An eventful 2014 V8 Supercar season is nearing completion with just the Sydney 500 still to be contested around the tight, concrete wall lined Homebush street circuit. With little more than one second covering the entire field in qualifying, the racing has been frenetic, resulting in something like fourteen different winners (we've actually lost count) across this season's races. However, as we always say, the cream always rises to the top. Despite not having been officially crowned yet, Red Bull Racing Australia's Jamie Whincup has just captured an unprecedented sixth V8 Supercar championship. An incredible achievement!
    Following on from Whincup attaining an unassailable lead after the penultimate round at Phillip Island, we began to ponder the gravity of winning six titles and his standing in Australia's premier tin-top category. It's beyond debate that he's one of the greats, and whilst it's difficult to compare eras, is Jamie Whincup now our greatest V8 Supercar driver to date?
    Whincup's rise to the top has been somewhat meteoric. Numerous rookie and junior karting state titles through 1991-97 preceded senior titles including FMK Senior International A Karting Series in 1998, prompting Kart Oz Magazine to name him Karter Of The Year. After claiming a 1999 Formula A Series kart championship, he moved on to Formula Ford in 2000, finishing third in his debut season. After demoralising all comers in 2002 in Formula Ford with Sonic Motorsport, he made the big step straight to V8 Supercars in 2002 with Garry Rogers Motorsport. 2005 saw him acquire a full time drive in V8's with Tasman Motorsport and in 2006 moved on to Triple Eight where he remains to this day. 
    V8 Supercar titles driving a Ford in 2008 and 2009 and driving a Holden in 2011, 2012, 2013 and now 2014 makes Whincup the first to win titles for both Ford and Holden since Norm Beechey. Complementing his six titles are three Sandown 500 wins, four Bathurst 1000 wins and the coveted Barry Sheene Award for best and fairest in 2007 and 2008.
    We mentioned that it's difficult to compare eras, but Jamie Whincup's achievements to date are nothing short of remarkable. Can he now be mentioned in the same sentence with similar reverence as three time Australian Touring Car champion, nine time Sandown and Bathurst winner and V8 Supercar Hall Of Famer who was (and still is) hugely popular with the Australian public? His name is Peter Brock. A contentious issue for some, but the scary prospect is, Whincup is still relatively young. How much more will he achieve before he hangs up his racing boots?
    See you at the Sydney 500. Ciao....
    
    
     

    Caught your breath yet? This year's Bathurst 1000 had everything a V8 Supercar fan could possibly imagine. The term "endurance racing" took on a new dimension with this year's race being the longest Bathurst ever at a shade short of eight hours. There was scarcely 25 laps of the 161 lap classic without a safety car intervention. Not only did The Mountain bite hard, but so did the track itself with a patched up section at Griffins Bend (T2) breaking up and claiming a number of victims, prompting an unprecedented red flag while track repairs were carried out. 
    Picking a winner as the race unfolded was nigh on impossible. Normally when we watch the race, about half way through, strategies and possible podium contenders begin to emerge. This year, right up to the end, had no idea!
    HRT's Garth Tander and Warren Luff after suffering their second big crash of the weekend, didn't even start the race. Both Volvo entries crashed at the same spot at The Cutting. At one stage FPR's Mark Winterbottom and Steve Owen looked good. The Bottle-O Ford of David Reynolds and Dean Canto sadly retired with victory in sight. But you certainly had to feel for Team Tekno's Shane van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb who, after being quick all weekend, on pole, fast all race, coupled with great strategy, tragically retired when they seemed bound for an emphatic victory.
    To the victor go the spoils though, as it was FPR's Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris who prevailed in the end. The infamous Turn 2 claimed Morris early on, but they were able to continue. Coming from last in the field and pitting some 13 times, they were able to overhaul the no guts, no glory approach of Red Bull's Jamie Whincup on the last lap as he ran out of fuel. They only led one lap of the race, but it was the one that counts. It was only Mostert's 2nd attempt at the Bathurst 1000 and Morris' 22nd. Incidently, Morris' debut at Bathurst was a year before Mostert was even born. Congrats to Chaz and The Dude. Kudos must also go to the Norton Hornets of James Moffat and Taz Douglas for bagging second for Nissan, and HHA's Nick Percat and Oliver Gavin for securing third. Is the face of V8 Supercars changing? 

