The Pirtek Endurance Cup has been run and won, and the spoils of victory fall to Red Bull Racing's Shane Van Gisbergen and Alex Premat. Now with two rounds to go and co-drivers exiled until next year, it seems like a straight shootout amongst Red Bull Racing Australia's two mail protagonists. A mere 148 points separate them. When the tyre smoke clears at the final Sydney 500, who will reign victorious? Shane Van Gisbergen or Jamie Whincup?
    Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. Cast your mind back to that amazing Bathurst 1000. Be honest. Who picked it? Did anyone expect Team Tekno's Will Davison and Jonathon Webb to triumph at Mt Panorama?
    Then there was that penalty. Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell may have passed the chequered flag first, but incurred a time penalty for causing an avoidable collision. As Whincup was pressuring the Volvo of Scott McLaughlin, he locked his rear brakes sending one up the inside at The Chase, made contact, thereby depositing McLaughlin into the kibble. As McLaughlin was re-entering the circuit, the ever present HRT of Garth Tander sensed an opportunity to pass. However, a collision ensued, taking out Tander and McLaughlin, prompting the stewards to issue Whincup with a time penalty.
    Are there other things to consider though? Would the penalty have still been issued if there was no collision between Tander, McLaughlin and Whincup, and the subsequent retirements? Whincup, after all, realised he caused McLaughlin to leave the circuit and was trying to redress when the collision occurred. Shouldn't the stewards have considered them two separate incidents? If so, wouldn't that render Tander at fault?
    It's all consigned to history now, with opinions forever divided. Could the championship points deprived of Whincup at Bathurst be the difference with Van Gisbergen when the final chequered flag drops at Sydney Olympic Park? Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Chao....     

    Many of you will no doubt be aware of how much we love to speculate. However, we're going to stick our neck out and make a prediction. Bold, irresponsible, unsubstantiated you may ask. After all, what do we know? All valid, worthy comments.
    We've just returned from Australian motorsport's amazing season opening Bathurst 12 Hour for GT-3 spec cars at the majestic, yet daunting Mt Panorama. Top end exotic marques like Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche and McLaren blasting around Mt Panorama in a once around the clock marathon of speed, strategy and endurance. 
    One of the drivers that thoroughly impressed us was V8 Supercar ace, Shane van Gisbergen. Part of the winning team in the gorgeous McLaren 650S, SVG set a few benchmarks over the Bathurst weekend. Bear in mind the GT-3 spec cars improve by at least 1 sec.a lap each year, SVG achieved a record 2.01.2 to claim pole, and a race lap record of 2.01.5. How long before the GT-3's bust the 2 minute mark? Sure the McLaren was the package to have, but it wasn't the only McLaren on circuit. Here's a kid at just 26 dwarfing the best endurance drivers Europe and Japan has to offer, fellow V8 Supercar drivers, as well as a host of ex-F1 drivers. 
    Whether it's GT racing, drifting, or dragging an opportune result out of a V8 Supercar, SVG seems to excel. Hardly surprising when his pedigree includes racing ATV's on Moto X tracks, Quarter Midgets on oval speedways, karting and winning the 2006 NZ Formula Ford Championship. His obvious car control in a number of disciplines earned him a V8 Supercar debut at just 17. In recent years, SVG has dovetailed his V8 Supercar career with GT endurance racing, including entering the prestigious Daytona 24 Hour, whilst making guest appearances in the Australian Drifting Series. A true racing professional.
    Now for 2016 he's joined the front running Red Bull Racing team for the forthcoming V8 Supercar season. A top drive at last. Will SVG be able to harry his team mates, the illustrious Craig Lowndes and 6-time champ Jamie Whincup? Both Lowndes and Whincup must be hungry for success after being beaten by PRA's Mark Winterbottom in 2015.
    So, to throw the cat amongst the pidgeons, our prediction is this. Shane van Gisbergen will win the 2016 V8 Supercar championship. We'll find out come November. Ciao....  
    

