Audi DTM star Mattias Ekstrom wants Bathurst 1000 return
Audi's two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom says he would have no hesitation in returning to Australia to contest the V8 Supercars Bathurst 1000 in the right circumstances

Ekstrom finished 10th in the 2013 race alongside British Touring Car Championship driver Andy Priaulx, then racing in the DTM with BMW.
The pair drove a third Triple Eight Commodore, entered as a one-off wildcard alongside the team's primary entries led by Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, and if a similar opportunity arose again, Ekstrom said he would grab it with both hands.
"No discussion, I would go straight away," Ekstrom told Autosport.
"With a good team, with a good team-mate, with a good car, for sure."
IndyCar drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Simona de Silvestro are making their Bathurst debuts this weekend, with Walkinshaw Racing and Prodrive Racing Australia respectively.
Fellow Europeans, former Audi LMP1 driver Alex Premat, Blancpain Endurance Series co-champion and Nissan LMP1 racer Alex Buncombe and factory Corvette GT racer Oliver Gavin are the other internationals in the field.
Ekstrom outlined that a major part of his preparation was time in a simulator organised by Triple Eight, in which he completed about 150 laps - the majority of the 161-lap race distance - beforehand.
"I think my biggest advantage was that they had a simulator, so I was doing a lot of laps in there," he said.
"When I went to Australia the week before, I did a lot of laps in the simulator they arranged, so that was very helpful.
"But once I came to the track I still got shocked by the elevation and, of course, the load transfer, which you can't feel in the simulator."
COULTHARD FASTEST ON OPENING DAY
Brad Jones Racing driver Fabian Coulthard set the pace on the first day of practice at Bathurst.
Coulthard set a lap of 2m05.4786s in Thursday's third and final practice session, 0.129 seconds quicker than the unofficial lap record he set during last year's event.
Championship leader Mark Winterbottom was second-fastest, ahead of Prodrive Ford team-mates David Reynolds and Chaz Mostert.
Shane van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes were next in their Commodores, with James Moffat the best of the Nissans in seventh.
The Holden Bourdais is sharing with Lee Holdsworth finished the day in 21st, with de Silvestro 25th with a best time of 2m09.1675s.


The outsider's guide to Bathurst
Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercars: Qualifying delayed after Mostert crash

Latest news
Bathurst 12 Hour: Van Gisbergen Mercedes leads after first quarter
Shane van Gisbergen’s Triple Eight Mercedes headed Matt Campbell’s Manthey Porsche after three hours of racing at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Tanak scores first Puma win in preparation for WRC Rally Sweden
Ott Tanak claimed his first victory driving an M-Sport Ford Puma after winning the Otepaa Winter Rally in preparation for next week’s World Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Ranking the worst Formula 1 cars to win a grand prix
Cars that rarely looked like contenders for victory have occasionally slipped through the net to become winners of world championship Formula 1 races. But which was the worst of the bunch?
Schumacher radio criticism highlighted F1 privacy change for Russell
George Russell says that the way an off-the-cuff radio remark criticising Mick Schumacher last year became a big deal shows how he is more under the spotlight in Formula 1.
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
When Nissan ruled Australia with its 'Godzilla' Group A special
The Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R was the fastest Group A touring car ever. It cleaned up at the Bathurst 1000 and in the Australian Touring Car Championship, and is fondly remembered by the drivers who monstered it to success on the world-famous Mount Panorama
Ranking the top 10 Supercars drivers of 2021
It may have been a one-man title fight in Supercars this season, but behind dominant champion Shane van Gisbergen were some fascinating performances. Autosport picks out the best drivers of the 2021 campaign.
The well-travelled racer now Supercars' elder statesman
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing, as Andrew van Leeuwen explains
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
OPINION: Roger Penske's operation helped lift Dick Johnson's faltering Ford team back to the top of Australian tin-tops. But, despite The Captain's departure, along with star driver Scott McLaughlin, there's no reason to expect an imminent decline from DJR
Why Whincup's next move is no calculated gamble
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But the team's outgoing boss Roland Dane has full faith that he'll be up to the task
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.