Forza Motorsport 3 Loves The JDM Fan Boys

One of the best parts about playing racing sims is driving all the cars that aren’t sold here.  This is especially fun for JDM fan boys like me!  Today the development team behind Forza Motorsport 3 released an updated Japanese car list as well as announcing that Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, and Tsukuba Circuit will all be included in FM3.  They also released a new gallery of screen shots of all the awesome Japanese goodness that we can look forward to once the game drops.

Press Release:

Forza 3 Drifts into Japan with New Cars and Tracks

Published June 30, 2009

This October, racing fans around the world are invited to hit the famous tracks of Japan in vivid realism and style with a dedicated collection of Japanese cars in Forza Motorsport® 3, the highly anticipated racing experience from Turn 10 exclusively for Xbox 360®.

Race on exotic tracks from around the world.

New Tracks

Forza Motorsport 3 again takes racers on a tour through Japan on three legendary tracks with new and improved graphics including:

• Suzuka Circuit: Put your skills to the test on one of the oldest, most famous and dangerous motorsport race tracks in Japan. One of the big dogs of Japanese tracks, the 3.608-mile course requires cat-like reflexes as its 17 turns, highlighted by the quick transitions of the “S” complex, the Turn 11 hairpin, and the tricky Casio Triangle will keep drivers on their A-Game. But don’t fear the throttle, as there are numerous high-speed sections that demand a total commitment from your weighted leadfoot.
• Twin Ring Motegi: Motegi is where the Japanese get their groove on NASCAR-style. The venue, built by Honda in 1997, is home to a 1.549-mile oval and a 2.98-mile road course. It has held a NASCAR exhibition race in ’98, was part of the CART circuit from ’98 to 2002 and then it went to host the IRL in 2003. In 2008 Danica Patrick made headlines, becoming the first woman to win an Indy Car race at the Indy Japan 300, the only event currently held on the egg-shaped oval. The Motegi road course doesn’t have the elevation changes of some of the other Japanese circuits but features an intoxicating blend of tight corners and high-speed sweepers. Motegi is the last race on the Super GT schedule so this track is a mix of handling and speed that will take a balanced vehicle and skilled driver to get around cleanly.
• Tsukuba Circuit:  Home of the famous Revspeed Super Battle, the original time attack that hit the Japanese tuning scene in 1990, and D1 Grand Prix drifting events, Tsukuba hums to an underground soundtrack where other Japanese venues feature a much more mainstream beat. Consequently, Tsukuba rewards agility over brute power so gamers who can hit their apexes and keep the momentum rolling should do well on this track. If you drift, welcome to heaven.

The 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR represents the ultimate iteration of the Diamond Star gang’s awe-inspiring 4G63 engine. This solid Turbo 4 propelled Finnish driver Turbo Tommi Makinen to four consecutive WRC championships from 1996 to ’99. In the Evo IX the 4G63 is rated at it highest output ever, 286 horsepower, and Forza Motorsport 3 tuners will find it one of the most willing boost-up partners. Yes, 143 horsepower per liter is merely the starting line.

In the opposite corner we have another rally-bred beast in the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Colin McRae (1995), Richard Burns (2001) and Petter Solberg (2003) all power-slid race-prepped WRX STi’s to the WRC driver’s championship. The road-going 2008 STi is motivated by a turbocharged 2.5-liter EJ25 boxer four engine with 300 horses in the corral. So the STi comes out swinging with a power advantage and aggressively broad shoulders that will tempt livery-painters as much as tuners.

Rounding out this week’s car list reveal are the following:

Production 2009 Lexus IS F
Production 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe Sport
Production 2009 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3
Production 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR
Production 2010 Nissan 370Z
Production 2009 Nissan Versa SL
Production 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
Production 2008 Toyota Yaris S
Production 2009 Honda Fit Sport
Race Car 2008 Nissan #12 CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R
Race Car 2008 Nissan #23 XANAVI NISMO GT-R
Race Car 2008 Nissan #24 ADVAN Clarion GT-R
Race Car 1997 Nissan #23 Nissan Motorsports R390
Race Car 2008 Nissan  #3 YellowHat YMS TOMICA GT-R
Race Car 2008 Toyota #25 ECLIPSE ADVAN SC430
Race Car 2008 Toyota #36 PETRONAS TOM’S SC430
Race Car 2008 Toyota #6 ENEOS SC430

Last but not least, as a part of the pre-order program, fans can vote for their favorite custom Audi R8 V10 Livery design from the Forza Motorsport 3 Design Challenge and enter to win a trip to the Audi Driving Experience at the famed Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Visit the spotlight page on Xbox LIVE or xbox.com/forza3contest by July 5 and vote for the design that appeals to your passion for racing. The winning community-inspired design will then be given some final polish by the experts at Turn 10 and ultimately given as an exclusive download for fans who pre-order the game.