very lucky racer.”