Fujitsu Racing GRM's Michael Caruso has welcomed in the new V8 Supercars season and marked his fifth year in the Championship in front of a huge crowd of fans at the official pre-season test day at Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria, today.

Having launched the new #34 Commodore at the team's Dandenong Headquarters last night, Caruso today clocked the 18th fastest time of the day with 1:10.5264 while opting to use only his hard compound tyres allocation in preparation for the Sandown 500 being held at the circuit later in the season.

In the coming weeks Caruso will again test his #34 Fujitsu Racing GRM Commodore at Winton Motor Raceway, before kicking off the season at the first event next month. The Clipsal 500 will be held from March 1-4 around the streets of the Adelaide Parklands.

MICHAEL CARUSO ON FUJITSU RACING'S 2012 LAUNCH:

"The #34 car looks fantastic with a fresh new silver-red look for 2012," said Caruso. "I'm pretty excited to get started on the new season and the test day at Sandown was a great way to flush out any cobwebs.

"Personally I feel like I've stepped up this year and I look forward to the opportunity and the responsibility that goes along with leading the team both on and off the track."

MICHAEL CARUSO ON THE SANDOWN TEST DAY:

"Being a Melbourne team we are required to test at Winton so it's a rare opportunity to get extra miles at another track that we go racing at during the year. The whole aim of the test day for us was to get good tyre life on the hard compound tyres since that's what we'll be racing on when come back for the Sandown 500 in September.

"The changeable weather made the day a bit frustrating but we tested some new suspension and ironed out some niggling problems early in the day. We got some good miles and saved the soft tyres we get for testing until we head to Winton next Monday.

"It was awesome to see so many fans come out for the day and especially join us on the grid for photos – you don't get an opportunity like that anywhere else so it was awesome to see so many out supporting us.

"It's the first day back for all the drivers and while I didn't get a chance to speak with many of them, it was obvious who was playing mind games out there on the track just to stamp their place in the field again. Some are out for bragging rights with their times, but for us it was business as usual. We've always done our own thing, worked on setup and made sure that we've ticked the right boxes so that our results count when we actually go racing."

MICHAEL CARUSO ON HIS GOALS FOR 2012:

"Going by our form at the end of last year, it excites me knowing that the guys working on my car will continue to strive to move forward, and are focussed just as hard as I am on fighting for podiums and race wins. That's our primary focus, always, and by doing that the championship will look after itself."

To keep up to date on all the big news in 2012, join Michael's Facebook Fan Page or following him on Twitter @michaelcaruso34.

Fore more information head to www.michaelcaruso.com.au