    Finally the V8 Supercar Pirtek Endurance Cup is here. This stage of the season exposes the unknown elements that comprise endurance racing. Cars, teams and drivers all tested to their limits. It's going to be fascinating.
    Four mandatory pit stops for today's Sandown 500, seven for Bathurst and a minimum fuel drop for the Gold Coast. Will today's V8's stand the stresses of endurance racing? Will the teams optimise their chances and adopt winning strategies, or will some make some tactical blunders? Co-drivers must certainly be champing at the bit, especially after their taste in yesterday's qualifying race. But what contribution will they provide, especially for those main drivers in with an opportunity for championship glory? Who could ever forget former champ Greg Murphy crashing out at last year's Bathurst 1000? They potentially could advance or scupper a main driver's championship. All the championship's main protagonists have qualified in the top ten for today's Sandown 500. If you've got a tip, you're better than us. Remember no one's won Sandown from pole position since 1996. The anticipation's building, as is the uncertainty.
                                           Got to go. Cars are about to line up on the grid. 
                                                                       Ciao.... 

    Talk was widespread amongst V8 Supercar fans at last weekend's SMP400. Opinions are certainly divided regarding the move to Channel 10 and Foxtel to broadcast V8 Supercars from 2015. Some fans are excited about the prospect of increased revenue for the teams from the new deal to curtail their expenditure and assist struggling teams. It may also open up V8 Supercars to a much wider global audience and entice new opportunistic sponsors from abroad to the sport. The return of the popular weekly RPM programme along with the signing of retired F1 ace and Porsche WEC driver Mark Webber to the commentary team will hopefully keep the motorsport thirsty fan informed.
    Others are not so convinced. Is there devil in the detail? While Foxtel have hinted at including live practise and qualifying for V8 Supercars coupled with extensive behind the scenes coverage, is it the free-to-air punters that have been left outside in the cold? Channel 10 are only broadcasting the showcase races live ie: Clipsal 500, Townsville 500, Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000, Gold Coast 600 and the Sydney 500. The remaining 8 events of the championship will be broadcast via a highlights programme. Will this have an adverse effect on the sport? V8 Supercars is as popular to Australians as F1 is to the UK, especially England. You want to watch all F1 rounds live in the UK, you better subscribe to Sky Sports, otherwise wait for the highlights programme on the Beeb. Are Australian fans now in the same boat as British fans? By that we mean that if you want to watch every V8 Supercar round live, are we now forced to stump up the funds? If the punters are not prepared to pay, will fans lose interest in the championship? How will this affect crowd numbers at events? Even though the showcase events on Channel 10, especially Bathurst, will rate very well, will sponsors be questioning their commitments if exposure decreases due to diminished local viewing figures simply because fans are not willing to subscribe to Foxtel? Would love to know the viewing figures for F1 in the UK for this year compared to last year before the pay-TV deal. 
    
    Moving into the Pirtek Endurance Cup now and last weekend's SMP400 revealed a couple of potential championship contenders. Lousy weekend for HRT's James Courtney, damage limitation for FPR's Mark Winterbottom and Red Bull's Craig Lowndes all the while Red Bull's Jamie Whincup quietly extended his lead. The Saturday races brought the talented Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen into championship contention with a couple of masterful displays in car control to win both races in testing wet conditions, propelling him to fourth in the championship. The Sunday feature race saw Nick Percat start to fulfil his promise by finishing second and Fabian Coulthard finishing third who seems to be consistently scoring points and now sits fifth going in to the endurance season. What a star Volvo Polestar Racing and GRM have in young Kiwi, Scott McLaughlin. An impressive win in the feature race. A crowd favourite who genuinely seems to realise he's living the dream.
Watch Scotty fly at Bathurst.
                                   Ciao.... 

    V8 Supercar co-drivers must certainly be rubbing their hands together with anticipation at the prospect of the endurance season, the Pirtek Enduro Cup, looming ever so large. Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000, Gold Coast 600; awesome. The long wait is almost over. Being embedded in a team is not quite the same as racing, but what it does provide is a learning curve as to how a team operate. Could be immeasurable around a circuit such as Mt Panorama.
    But wait! Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Sydneysiders must also be rubbing their hands together, as there's the not too small matter of the Sydney Motorsport Park 400 to contest. The last SuperSprint format event before the endurance season commences.
    Red Bull Racing's Jamie Whincup's recent resurgence has given the defending champ a slender 15 point lead over FPR's Mark Winterbottom. Will this be an old fashioned Holden vs Ford stoush that runs all the way to the Sydney 500 at Homebush? Craig Lowndes' consistent podium places at last round's Queensland Raceway has placed him firmly back in contention, plus James Courtney's stunning win for HRT in the Sunday race has resulted in blowing the championship wide open. Points acquired at the SMSP 400 before the unpredictability of the Pirtek Enduro Cup could proved invaluable in the grand scheme of things.
    A bumper program is scheduled for the SMSP 400. V8 Supercars excite our senses with 2 x 100km races on Saturday and a 200km feature race on Sunday. Ably supporting the V8's is a absolute plethora of tin-tops to entertain the fans. Porsche Carrera Cup, Touring Car Masters, Australian GT; and making their debut as a V8 Supercar support, Radical Australia Cup. Any of our friends that frequent this site will know how much we love the exotic marques of GT, not to mention the very nimble Radicals. These light weight open cockpit sports cars will run comparable if not quicker times than the V8's. This year there's a designated Park + BBQ area. So grab your cameras (Nikons we hope), pack the barbie  and esky, bring the family, and don't forget your earplugs. 
                                             See you at the SMSP 400. Ciao....  

