Articles by Craig Lowndes

But if you think any of the teams will be taking it easy, think again.  There are limited chances for testing during the year, so teams take every opportunity to test their cars.  Least of all us. We have a totally new car and we are still getting to grips with the Holden's set-up, how it behaves when we make certain changes to the aero, the fuel economy and much more. So we'll be going hard this weekend in an effort to further develop our cars.  There is one other very good reason why we'll be having a red-hot go in Melbourne, even though we don't have a spare car or engine yet. All the Vodafone bosses will be there, of course, to check out the McLaren Formula One team, but they'll also have a good eye on us, so it's very important for us to turn in a good show for them.  The GP is one of those races where you could go hard or go easy, but you can safely bet we'll be taking things very seriously. As I said, we don't have a lot in the way of spares, but even though this is a street circuit, it's a thousand times safer than any of the other street circuits on the calendar. It has to be for the high speed of the F1 cars.  So there is more run-off and less chance of crashing into immovable objects. But you never know. There can still be a lot of crash damage here.  Car set-up will be absolutely vital. We need a nice flowing car for the smooth F1 track. You also need a car that changes direction nicely, especially in that fast chicane down the back of the track.  My record at the GP over the past couple of years has been pretty erratic. I've been as high as second and as low as 20th, so I'll be trying to get a consistent result this time. It's one of those tracks that no one seems to have mastered with four different winners in five races over the past two years.  The format has changed back to three 13-lap sprint races - one on each day - so tyre wear and degradation won't be a problem. We have the smaller 75-litre fuel tank again, which should be enough to get us around the distance without a pit stop.  Not that we can use the pits anyway, because they are devoted to the F1 cars.  Basically, it's race over if you need to pull the car in for anything. When the F1 cars come out, I'll be hanging over the fence like the rest of the boys on the team. I love the speed, the noise and the excitement.  My tip is Lewis Hamilton and not just because he's on the Vodafone McLaren team. He had a great run at Bahrain and is a hard man to beat on this track.  He debuted here in 2007, qualified fourth and finished third. How amazing is that? Then he followed up with pole and first in 2008 and last year had a bit of bad mechanical luck, but still managed to finish third.  It was great news last week that V8 Supercars is continuing its "rock and race" theme by announcing that INXS will play at the Townsville round. Our sport definitely fires on all cylinders when we have the complete entertainment package on and off track.  I think Clipsal has shown that for years and last year's finale with Cold Chisel proved it without doubt.  It also gives the fans great value for money. My personal musical tastes are pretty broad. I like a bit of everything. I'm passionate about AC/DC, but I also like Nickleback, Pink and some country stuff like Adam Brand, Adam Harvey and Beccy Cole.  While INXS is great for people my age, the question needs to be asked whether the bands they are choosing are the right ones to attract the younger generation. I've heard around the traps that Pink could be playing at some stage this season.  As our ambassador this year I think it would be great if she could perform at one of the venues. If it's the grand final in Sydney it would be the icing on the cake for the season. And most importantly she would attract the broad spread of ages we need to keep this sport in a forward gear.

I also predicted Tander would make a comeback and being the champion he is, he did it in style.  What I didn't foresee was all the heartache our team would suffer.The biggest upset was my teammate, Jamie, receiving a mechanical black flag in the last few laps of the race when he was challenging for the lead. I didn't see it happen, but I sure found out about it when I got back to the pits.  The officials virtually decided the race with that one.Everyone knows that when you have a panel, window, door or whatever coming ajar, then you are going to get a mechanical black flag and you have to come in and address the issue.  But we also all know that if there is something hanging off and it then falls off, then the stewards don't take any more action.Jamie was given the orders to obey the black flag and he intended to do so as any of us would.   But then the rear diffuser fell off and he should have been allowed to continue.  The way the situation was handled was very bad and Jamie has a right to feel hard done by.It's an issue that has now raised its ugly head and we have to sort it out. Unfortunately, Jamie had to pay the price in exposing an area of our rule book that needs a good clean up.  Another issue that needs addressing after the Adelaide race is the kerbing on turn eight.It was more than a little bit concerning when we first approached that corner to see there were lumps of concrete flying everywhere.  It was lucky nothing was damaged underneath the cars or any tyres blown.We were instructed not to use the kerb after that.  Turn eight seems to go under the microscope every year and they made another adjustment this year with the kerbing, the wall and the Armco. It was a new design and I think they will have to go back to the drawing board on that one.Speaking of kerbing, it was also interesting to see the effect of the penalty in qualifying for jumping he kerb in the first chicane.  No one can really complain.  We were all told beforehand what would happen if we jumped the kerb with all four tyres and then right through practice 99 per cent of the drivers got a warning of too much kerb hopping.You may find this hard to believe given my love of getting some air, but I wasn't one of the 99 per cent, so I was a god boy for a change.  It's difficult, but drivers have to understand that on street circuits there are always going to be tyre bundles and kerbs to keep us away from concrete walls that can do a lot of damage.Cheeseburger (Shane van Gisbergen) found out what happens when you tangle with the tyre bundles you bend your steering.  We all dislike the tyre bundles and kerbing, but we know why they are there to protect our cars from damage.I knew it would be a race of carnage and unfortunately our strategy of pitting early put us in amongst the argy bargy of the backmarkers and we found ourselves struggling to fight our way back through the field.  Consequently there were a few incidents along the way, some of which I was on the receiving end of and one involving Will Davison where I was in the wrong.I was passing Will down the inside of Rick (Kelly) and tagged the back of him sending him around and tagging my own nose. Then I got a hit from behind by Todd (Kelly).  It was a bit of a mess, but it was just one of those incidents.I spoke to Will after the race and apologised and he was upset but ok and he accepted it.  Our early pit strategy was all about fuel economy which dictated the race and handed victory to Tander.  We still don't really know what our consumption is like, but we're gradually getting some knowledge together.We were about five laps short of being able to do a two-stop pit strategy like Tander.  Unfortunately our strategy meant we were behind the eight ball after an early pit stop and then struggled to get back our rhythm and track position.It's a hard enough race being out in front, but back in the pack for 78 laps in a concrete canyon with not a lot of room to manuevre or adjust is nearly impossible.  Impossible doesn't seem to be a word in Michael Schumacher's vocabulary.After Sunday's race we sat down and watched the Formula One in Abu Dhabi where we were just two weeks ago and I have to say the cars looked fantastic and fast.  Schu did an amazing job of his comeback. To finish in the points on his return to the pinnacle of motor racing is just unbelievable.It was also pretty amazing to see Ferrari go one-two and to see Massa come back from that horrendous crash of last year.  As a driver I was pleased to know that he had fully recovered from his head injury.People had doubts and said he wouldn't have the speed or commitment but he proved he hasn't lost anything.  He's good for a championship.