    Finally, finally, finally Frosty has done it. 2015 has a new V8 Supercar champion and his name is Mark Winterbottom. Ford fans can rejoice. It's a celebratory time of year, so it's only fitting we offer our kudos to the Prodrive Racing Australia driver now sporting the coveted #1. 
    Mark Winterbottom won 10 Australian kart championships, 25 state kart championships and was crowned Australian Formula A Kart Champ (Rotax 125CC class) in 2001. He also debuted in Victorian Formula Ford in 2001. Winning the Ford Kart Stars Scholarship Championship earned him a Ford supported drive in Australian Formula Ford for 2002, of which he finished 2nd to Jamie Whincup. 2003 saw Frosty move into V8's via the development series, winning the championship on debut. Courtesy of Larkham Motor Sport, Frosty stepped up to the main V8 Supercar game for 2004 and 2005. 2006-2014 saw Frosty driving for the Ford factory backed Ford Performance Racing with mixed results leaving him tantalisingly close to championship glory. Despite winning the signature event, the Bathurst 1000 in 2013, he'd finished 3rd five times and runner up once in the championship. Mark Winterbottom was always there or thereabouts. With Ford involvement diminishing, FPR morphed into Prodrive Racing Australia for 2015, producing the pace setting Falcon FG X and the rest as they say, is history. 
    Congratulations to Mark Winterbottom on finally reaching the pinnacle of Australian motorsport. Question is, can he back it up? This time next year, will we be celebrating a back-to-back champion? The back half of 2015 saw Jamie Whincup and Red Bull virtually back to their title winning best. That new car for Whincup since the start of the enduros worked a treat didn't it?. Don't forget, one of the most talented and versatile drivers on the grid, Shane van Gisbergen, will be piloting a Red Bull in 2016. We better leave the speculating for another time. When's Adelaide? Well done Frosty. 

    Best wishes to all our friends for the New Year. Thanks for your support. See you at the track in 2016....      
    

    You alight from the train. As you travel up the escalators from the subway, that distinctive engine note reverberates off the buildings and pavilions that guard the circuit. Upon hitting the surface, another change up the 6 speed sequential gearbox just whacks your eardrums. The circuit's narrow. The punters are close to the action. The cars flirt with the intimidating walls. There's no mistaking it. V8 Supercars are on track at the Sydney 500.
    For a few seasons now the Sydney 500 has played host to the V8 Supercars season finale. However, fans' response to the Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit has been mixed. Many love the closeness of racing and unpredictability that comes with a narrow street circuit. The cars ride the kerbs and are frequently up on two wheels. The indoor paddock is unique and allows fans unprecedented access to the teams as they prepare the cars. The flipside is that despite fans being close to the action, the viewing is not good. They cannot access all parts of the circuit. Many decree the circuit uninspiring that consequentially only allows processional racing. Punter numbers were definitely down at this year's event.
    The contract for the Sydney 500 has another year to run, but at the time of writing, no contract extension had been agreed upon. Will 2016 be the Sydney 500's finale? Does the Sydney Olympic Street Circuit have a future in V8 Supercars? Would you prefer to see another circuit accept the mantle of showcasing Australia's premier motorsport category's season ending decider?
    Congratulations to Mark Winterbottom in winning his first V8 Supercar championship. 

    Best wishes to all our friends for the Christmas season. Cheers....
      

    Come this Sunday evening, what stories will the unforgiving confines of the Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit be able to tell? The finale of the 2015 V8 Supercars championship will be played out at the Sydney 500. Two 125km races on Saturday and a 250km feature race on Sunday will decree this year's champion. 
    Prodrive Racing Australia's Mark Winterbottom has lead the championship throughout the season and takes a 179 point advantage over Red Bull Racing's Craig Lowndes with 300 points on offer this weekend.
    The Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit rewards cars with excellent brakes and robust suspension, as the ability to stop at the end of the numerous straights and aggressively ride the kerbs is paramount. Check out V8 Supercars at their two-wheeled best at the Turns 2, 3 and 4 chicane. The narrow circuit and ever present walls place an extra emphasis on qualifying well. Staying out front and hopefully avoiding any potential carnage to achieve a favourable result is key for the two title protagonists. Frosty has been there or thereabouts in recent years and would be ecstatic to win his first championship. Lowndsey would also dearly love to attain the double of a Bathurst 1000 victory and championship victory in the same season for the first time since way back in 1996.  
    As much as we love speculating over possible scenarios, in this case there's no point. Whether it's the racing or the weather, this event is always unpredictable. But let's just say a DNF could prove disastrous to Frosty and open a door for Lowndes. 
    See you out there and don't forget the Nikon. Cheers....  

