Fabian Coulthard has been revealed as the newest member of the Walkinshaw Racing's Australian V8 Supercar line-up for next season, making the shock move from Ford to Holden after ending his contract with Wilson Security Racing after two years.

The Kiwi admitted that he was delighted to sign on with one of the most highly-regarded teams in pit-lane, especially as the deal secured his V8 Supercar future for a further two years.

Coulthard made his full-time V8 Supercar debut with Paul Cruickshank Racing's single-car outfit at the start of the 2008 season, and remained on board when the squad was rechristened Wilson Security Racing in 2009. He immediately impressed his peers with his best result at the inaugural Hamilton 400 event on home turf in New Zealand, before claiming a first podium at Symmons Plains. However, the offer to work with a factory-supported squad, and alongside Bathurst champions Garth Tander and Will Davison formed part of the Kiwi's decision to make the switch.

“To drive alongside Garth and Will at Walkinshaw Racing is an exciting prospect,” Coulthard conceded, “This is a great opportunity for me and I am honoured to have been given the chance to step up and drive for such a professional outfit. This new role is going to put me in a position to consistently contest top ten finishes and podium results.”

Walkinshaw Racing CEO Craig Wilson insisted that the decision to bring Coulthard on board was about building a team that could put results on the board.

“We strive to have the strongest driver combination possible and, with Fabian joining Walkinshaw Racing, we believe we have a stronger line-up for 2010,” he explained, “The last two years have shown that he has the speed and consistency to be a real threat, and we look forward to him joining the team later this year so we can hit the ground running for the start of the 2010 season in February.”

Coulthard will close out the 2009 season with Wilson Security Racing before making the move to Melbourne during the off-season, and thanked team boss Cruickshank for allowing him to waive the final year of his deal with the PCR-run outfit.

“It has always been a part of our business philosophy to develop young drivers and one of the unfortunate outcomes of achieving this is when a top factory team wants your young talent,” a resigned Cruickshank admitted.