Longhurst joins Owen in Autobarn enduro squad.

V8 Supercar veteran Tony Longhurst has been drafted in as Steve Owen's co-driver at Autobarn Racing for the Sandown and Bathurst endurance classics later this year.

Longhurst, who won Bathurst in 1988 and 2001, and will be making his 24th start at Mount Panorama this year, hasn't driven on a full-time basis since 2004, but his endurance experience has prompted team owner Rod Nash to sign him as partner to the less seasoned Owen.

"Steve has performed well in the early part of this year's championship, so we thought it was necessary to have an experienced campaigner sharing the car with him at the enduros," Nash explained, "Gaining a top ten finish at Sandown and Bathurst is the goal, and Tony's experience, coupled with the speed that Steve has shown of late, will certainly help.

"Tony still demonstrates strong physical and mental capacity to get the job done, and finished strongly in Targa Tasmania this year, so he still knows his way around the cockpit of a race car. He still has a strong passion to compete and that will blend well with the sort of competitive nature Steve has shown during his time with our team."

Longhurst competed at Bathurst last year in a Team Dynamik-run Commodore, although it was an early retirement from the race.

Autobarn, meanwhile, has shown itself to be one of the big improvers of the V8 Supercar Series. Using an ex-Paul Morris Commodore, the team, run by experienced team manager Marty Brant, finished an impressive eighth in the last round of the championship at Winton, while 31-year old Owen brings strong form from the endurance events, having twice finished in the top ten at Bathurst, most recently in 2004, where he shared the eighth-placed Kmart Commodore with Tim Leahey.