    It's arrived. V8 Supercars' endurance season is upon us. The Sydney Motorsport Park Supersprint has been run and won. Now it's time to turn our attention to the Pirtek Endurance Cup. Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and the Gold Coast 600. Pit stop strategies, the opportune time to run the co-drivers, the mechanical strain on the race cars. All adds up to uncertainty doesn't it? What more can a V8 Supercar fan desire? 
    Prodrive Racing Australia's Mark Winterbottom still leads the championship, but team mate Chaz Mostert is definitely on the ascendancy. Can Mostert win the big one at Mt Panorama, claiming back to back Bathurst 1000 victories, this time partnered with Cameron Waters? With age on his side, Chaz could very well end up being a multiple Bathurst winner and future championship winner. Then there's the return of Marcos Ambrose to partner Scott Pye. What can the former champion offer the quickly improving Dick Johnson Racing team? Red Bull Racing and six time champ Jamie Whincup looked to be on the rise on Saturday at last weekend's SMP Supersprint, only to be brought back down to earth in the Sunday race. However, only the brave would write off the proven combination of Whincup and Paul Dumbrell who incidentally start the endurance season with a new car. There's an international contingent to the enduros as well with the likes of Frenchman Alexandre Premat rejoining Garry Rogers Motorsport to partner Scott McLaughlin, and former F1 driver and Indy Car hotshoe Sebastien Bourdais joining Lee Holdsworth at Walkinshaw Racing. Will Bourdais be able a muscle a V8 Supercar? One of the big stories is the return of Russell Ingall to V8 Supercar action. The Enforcer is replacing the injured James Courtney at HRT to partner Jack Perkins. Have HRT made an inspired choice, or would they have been better served to give a drive to a hungry young driver? Perkins/ Ingall has a familiar ring to it though. It's one of the wildcard entries for the Bathurst 1000 that has us intrigued. Rising star Renee Gracie is partnered with an absolute superstar in Indy Car and Formula E driver Simona de Silvestro. The "Iron Maiden" has also been an affiliated driver with the Sauber F1 team. Would love to see the ladies leave the boys in their exhaust fumes. 
    So, anyone willing to pick a winner for Bathurst or the Pirtek Endurance Cup for that matter? If you know, let us know, because we don't have a clue. Cheers....
    
    Sadly, the motorsport community is once again in mourning. Former F1 driver and Indy Car driver Justin Wilson passed away after succumbing to injuries sustained at Pocono. Immensely popular and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and best wishes are with the Wilson family. Vale Justin Wilson. 
           

    Our friends and supporters who frequent this site will know how much we love all forms of motorsport, but they will undoubtedly be aware of how much the anticipation and excitement levels crescendo when the endurance season approaches. V8 Supercars is once again about to dip its big toe into the unpredictability of endurance racing including its showcase event, The Bathurst 1000, being just a breath away.
    However there's the matter of the Sydney Motorsport Park Supersprint to contend first before the enduros commence at Sandown. Sydney fans can enjoy a plethora of motorsport with a bumper support programme scheduled. Closely matched Porsche Carrera Cup contest 3 x 19 lap races, crowd favourites Aussie Racing Cars fight over 4 x 11 lap races, the top end exotic marques of GT racing race a 1 hour mini enduro on Saturday and a 40 lap race on Sunday, and the FIA and Cams sanctioned Formula 4 make their long awaited Sydney debut over 3 x 15 lap races. 
    V8 Supercars at this time of year always seems to take on an interesting perspective. The main protagonists bidding for championship glory begin to show their hands. Prodrive's Mark Winterbottom takes an almost 300 point advantage over Red Bull's evergreen Craig Lowndes, with team mate Chaz Mostert and David Reynolds plus HRT's James Courtney breathing down CL's neck. Can 2015 finally be Winterbottom's year? And what of defending champ Jamie Whincup? His title's defense might not be going to plan to date, but he always manages to excel come endurance season. Only the brave would consign him to the also-rans. 
    Ford seemed to have produced a car that can win on all types of circuits with their Falcon FGX. Winterbottom will certainly be hoping that that will be the case at Sydney Motorsport Park. Any increase to his slender advantage going into the endurance season will certainly be welcomed by Frosty. See you trackside next weekend. Ciao....       

    Can anyone remember when the last V8 Supercar event was staged? Feels like an eternity ago doesn't it? The inconsistent timing between events has long been a major point of conjecture amongst the V8 Supercar faithful.
    Recently it's been announced that the 2016 V8 Supercar calendar will on average stage an event every two weeks, thus guaranteeing ongoing momentum throughout the championship season. The exceptions being the Perth and Darwin rounds, which demand three weeks due to the tyranny of distance from the eastern seaboard. The will also be a winter break to refresh and recharge. The race weekend format is also coming under scrutiny with the Saturday 60/60 race format set to be reviewed for the sprint rounds. 
    V8 Supercars have made a push for the Australian F1 Grand Prix to be included as part of the championship. Something we've lauded for a long time and long overdue. That decision is apparently now up to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation for approval. Overseas junkets are now back on the agenda with a six year deal struck with Malaysia to stage races through Kuala Lumpur on a purpose built street circuit. A select few will head over this August for showcase races for the test event. For those fans worried that the Malaysian round will be at the expense of current Australian rounds, V8 Supercars has given assurances that will not be the case. Why not a double whammy whilst in Malaysia? Does anyone like the idea of an event also at Sepang International Circuit, which incidentally is close to KL airport? That would be a fantastic circuit for V8 Supercars. Wishful thinking isn't it?
    Lastly, the final event, the Sydney 500 at Sydney Olympic Park is being moved forward into November. Discussion is taking place as to how the circuit can be opened up to improve spectating. Rumours persist that there could also be a circuit configuration change. We'll believe the circuit change when we see it, but despite being a great event, would sure be nice to see the fans' vantage points improve. Maybe reopen the outside of the turns 6 + 7 chicane again is a start.
    Skycity Triple Crown at Darwin's little treasure, Hidden Valley, this weekend. Will Prodrive's Mark Winterbottom maintain his championship lead?
    Cheers....  

