Next month’s Race of Stars on the Gold Coast has gained further international status with the inclusion of New Zealand Champion Daniel Bray and Italian Champion Lorenzo Camplese.

For both drivers, the Saturday October 18 event at the Xtreme Karting complex in Pimpama will be the first time they have competed in Australia.  The pair will be lining up in the six-speed gearbox KZ2 category where drivers are expected to reach speeds in excess of 160 km/h.

Over the post few years, Bray has been victorious on American soil in the elite S1 class in the SKUSA Pro Tour and took the karting world by storm at the KZ2 World Cup in 2012 in Italy.  It was at the World Cup where he went with just the goal of making the cut for the 34-driver final.  His focus quickly changed when he won five of his six heat races.  Bray was then leading the final before there was contact between he and now Formula 1 driver, Max Verstappen that eliminated the pair.

“I’m looking forward to coming ‘across the ditch’ to compete in the Race of Stars, I’ve never raced in Australia before, and only been to the Gold Coast on holiday,” said Bray.

“I had the pleasure of tuning for Jaxon Evans at the Rotax Nationals a few weeks ago. I can’t wait to get on track and not be the one watching with the stopwatch.

“To race against the world’s best on a track that we’ve all never raced at is going to be good.  I can’t wait.”

For Camplese, who is on track to claim back-to-back Italian KZ2 Championships, the Race of Stars will be his debut in Australia – a country he has always wanted to visit.

“I have seen and heard a lot of great things about Australia, and the Gold Coast especially, I am really excited about coming to enjoy some of the racing,” said Camplese.

The duo join drivers with no less than eight World Championships to their credit, with world-renowned racers, Davide Forè and Jonathon Thonon earlier this week joining the previously announced former European Champion Simas Juordvirsis and reigning Rotax Grand Final Winner Juan Manuel Correa.

The Race of Stars – at the Xtreme Karting complex in Pimpama on the Northern Gold Coast is a free event that forms part of the V8 Superfest in the leadup to the Castrol EDGE Gold Coast 600.