    Year after year, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix attracts a wide cross section of fans with differing tastes from all over the world. Of course you have the hardcore F1 fans who want nothing more than a sensory overload courtesy of the pinnacle of motorsport. Others simply want to experience the event as a whole, taking in as much off-track action as they can cram into 4 days, as on-track action. Then there's the fans that especially Aussies can relate to. They're the ones that descend upon Albert Park primarily to witness on an international stage, Australia's premier tin-top category, V8 Supercars.
    Having attended every AGP since 2000, the question amongst fans is always the same. Why is the AGP not part of the V8 Supercar Champonship?
    After all, the AGP for a number of years now forms part of the fabulous Porsche Carrera Cup. In the past the event has also been part of various support categories' respective championships. F5000, Formula Ford, Aussie Racing Cars to name a few. Why not V8 Supercars? The circuit infrastructure catering for V8 Supercars has vastly improved, with the addition in recent years of their own pit building and pit lane. The pre-production, workload and costs are still there for the teams. The drivers assume the same risks, and you can be certain, they're racing just as hard as they ever do. Not to mention the brand and sponsor exposure. There's also the worst case scenario of a car sustaining damage from the GP so extensive that it puts them out at the next championship round. So why not add that extra element and make the AGP a championship round? At the moment we have a system where the points awarded at the GP just don't matter. Shouldn't Australia's premier international motorsport event showcase Australia's best motorsport categories fighting for championship glory? We hear there's talk of it joining the championship series for 2015 and beyond. Leave a comment and let us know your opinion.
    Winton 400 this weekend. Enjoy. Cheers....

    From 2015 V8 Supercars will return to Network 10, who, along with Foxtel and Fox Sports, have secured the TV broadcasting and digital rights until 2020. Network 10 will logically claim to be the "Home Of Motorsport" once again, as their V8 Supercar coverage coupled with Moto GP and Formula One renders the other networks almost devoid of major national and international motorsport events. 
    Since 2007 The Seven Network have been the provider of our free-to-air V8 Supercar fix and they have certainly raised the bar during their tenure to enhance the home viewer experience. Will Network 10 be able to improve  on the existing V8 Supercar coverage? Should they lure expert commentators Neil Crompton and  Mark Larkham to call the action? After all, their combined knowledge and experience of Australia's premier motorsport category is exceedingly vast. What aspects of the sport would you like to see more in-depth coverage or analysis of? TV audiences' expectations will undoubtedly be high.
    One question we'd like answered though. A big selling point for the Fox people was the fact that V8 Supercars will be broadcast in High Definition on their pay TV channels. Will free-to-air Network 10 also offer HD? By the time 2015 comes around, analogue TV in Australia will be history (it already is in the majority of the country) meaning everyone who watches TV either has a compatible set-top box or digital TV. Therefore, will Network 10 utilise Channel One, consequently providing HD for the free-to-air punter? Let us know what you think. Send formulafrontrow.com an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment. It does however leave the door open for other networks to cover other national categories. Will the other networks follow SBS's excellent lead and provide more comprehensive coverage of national categories such as Aust. GT, F3, ANDRA, or Shannons Nationals? 

    Happy New Year to all our friends and followers. Roll on 2014....
     

