DJR Team Penske extends partnership with Xbox

The DJR Team Penske #17 Ford Falcon driven by Marcos Ambrose will roll out onto the track in the Xbox livery it ran as a 'wildcard' entry at the 2014 Sydney 500 when testing begins in earnest for the 2015 V8 Supercars Championship this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park.

DJR Team Penske is delighted to announce an ongoing partnership with Xbox, one of the world's leading gaming and entertainment brands. Xbox will be featured on Ambrose's car at every event this year as an associate sponsor. This weekend will be the first official outing of the new look DJR Team Penske and, in turn, the first run of the new Ford Falcon FG X. The partnership with Xbox was established at the same time as the 2014 'wildcard' entry for Ambrose was announced back in September.

The media blitz that surrounded the return of Ambrose to Australia, plus an extensive activation program centred on the Forza Motorsport game, provides an ideal platform for Xbox to continue right through the 2015 season with DJR Team Penske.

"It is fantastic to have Xbox on board for the season," commented DJR Team Penske Managing Director Ryan Story. "Although the Sydney event in 2014 was a one off opportunity, the Xbox team were very committed to doing everything possible to ensure the partnership was a success. They understood that we were there to learn, and having them back this year allows us to build on that momentum."

Jeremy Hinton, Xbox Business Lead, says, "This year is truly exciting for us - a continuation of our ongoing partnership with the V8 Supercars, an innovative partnership with Ford and Forza Motorsport 6 and now with Marcos Ambrose and the DJR Team Penske team. There's never been a better time to be a motorsport fan with Xbox in Australia."

The two day test will see Marcos Ambrose begin the 2015 campaign after his full time return to Australia. Ambrose has spent a lot of time with the DJR Team Penske crew covering off all the learning's from Sydney and building a package to commence the season. He will run a former David Wall Falcon at the test and in early rounds as the team takes more time to bring the #66 Falcon he ran in Sydney up to FG X spec.

"We made the decision to change cars early this year. Wall's car was new last May and it allows us to build up two full spec DJR Team Penske FG X cars early in the year." Ambrose said.

When quizzed on his thoughts of the weekend test Ambrose added, "I still have a lot to get out of myself and the car. I found that one of the big areas with the Xbox Falcon was consistent brake modulation. The difference between a street circuit and Eastern Creek will help us understand this better. We will use this weekend to really develop as a team so we can head to Clipsal with a lot of good information in the bank."

The DJR Team Penske Xbox Falcon will be on track all weekend at SMSP and the sydney.com SuperTestis FREEto the public.