    A little under 2 weeks sees V8 Supercars commence hostilities for what we're sure will be another enthralling championship, version 2015. The ledgers are all square, past controversies are vague lamentations. All teams and drivers will be looking to elevate their stock and be talking up their aspirations. One thing's for sure, they'll all be looking to break 6-time champion Jamie Whincup and Red Bull's recent stranglehold on the championship. 
    This is the exciting time of the year where we as fans love to speculate, talking up our favourites and dismissing the also-rans. Towards the end of 2014, HRT with James Courtney and Garth Tander were definitely on the improve. Will this trend continue in 2015 pleasing their legions of Holden fans? Prodrive's Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert will be hoping the new FG X will catapult Ford back to glory, but can they sustain a prolonged challenge to the championship over the course of the season? DJR with Penske backing have put all their eggs in one basket by running a one car team. After nine seasons in NASCAR, will returning former champ Marcos Ambrose be able to mix it with the current crop of V8 pilots? Whilst it's disappointing that Scott Pye has not secured a full time V8 Supercar drive for 2015, he'll be ably supporting Ambrose in the Pirtek Endurance Cup. Mercedes and Erebus Motorsport had a breakthrough victory in 2014, but will they be regular podium contenders in 2015? Kiwi sensation Scott McLaughlin is quite clearly a future champion. Will 2015 be his year? How long before the big hitters of V8 Supercars demand his services? Another Kiwi to watch for is Tekno Autosport's Shane van Gisbergen. A major talent. Whether it's GT racing, drifting or whatever he plonks his backside in, he seems to excel. Then there's perennial crowd favourite Craig Lowndes. Is Lowndesy the one to steal the championship from team mate Whincup? It'll all start to unfold in Adelaide at the Clipsal 500.
    The big question is how is the free-to-air coverage going to unfold now it's moved to Channel 10 (See archives August 2014)? We've no doubt their live coverage coupled with a top commentary team will be excellent. However, remember they're only showing 6 events in entirety. It's the highlights programming for the other events that we're concerned about. They've kept remarkably quiet on that front.
    Ciao....       

    Cast your mind back a year or so ago to when 1997 F1 world champ Jacques Villeneuve came to Oz and had a lash at driving a V8 Supercar. Once his Australian junket finished, he commented that driving a V8 Supercar was about the hardest thing he'd undertaken in all his years in motorsport. These Aussie fan favourite tin-tops require a specific set of skills to muscle them to the front of the grid. Therefore the current crop of V8 pilots must relish the odd chance to thrash the life out of a race car in a different category.
    The 2015 motorsport season is already looming large, commencing with the fantastic Bathurst 12-Hour event for GT cars at iconic Mt Panorama. This is truly an international event with teams coming from New Zealand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, USA, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the UK accompanying Australian teams. A vast array of exotic marques including Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini and even Bentley are all vying for victory honours. The drivers also come from far and wide, including a number of V8 Supercar drivers.
    However, the Official V8 Supercar Test Day at Sydney Motorsport Park is scheduled for the same weekend. Will this deprive V8 Supercar drivers the opportunity to drive a gripped-up high-end race car, which they hardly ever get the chance to? Remember their local knowledge of Mt Panorama would be invaluable to the GT teams. What about the fans? Whilst the test day is a fan-friendly day with grid walks and the chance to get up close to the cars and have a chat and grab an autograph from the drivers, there would still be a big Sydney contingent heading up the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains to catch the 12-hour. Hate to be the one to tell Craig Lowndes or Shane Van Gisbergen they've got to test instead of competing at Mt Panorama.
    For us it's a no-brainer. We'll be heading up the Great Western.


    Many, many thanks to all our friends and surfers who frequent formulafrontrow.com. Your support is greatly appreciated and we wish all of you a happy new year. May the beer be cold and your glass be full. Roll on 2015. Cheers....