    The motorsport off-season seems to be constantly shrinking in terms of time. Our heart rates have only just resumed normal service from last weekend's Sydney 500, when it's just dawned on us that it's a mere matter of weeks before V8 Supercars explode into 2014 with the Official Test Day at Sydney Motorsport Park. One driver who will be greatly missed from full time V8 Supercar duties next year however, is Walkinshaw Racing's Russell Ingall.
    The karting prodigy won the 1990 Australian Formula Ford Championship before taking himself off to Europe a couple of times. In 1993, driving for the Van Dieman team, he won a record that still stands of 13 wins from 16 races to become British Formula Ford Champion including the prestigious events of the Formula Ford Festival and World Cup at Brands Hatch. Ingall also won the 1995 British Formula Renault Championship and also competed in Japanese F3 and German F3. A lack of funding saw him return to Australia and embark on a full time V8 Supercar drive from 1996 after previously dipping his toe in a couple of times for the enduros. 18 seasons later and Russell Ingall has amassed 27 wins, 40 podiums, 2 Bathurst 1000 wins, series runner-up four times, and V8 Supercar champion in 2005. His pace is ever present as evidenced by his 4th place at this year's Clipsal 500 at Adelaide, his stunning podium at the Gold Coast 600 and stubborn drive into the top ten last weekend. Street circuits are obviously to his liking.
    Russell Ingall fans fear not though. He's not retiring from motorsport. No doubt he'll make an exciting addition to any V8 Supercar team as co-driver for the endurance season, plus he still harbours overseas ambitions such as Nascar and Le Mans 24 Hour. Jim Richards and John Bowe's careers have flourished since retiring from V8 Supercars. Russell Ingall's will too.
    Let us know your favourite or infamous Ingall moment. Who could ever forget his stouches with Mark Skaife? He certainly didn't mind putting his car up on two wheels around the concrete canyon last weekend. Crowd pleasing and feisty as ever. Leave formulafrontrow.com a comment or email us at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com. Can't help but wonder if we'll see him driving something exotic at the Bathurst 12 Hour....

    Merry Christmas to all our friends and loyal followers. Season's Greetings.
    

    V8 Supercars are about to wind up a thoroughly thrilling and entertaining 2013 season with their final event around the tight concrete lined Sydney Olympic Park street circuit that will stage the Sydney 500.
    With two gruelling 250km races still to contend and 300 points on offer, we have a situation where four drivers can claim the 2013 title. Recent series benchmark Jamie Whincup takes a slender 20 point lead over Red Bull Racing Australia team mate Craig Lowndes, with FPR duo Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison an outside chance for the victory spoils.
    As the season reaches its dramatic conclusion, we'd simply like to know; who will win? A retirement in one of the last two races could prove disastrous for one of the title protagonists. We must admit our sentimental favourite is Craig Lowndes. Formula Ford champ, Formula Brabham champ, International F3000, three V8 series championships, five time Bathurst winner. He's done it all. Leave a comment letting us know who you think will win and why or contact us at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com. See you at the Sydney 500.

    Congratulations once again to Mark Webber for a marvellous F1 career. 215 starts, 9 wins, 42 podiums, 13 pole positions, 19 fastest laps. Stunning! Best of luck spearheading Porsche's World Endurance Championship campaign. Seems he's also contemplating teaming up with Eric Bana for an assault on the Bathurst 12 Hour GT race. Awesome....

    

    V8 Supercars turns it on again. What a stonking race the 2013 Bathurst 1000 was. Well done to Mark Winterbottom, Steven Richards and Ford Performance Racing who prevailed at the end of 161 gruelling laps around Mt Panorama. Long suffering Ford fans must still be celebrating Ford's first win at The Mountain since 2008, and first factory backed win since 1977.
    Overall reliability of the new Car Of The Future was surely tested. The conditions were testing due to a howling wind which made the cars quite nervous across the top. Despite the teams' pre-race uncertainty, you'd have to say that COTF passed with flying colours.
    Another success story from the Bathurst 1000 has to be the stunning cameo from the #10 X-Box One Holden wild card entry piloted by DTM stars Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekstrom. Their aggression and opportunistic overtaking was simply brilliant. The international drivers certainly add an interesting flavour.
    With the recent announcement of Le Mans winner and former F1 driver David Brabham joining Erebus Motorsport to partner Tim Slade in his Mercedes at this weekend's Gold Coast 600, do you like the injection of international drivers providing an unknown variable to the racing? Do you find it intriguing to see how they stack up against the regular V8 combatants? Do international drivers add to the spectacle? Whilst we like the concept of a mini endurance series contained within a championship series, at the same time we can't help but miss the annual big influx of internationals to the Gold Coast. Remember last year the Surfer's Paradise grid largely comprised F1 aces like Heidfeld, Villeneuve, Salo, Liuzzi and Bourdais. Let us know what you think. Send formulafrontrow.com an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    Great to see Indy Car superstar and former F1 tester Ryan Briscoe back in a V8 Supercar competing in the Pirtek Endurance Cup alongside Russell Ingall. Brabham and Briscoe, throw in Porsche Carrera Cup star Craig Baird and Dutch sensation Jereon Bleekemolen - there's some international pedigree there. Cheers....