WHEN it comes to open wheeler racing Simona De Silvestro has a resume to make many drivers jealous, but the Swiss ace knows she is in for a massive challenge at Mount Panorama this weekend.

Instead of steering something familiar to her like an IndyCar, De Silvestro will be behind the wheel of a V8 Supercar.

The woman known as the ‘Iron Maiden’ forms part of the first all-female team to tackle the Bathurst 1000 since 1998, De Silvestro to share the seat of the Ford Falcon FG X wild card entry with Australian Renee Gracie.

The team is supported by Prodrive Racing Australia, whose lead drivers Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert currently occupy the top two spots on the V8 Supercars drivers’ championship.

Their car is the one Mostert drove in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, and was the first Car of the Future chassis Prodrive built when the formula was introduced for 2013.

Though Gracie is making her Bathurst 1000 debut, she is familiar with V8 Supercars. She is racing a Triple Eight Race Engineering-built Ford FG Falcon in this year’s Development Series.  

Gracie also got a taste of Mount Panorama in the 2014 Carrera Cup series.

But for De Silvestro, everything is new. She has only had a handful of hours during test days behind the wheel of the V8.

“I literally have no experience in it and I know it is going to be very challenging,” the 26-year-old said.

“For me it’s a lot of fun to drive, coming in I’ve never driven a car close to this. I was imagining that it would be a little bit different, a little bit wobblier and stuff like that, but actually it is pretty stiff which surprised me, and the grip of it was actually not too bad.

“It’s going to be important to feel comfortable, and I already feel comfortable, but when you want to go fast that is the hard part about it.”

Though she is fully aware the race will be a challenge, it is one De Silvestro is looking forward to.

The former affiliate driver for Formula 1 team Sauber can’t wait to take on the 6.213 kilometre Mount Panorama circuit.

“For me going to Bathurst, it’s a race that I’ve always wanted to do, especially when I was racing in America, you know everyone was talking about that race,” she said.

“When I got the call to do it, it was really special. To me Supercars, all my career I’ve been open wheeling, IndyCars and things like that. For me as a driver, it’s a brand new challenge to drive one of these cars.

“An open wheeler I know how to drive it, but this one I think I have to adapt a little bit my driving style.”