THURSDAY, JULY 2: V8 Supercar birthday boy and St Kilda fan James Courtney has added some extra horsepower to the Saints' bid to beat Geelong in this Sunday's Australian Football League blockbuster in Melbourne.

Courtney, who shares a sponsorship connection with St Kilda through the JELD-WEN company, has no doubt who will win the round 14 AFL game at Etihad Stadium between the two unbeaten teams.

"It's the game everyone is talking about, but this is the year of the Saints," said Courtney, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Monday.

"I'm tipping Nick Riewoldt and Sam Gilbert to play the house down and St Kilda to win by the length of Conrod Straight!"

Courtney drove Gilbert for some 'hot laps' around Melbourne's Sandown track in a Ford Falcon V8 Supercar in 2008, and he was also invited to the coin toss before an AFL game between St Kilda and Collingwood at Etihad Stadium.

"When I walked onto the ground for the toss the crowd was going crazy," said the Jim Beam Racing driver. "They were just as passionate as the Ford and Holden fans at Bathurst."

"The St Kilda club and players treated me very well. They tried to teach me how to kick and handball, which produced plenty of laughs."

"The players were interested in V8 Supercars and my racing. I've been supporting them ever since."

Courtney spent his birthday relaxing at his Gold Coast home with wife Carys and one-year-old daughter Zara.

His next racing assignment will be driving a Jim Beam Racing Falcon in the inaugural Townsville 400 from July 10-12, which is the fifth event in this year's V8 Supercar Championship.

Courtney was sixth in the 2008 championship and finished on the podium in the Bathurst 1000 in each of the past three years.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Mike Porter - Tel: (0417) 311-997. E-mail: mikep@qldnet.com.au

WEBSITE: http://www.jamescourtney.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHS: 300-dpi jpeg images of James Courtney in St Kilda guernsey available for media/editorial use