Ekstrom's First Steer of a V8 Supercar

Yesterday, two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom drove a V8 Supercar for the first time, at a test day at Queensland Raceway. His verdict? 

“It’s all about finding a way to adapt myself as quick as possible to the car, because the car is not going to adapt to me!”

Swede Ekstrom will share the wildcard Xbox One Racing Triple Eight entry with fellow international DTM competitor Andy Priaulx.

Englishman Priaulx is no stranger to V8 Supercars, or Bathurst, having competed at Mount Panorama as well as the Surfers Paradise event in previous years.

Each driver completed approximately 50 laps of the 3.12km Ipswich circuit at the test, which continues today.

On Thursday afternoon, Ekstrom felt he was getting the gist of it.

“I’m trying to get used to everything, finding a good rhythm and also sharing data with the team and with Andy,” the 35-year old told v8supercars.com.au.

“So, slowly getting on the pace.”

Ekstrom was impressed with the car’s horsepower, but mentioned he needed to get used to handling the tyres and engine.

He felt both drivers provided similar feedback during the test, and was pleased they had made some positive changes. The car is being engineered by Triple Eight’s technical director Ludo Lacroix – his first time engineering a car in years – but the team seemed to be working well.  

“We both agreed on what it needs, so I’m pretty happy. Ludo is doing a good job, so I’m pretty relaxed with the first outing.

“We need to improve, more discussion – that’s always the name of the game – but to start off, I feel pretty confident.”

Yesterday morning four-time Bathurst winner Jamie Whincup and six-time winner Mark Skaife spoke to the international drivers and offered advice.

“Skaifey came before and I got some advice from him, so that was also pretty helpful,” Ekstrom said.

“For me it’s about how quickly I can make everything sink in… Somehow (it needs to) stay in my head now so I’m able to turn it into reality.”

Priaulx believed Ekstrom was doing well and also commented on how much there was to take in when appearing in a category for a one-off drive. 

However, he felt the new generation V8 Supercar felt similar to what he had driven before.

“My opinion is, I feel there are some improvements, but general tendencies are the same – which is not a bad thing. The cars are really good,” Priaulx said.

“You’ve got to manage the oversteer and get used to the cars – they’re big heavy cars with a powerful engine – getting used to them is something that we’ve had to adapt to. But generally the car feels pretty similar… The first few laps I’ve done makes me feel pretty similar to where we were before.”

Priaulx was positive about his co-driver’s efforts during yesterday’s test and felt they were all settling in well. “For sure, we both want the same things from the car,” he said. 

“We don’t have to question so much the package – obviously Triple Eight have put together a couple of really good cars in the Championship – which is nice, because we can concentrate more on our driving, getting up to speed, getting the rhythm and making sure we’re good with our procedure.”

While his experience in V8 Supercars is little, Ekstrom knows how importance confidence is when entering an event.

“I just want to get it sorted out because when you come to a race track, being quick makes you smile, and when you smile it makes it even more nice. The job is to prepare yourself as well as possible," he said.

“Andy’s done well here and is doing a good job, so I’m pretty sure we will be competitive. How competitive, we won’t know, but for sure we’ll be competitive.”

Ekstrom arrived in Australia early on Wednesday – it was straight to get his seat fitted and have a go on the simulator and learn some of the Mount Panorama circuit.

While he hasn’t seen it in the flesh, Ekstrom has watched old qualifying and racing vision and believes the track to be one of the world’s best.

“The track is for sure one of the greatest – what you see when you look through the DVDs and play on the simulation – but the reality is, when I come there I will see what it’s like. But that’s my first impression from watching.”

He praised the V8 Supercars Championship, saying it is one every driver wants to be a part of, and knows to race with Triple Eight is a strong opportunity.

“All the teammates, the car, everything needs to be on the top level because that’s the only way I am going to make a result.

“I have big respect for all the colleagues… For us, as rookies, to come in as a one off, for sure it’s not easy to be on the pace of Jamie Whincup, but you can be sure we are going to try.”

When unveiled, the Xbox One Commodore – the first completed Triple Eight Car of the Future – showed off a striking green livery. Ekstrom described it as pretty fancy.

“The fans will at least be able to see us when we’re on track because the car is very bright green.

“We have to prove it is quick as well, not only looking good!”