Xbox One racing team heads to Bathurst

Strewth. We already knew a few things about the imminent Xbox One racer Forza Motorsport 5, not least that the Top Gear track will feature once again in the game, as well as all three presenters sharing their wisdom... 

But yesterday, along with the news that the Xbox One will be released on November 22, Microsoft announced that they’re going into racing for real. And not by halves either. To celebrate the appearance of legendary Australian Bathurst track in the game, they’re teaming with Triple Eight Race Engineering to form the Xbox One Racing Team, which will compete at the 2013 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 100.

If you’re Australian, the V8 Supercars showpiece is bigger than Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix combined, but with even more lager. Yes, that is possible. And the decades-long Ford versus Holden battles make F1’s Ferrari/McLaren rivalry look like a gentle discussion down the Women’s Institute about a which Battenberg to serve the vicar next week.

So it’s as well that the team has equipped themselves with Britain’s Andy Priaulx, three-time WTCC winner and Bathurst veteran. He’ll be racing with Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom, a man with two DTM titles under his belt. The car’s no slouch either, sporting a 640bhp, five litre V8, 0-60 in 3,3 seconds, and a top speed of 185mph.

“Few circuits have been requested more by the worldwide Forza fanbase than Bathurst, and for good reason. It holds a special place in motorsports history as one of the most demanding and challenging circuits in the world,” says Forza’s creative director Dan Greenawalt.

Sound good? Well, TopGear.com will be along for the ride. We’ll be following the new team’s journey all the way from genesis to race day with some exclusive behind-the-scenes access, as Mr Andy Priaulx explains above.

Have a watch, along with video of the car getting some finishing touches, and look out for more updates in the coming months…