The Aston Martin made its first appearance at the previous round of Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS at Queensland Raceway, but a qualifying incident ruled the entry out for the remainder of the weekend.

At the same event, Poulakis made his return to the category alongside friend Chris Batzios in the Harrolds Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, with the pair finishing fourth in the Am Class in both races.

In a driver shuffle, Poulakis will join Gardner in the Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 for Phillip Island, with previous round partner Ben Porter unavailable to attend due to prior racing commitments overseas. 

“After I saw the Aston Martin at Queensland Raceway a couple of weeks ago, I fell in love, so I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to drive it at Phillip Island,” said Poulakis.

“Aston Martin is a brand I am fond of and Volante Rosso did a fantastic job in getting the car on track for Queensland Raceway in such a short turnaround.

“I think getting the drive in the Aston Martin for next week is also a reward for my efforts too as my times at Queensland Raceway were quite competitive and I was showing similar speed to the likes of Liam Talbot and Brad Schumacher throughout the weekend.

“Considering I had not driven a GT in more than a year having run in the Australian Prototype Series, I was really happy with my performance in Queensland and my general progress.”

Poulakis’ replacement in the AMG with Chris Batzios is yet to be confirmed.

The inaugural GT Festival takes place at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on August 23-25.