Aussie V8's coming to iRacing!!

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iRacing.com will be going Down Under in style next year thanks to new agreements that will bring the 2009 Ford Falcon “FG01” V8 Supercar and the historic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit to the service. The agreements were announced in conjunction with this week’s L & H 500 at Phillip Island, the ninth round of Australia’s 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

The announcement comes in the wake of iRacing’s new partnerships with England’s Brands Hatch and Oulton Park and the Netherlands’ Circuit Club Zandvoort.

“One of our initiatives this year has been to expand our list of tracks and cars to reflect the international nature of our membership,” said Steve Myers, iRacing’s executive producer. “Approximately 40% of our membership lives outside North America, and a significant portion of those members are in Australia and New Zealand. We’re pleased to be adding Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and the Ford V8 Supercar to our growing list of international tracks and cars.”

Based on the Falcon XR8 road car, the FG01 is Ford’s standard-bearer in its annual battles with Holden (General Motors’ Australian arm) in a V8 Supercar Championship known the world over for its close and intense racing on the finest tracks in Australia and New Zealand, together with forays to Bahrain and (in 2010) Abu Dhabi. The 2009 FGO1 features a 5 liter, pushrod V8 engine producing in excess of 600 horsepower that has propelled veteran Jamie Whincup into the 2009 series lead.

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a 12 turn, 2.8 mile roller-coaster of a road course, located on an island of the same name just off the coast of Victoria, Australia. In addition to this weekend’s V8 Supercar event, Philip Island annually plays host to the Australia Motorcycle Grand Prix, the Phillip Island Round of the Superbike World Championship and numerous motorcycle and auto club events.