Taz Douglas gets chance in 2012 V8 Supercars campaign

[William Douglas]

Taz Douglas will graduate from the V8 Development Series to the premier Supercars championship in 2012 after inking a deal with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.

28-year-old Douglas has spent the last four seasons in the tin-top feeder category, taking a best finish of 19th in the 2011 season. The former Victorian Formula Ford champion has also contested a handful of Supercars events in recent years as an enduro co-driver.

Team boss Lucas Dumbrell is positive that Douglas' signing can signal an improvement in fortunes for his squad, who have struggled at the back during their first two years of Supercars competition.

“I generally think we should run between 12th and 18th on the race weekends and have a couple of top 10 finishes along the way,” Dumbrell told Speedcafe.com.

“That might not be where we are at the start, but after a couple of races to get our heads around the car, I think that’s where we should be.

“I think that what Taz did in his Development Series car was impressive," continued Dumbrell. "He didn’t go out there and win a lot of races, but he did a good job for the equipment he had, and I rate the fact that he did a lot of the car preparation himself. It showed that he’s willing to do the hard work to go racing.

“I just want people around me that are hungry to get a result. I want drivers, engineers and a whole team around that generally care, and go racing because they want to get on the podium.”

The 2012 Supercars campaign kicks off in Adelaide over the first weekend of March (1-4).