TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20: James Courtney says his gruelling cycling and fitness program will help him combat heat and fatigue in this week's expanded V8 Supercar Championship event on the streets of Surfers Paradise.

"The Surfers track is a 'concrete canyon' which traps the heat between the walls," said the 29-year-old Jim Beam Racing Falcon driver, who lives on the Gold Coast.

"I'm expecting temperatures inside the cockpit to be more than 50-degrees - the extra races will make this event a survival of the fittest because you might lose up to 4kg."

"It's a big change from the freezing weather at Bathurst a couple of weeks ago, but I do plenty of fitness work so I'm up for a streetfight, especially in my 'home' race."

The 11th V8 Supercar Championship event now comprises four 150km races around the 4.4km Surfers Paradise street circuit on Saturday and Sunday, an increase of 200km of driving on the original schedule which was revised after international A1 Grand Prix races were cancelled.

Courtney follows a weekly fitness routine of cycling 400km around the Gold Coast and gymnasium sessions including weight training in a bid to achieve peak condition and concentration levels behind the wheel of his FG Falcon.

"Cycling helps my aerobic fitness, increasing oxygen delivered to muscles and improving endurance," he said.

"I ride some flat road courses at sea level, and also hillclimbs to about 900m altitude which get you up and out of the saddle and stress you physically and mentally."

Courtney's championship results this year include a race win on the Townsville street circuit in July, and second places in events at Hamilton in New Zealand, Sandown in Victoria, and Queensland Raceway near Ipswich.

However, he slipped to 10th in the championship after finishing 24th in the Bathurst 1000 and said he was keen to atone for the disappointment.

"Bathurst was a huge let-down because I had been on the podium in that race the previous three years, so now I'm on a fightback mission," he said.

"I qualified on the front row in Surfers (Paradise) in 2007 so I know I can put a quick lap together there. Usually I'm competitive on street circuits."

"What makes this track a challenge is the car slides around on the bumps, and you have to deal with running over man-hole covers, white lines, drains, and different cambers."

"It's a hard place to pass apart from a couple of places where you can throw the car down the inside on the bumpy braking areas at the end of the front and back straights."

Practice and qualifying begin on Friday. There will be a Top 10 Shoot Out on Saturday before the first race.

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after event 10): Jamie Whincup (Ford) 2,476; Will Davison (Holden) 2,383; Garth Tander (Holden) 2,038; Craig Lowndes (Ford) 1,947; Steven Johnson (Ford) 1,656; Mark Winterbottom (Ford) 1,574; Lee Holdsworth (Holden) 1,568; Rick Kelly (Holden) 1,516; Russell Ingall (Holden) 1,484; James Courtney (Ford) 1,436

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