DTM driver Andy Priaulx sees this month’s Bathurst 1000 as an opportunity to remain “on the radar” of the V8 Supercars teams, opening the door to a possible full-time future in the class.
The 40-year-old will join his DTM rival Mattias Ekstrom in Triple Eight’s Xbox-backed wildcard entry at Bathurst.
Priaulx has 10 previous V8 Supercars starts to his name, completing three endurance seasons with Walkinshaw Racing (2002, 2003 and 2009) and, more recently, two Gold Coast 600s with Triple Eight (2010 and 2011).
A three-time World Touring Car Champion in the mid-2000s, the Briton moved to the DTM with BMW last season, but has largely failed to fire in the German championship.
Currently sitting at the foot of the 22 driver points table with one round remaining, Priaulx comes off-contract at season’s end.
Although stressing the strength of his long-term relationship with BMW, Priaulx says that a move to Australia isn’t out of the question.
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The V8 Supercars field currently contains two ex-DTM drivers; Frenchman Alexandre Premat and German Maro Engel.
“Every championship goes through ups and downs but V8s is on its way up,” Priaulx told Speedcafe.com.
“It is a formula you have to take seriously if you want to have a career in touring cars and I’m really excited to have a go and put my name on the radar down there.
“I have been keeping tabs on the V8 Supercars this year and it looks like it is going from strength to strength with new manufacturers joining and a lot of very good drivers on the grid.
“I’d love to come out and race for a couple of seasons but I’m pretty tied up with BMW, so I will see how that goes for next season.
“I’m not sure what the plans are (for 2014) as of yet, (but) V8s is always on my radar and I wouldn’t be too upset having to live in Australia for a while.”
Priaulx, who will bring his family to Australia for a holiday around the Bathurst race, will enjoy a two-day test in the Triple Eight Holden alongside Ekstrom at Queensland Raceway later this week.
Despite proving one of the most competitive imports during his two recent Gold Coast visits, Priaulx isn’t making any bold predicutions on how the Xbox Holden will fare at Bathurst.
“I think it is difficult to have expectations going into it,” he said.
“There is a new car and I haven’t driven at the track for a few years, so I’m realistic.
“The expectations are high from everybody around us and I think if we meet our potential we can certainly have a good race, but we just got to see how we get on with everything and have a certain amount of luck.
“I believe we have the potential to be strong and thats all you can wish for. I’ve just got to put the job together and hope it is enough.”
British-born Triple Eight owner Roland Dane has been a long-time advocate of running internationals at Bathurst, hosting the likes of Yvan Muller (2004-2005), Richard Lyons (2006-2007), Allan Simonsen (2006-2007, 2009), Fabrizio Giovanardi (2008), Marc Hynes (2008) and James Thompson (2009) prior to the banning of pairing primary drivers in 2010.
