The 22-year-old homegrown talent was selected for the race to replace Dominique Aegerter who was injured.

In a Spanish article translated by Josh's father Leon Hook, it explained Josh was handpicked for this prestigious role. 

The article outlined Josh had been picked as a reserve driver for three overseas Grand Prix events in Motegi (Japan), Phillip Island (Australia) and Sepang (Malaysia).

It had been Dominique himself who wanted Hook as his replacement. Dominique knew Josh had good knowledge of each of the three routes. The article states Josh knows the Motegi route well, Australia's Phillip Island "perfectly" and he is familiar with the Sepang route following past Asian race commitments.  

Dominique and Josh share a close bond following their various racing commitments together and Josh gave a shout-out via Facebook thanking his friend.

"Huge thanks to Domi for putting my name in the hat!," wrote Josh. 

"Thank you to the team for bringing me on board.

"Hopefully I'll get a good result because I know Phillip Island and Montegi.

"Cheers to all my friends, family and you guys for your support, it means everything to me."

Josh currently competes in the All-Japan Superbike Championship and rode alongside Dominique in this year’s Suzuka 8 Hour.

A comprehensive  follow-up of Josh's race will appear in next week's edition of the Times.

Taree's Josh Hook targets a top five placing in Japan