Westpoint announces enduro pairings.

Westpoint Racing has announced that Steve Johnson and Glenn Seton will not be paired together for the V8 Supercar Endurance races later in the season.

Johnson will be joined in the #17 Westpoint Falcon by Will Davison, while Seton will share the #18 car with DJR's HPDC star Dean Canto for the races at Sandown and Bathurst.

"With the way Westpoint Racing is performing in the Championship we want to give all our drivers the opportunity to do well in the race and this line-up gives both cars a genuine opportunity to be on the podium," DJR managing director Steve Chalker said. "Steve, Glenn and Dean are all experienced Sandown and Bathurst drivers and Will's a smart young guy that has proven his talent both here and overseas.

"Will and Steve like the same type of set-up and Will's comfortable in Steve's car, while Dean has driven for Glenn before, so we are thrilled with our pairing's and importantly so are the drivers."

While some of the teams fans may have wanted to see the two regular V8 drivers paired together, Seton agrees that separating him and Johnson is good for the team's championship prospects.

"I think splitting us is a good decision when it comes to the championship," he said. "If you put me and Steve together and something goes wrong then it buggers both our chances for a strong championship finish. You can potentially drop a lot of points at Sandown or Bathurst so by separating us, if one of the cars has a problem then it gives the other the opportunity to keep fighting in the championship and aim for a top five finish.

"I'm really happy with the decision [to be paired with Dean Canto]. Obviously size wise Dean and I are a much closer fit, while Steve and Will are well suited, so this helped in making the decision.

"Dean drove for me in 2000 and 2001 so I know what he's capable of. His speed at Bathurst over the last couple of years, along with his ability to look after a car, has been impressive. He'll also be competing in the HPDC Series race which will also give him some more miles. Dean's an easy guy to get along with and has a lot of talent. I'm looking forward to driving with him. I hope to win my first Bathurst with him."

Canto agreed with his experienced team-mate that he and Seton will be a strong pairing for the endurance events.

"I'm stoked to be driving with Glenn, I think we'll be a very competitive team," he said. "Glenn is a consistently high finisher and is still as hungry as ever, particularly when it comes to Bathurst.

"I think we've both shown in recent years that we are very strong when it comes to endurance events, and along with Steve and Will, I think DJR has got a couple of great opportunities to get on the podium."

Johnson is equally pleased with the decision taken by the team in regard to its driver pairings and agreed with Seton that splitting the two regular drivers was the right thing to do.

"Will didn't need to prove himself, we all knew that he was good, he's my height and we both get along really well, so I couldn't be happier," he said. "Naturally everyone wants as much track time as possible, but by pairing two number one drivers it can sometimes cause more grief than good. We won't have to work through this situation as a team with the pairing's that we have.

"In testing Will's being very good. We both like a similar set up and drive in the same way. The technical feedback that I give Leigh [Geyer - Johnson's engineer] is spot on with what Will's saying so when you put all of that together, there's a lot to look forward to. I think we can do well."

Davison has competed at Sandown and Bathurst on one occasion in the past driving for Team Dynamik, and having failed to finish either race, he is looking for a better showing this season.

"I drove at Sandown and Bathurst last year but didn't have much success," Davison said. "I did one stint at Sandown, I didn't get a lot of laps at Bathurst and we DNF'd on both occasions, so I'm looking forward to driving with Steve Johnson in what is a very good car.

"This aside, I am pretty excited to be driving with Steve, he is a very strong driver, particularly at Sandown and Bathurst and I think we'll be a contender. It's exciting for me because I'll get to drive at the front of the field surrounded by some very good drivers. I've done all of my test laps in Steve's car, naturally because we're the same size, and I felt very comfortable. We both seem to like the same car set-up so at this stage we're looking good.

"It's a pretty special thing to be driving the #17 Ford with Steve Johnson. I'm confident in my self, I've had good preparation and I'm comfortable with the car and the team. The job is to support Steve as best I can and make no mistakes, which I think I can do."