In the AFL, foreign imports are a curiosity.
In Australian soccer, a necessity.
In V8 Supercars, a rarity.
As the only non-Australasian among the 28 fulltime drivers who kick off the iconic Australian motor sports series in Adelaide this weekend, Frenchman Alex Premat knows he will be watched closely.
The left-field decision by Garry Rogers Motorsport to recruit Premat – a 29-year-old experienced in all forms of motor racing in Europe – will either be a stroke of magic or madness when viewed in hindsight’s rear view mirror.
Premat is the first European to drive fulltime in the current V8 Supercar series.
And he has had just two days’ driving to prepare himself for a Holden he will race at 240km/h around the Clipsal 500’s concrete canyons.
Yet Premat has set himself the same lofty goal he has achieved in every category he has competed in – from Germany’s DTM touring cars to the ill-fated A1 Grand Prix series – winning a race in his first year.
“I like new challenges,” Premat told AAP.
“At Sandown the first test day, it was quite hard and I finished last on the dry conditions.
“In Winton last week, we did some tests on the wet and in the dry and it was quite quick. So we will see in Adelaide.”
Premat has had interesting career highs and lows.
He was involved in one of DTM’s most spectacular crashes which wrote off his Audi in 2010, and was eventually sacked by his team for running the New York Marathon against instructions while he was supposed to be recovering.
But his career wins are many, and he also led the famed Le Mans 24-Hour race last year before his co-driver crashed out.
Premat chased the GRM drive after speaking to countrymen Simon Pagenaud and IndyCar driver Sebastian Bourdais, who drove as internationals in last year’s Gold Coast 600 V8 race.
Pagenaud drove for GRM as co-driver to Lee Holdsworth, who departed the team to create the vacancy.
“It happened so quick, I was quite surprised because all the drivers are Australia or New Zealand.”
Foreign drivers are not new in Australian touring car racing.
The man rated among the best ever – Ford legend Allan Moffat – hailed from Canada.
Many others have run and won at Bathurst as co-drivers.
But the rare imports tested in the Holden versus Ford championship series haven’t fared as well – something Premat is well aware of.
“I don’t want to say that I want to finish top five or top 10, but there are 29 races – a lot of races to learn and win,” he said.
“In the past in every category I have won in my first year.
“I will do my very best to give fun and emotion and my very best (driving) for people that maybe don’t believe in me at the beginning.”
