Two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom admits that his Bathurst wildcard drive stands to be the most challenging of his career to date.
The 35-year-old is no stranger to one-off races having competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the annual Race of Champions, but he believes getting to grips with a V8 Supercar and mastering the legendary Mount Panorama circuit is one of the hardest tasks in motorsport.
Ekstrom will join the Triple Eight-prepared #10 Xbox One Racing Commodore entry alongside touring car ace Andy Priaulx, who has two previous Bathurst starts to his name.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for some time but I think this will be one of the toughest challenges of my career,” Ekstrom told Speedcafe.com.
“The amount of preparation is limited and the competition is so high. The biggest task of my life so far was racing in NASCAR in 2010 but this will equal it (at least) and probably be the biggest.
“I think coming over to Australia, experiencing a V8 Supercar for the first time and racing at Bathurst is a difficult as it gets for a race driver.
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“The biggest challenge will be to get familiar with the car and be 100 percent confident with it. That for me will be the number one challenge.
“The number two challenge will be to master the Bathurst track, especially all those quick (blind) corners. I have got all the DVDs and films of the races so on the flight to Australia I will be watching those a hundred times, so it won’t be such a shock when I arrive at Bathurst.”
While Ekstrom’s V8 Supercar and Bathurst knowledge is limited, his expectations remain the same for any race he has competed in.
“I have always had the same target since I started racing which is I’m in it to win it,” said Ekstrom.
“But everybody has been saying, ‘yeah, you cannot go to Bathurst for the first time and say you are going to win it’. I say, ‘sure I think I am going to win’.
“If it was realistic I would tell you afterwards but at the moment I really don’t know.
“I’m not going to enter a race and say I would be happy finishing in 15th position and this isn’t going to change for Bathurst.
“I know the task is huge but the team is the best one out there so it’s in my hands to deliver.”
Both Ekstrom and Priaulx are expected to complete a special two-day test session in the Xbox One Holden at Queensland Raceway the week before Bathurst.
