Robbie Maddison to race V8 Supercars

Motorcycle megastar Robbie Maddison is preparing for a dramatic switch to V8 Supercar racing. The world record holder and Freestyle Motocross ace wants to transition to cars once he is done with his two-wheeled career.

"Obviously the lifestyle of a Freestyle Motocross rider is a hard one and there comes a time when you've got to look for a different future and I'm starting to approach that time in my life in the next four or five years," Maddison told Auto Action last week. "I want to be on top of it before it dawns on me and I've got nothing."

The development comes after his first proper car race at Phillip Island in the MINI Challenge, following his domination of the Australian Grand Prix support race last year.

Maddison said he has recently begun working with Matt Cousins, Jamie Whincup's manager, to begin preparing for his switch to V8 Supercars. He also revealed he was offered a test with Kelly Racing, alongside former Would Superbike champion Troy Bayliss, in August but was unable to attend because of his FMX commitments.

Although he is currently one of the world's leading FMX riders and has achieved global fame courtesy of his long distance jumps, Maddison said the desire for a new challenge was a major factor in his decision to pursue a switch to cars.

"I'd love to be a V8 Supercar," he said. "I'd love to be [based] in Australia. The one thing I've learned from travelling all around the world the last six years is we live in a great country and although I love travelling the world, home is where the heart is. This is where I'd like to live and bring the kids up.

"I would love to eventually be involved in that series. It's a pretty cool series. There are a lot of talented drivers and to be the top guy is a tough recipe to get right. But I'm competitive and if I do get the opportunity it definitely gives me a lot of things to start striving for.

"You get to a point like I'm at [now] where I'm at the top of my game, there are a lot of things that have been ticked off the list and fewer things that are left to tick off, so the motivation starts to unwind."

But he also admitted he would like to stay involved with two-wheel stunts even after he's moved to V8 Supercars.

"The long distance jumps are a passion of mine and I'd like to somehow do a couple of jumps a year and also drive a V8 Supercar. I think that would be a pretty cool thing to do," he said.

"It would be cool," he added. "I spoke to Matt about potentially jumping all the V8 Supercars lined-up on the grid, which would be a 300-foot jump. I just think with my jumps I could bring a new light to the sport and obviously still have that fanbase follow me in the V8 racing. but still give them a taste of what they love. I don't know how that would work out in a team contract situation.

"I don't want to leave the motorcycle situation but by the time you reach your 30s being a Freestyle Motocross competitor isn't realistic and you need something else there, so it's definitely an avenue I'm pursuing."

While he admitted plans for the switch are still at an early stage, Maddison revealed he has looked at the possibility of starting his own team if he could not find a competitive ride with an established outfit. He said he spoke with Britek owner-driver Jason Bright last week about the costs involved in starting and running a V8 Supercar squad.

"At this point in time I'd be happy to get a drive with somebody else; it would be a lot easier," he said. "But I just looked at how much it would cost to set-up a new team too. So I've got the figures and a few things to bounce around. I think to be involved in another team I need to show a lot of promise, but I do believe in myself and if I dedicate myself to something I can do it."

And in a treat for motorcycle fans, Maddison even floated the possibility of teaming up with longtime friend and Supercross star Chad Reed to from an all-star team.

"To answer your question I'd love to have my own team, I think it would be great," he said. "Maybe I could do something with a couple of other guys that are out there.

"There are other guys out there that have the abilities but aren't in V8 Supercars, so maybe you could have a team that could be motocross riders out there in the cars. Maybe me and Chad Reed could potentially put a team together or something like that, I don't know.

"The future is what you make it and there a few ideas I'm tossing around now and it's just a matter of seeing what makes sense and then pursuing it."

In the short-term though, Maddison said he is focused on his FMX career in 2010 with another run at the Red Bull X Fighters title and preparations for more long distance jumps.