This year they have dropped the fuel tank capacity to 75 litres with only the endurance rounds having 120-litre tanks, so we really have to watch our economy.  In the Mid-East we were able to get away with one full fuel stop and a splash-and-dash, but this will probably be more like two full stops and a quick one before the final dash to the flag. Unfortunately, because we have the new Chev engine, we are still trying to come to terms with our fuel economy.  In fact, we cut things way too fine in the first race in Abu Dahbi and the engine started coughing as soon as I crossed the line. We definitely stretched the envelope further than we wanted to, but our aggressive strategy worked for us.  I actually didn't think I would get back to the pits and I had both my race engineer Jeromy (Moore) and (team principal) Roland (Dane) on the radio to me making sure I drove the car back as slow as I could. Basically we were running on fumes. I don't think we'll push it that close this time.  We are still learning about our brand new Chev engine so teams like FPR, HRT, SBR and DJR will be better prepared than us.  We also don't have any spare engines to test economy, so we are doing that as we race. We've been too busy getting things up and running to have the time to get any spare engines built. The race should be interesting as there will be times when we will need to conserve fuel and be flexible in our fuel stop strategy. So it could end up being an economy run, depending on the pace of the race.  Apart from fuel, tyre life should be ok because of the cooler temps. But here's the interesting thing about tyres: Under a new rule the guys that are outside the top 15 in the championship get two extra practice sections and two extra sets of tyres for those sessions.  That means they get a head start on track condition and car set-up.  It wouldn't normally be an issue, but Garth Tander has had such a dreadful start to the season he is outside the top 15 and gets the advantage of the new rule, so watch out for his comeback this weekend. I consider Adelaide the toughest race of the year, usually because it is quite hot and everyone is keyed up for the first race of the year.  However, with the weather being cooler and having four races under our belt already, the drivers will be a lot cooler and calmer. It's still going to be a tough event with a 78-lap race each day over a narrow street circuit with its bumps, kerbs, concrete walls and blind corners. It's totally different from the fast, flowing and open tracks we've just come from.  I love the Adelaide track, but it deserves the utmost driver respect and requires a lot of commitment. An example is the infamous turn eight which you take in fifth gear at 230km/h-plus. You have to be precise, have the car attitude correct and approach it the same way every lap or you end up running into a concrete wall.  My record at Adelaide has been very inconsistent over the past few years. We've generally had a good first race but developed issues in race two like the power steering failure we suffered when I was running second last year.  So consistency will be my strategy this year.  While my attention will be on the Adelaide circuit, many race fans, including me, will also be interested to see what's happening in Bahrain this weekend with Michael Schumacher returning to F1. It should be one of the most exciting events in motorsport this year.  I'm interested to see how the seven-times world champion will cope with the new rules and technologies after three years out of the cockpit. His retirement was a personal choice as was his return. As a race driver I'm sure when it's time for me to retire I will still have the bug to continue in some form of racing.  But the Schu is stepping back into the ultimate level of motorsport in terms of fitness, technology and commitment. Meanwhile, this is the year Mark Webber has to step up. He is in the best position of his career to win the championship but there are about four others who also have the potential.  Should be a great F1 year.

I've just come from driving in sand storms in the Mid East to return home to flooding in South East Queensland.  We didn't get a lot of the summer rains on our cattle property, but in the past week we have copped a drenching and most of the roads around our area were under water. All our dams are either full or getting there.That's a far cry from how we finished the race on Sunday with sandblasted tyres, bonnets and windscreens and sand through almost every part of the car, plus in my ears and my race suit. It finds its way in everywhere.There were a lot of positives to come out of the first two rounds in the Mid East.  I think all the fans will have noticed that because of the open and flowing tracks there were no safety cars to slow the action down.That's not only a testament to the quality of the tracks, but also to the mature driving of a lot of the racers.  I was able to race door to door with guys like Tander, Johnson and Courtney without exchanging any paint.At the start of the season, the drivers have a lot of anxiety and enthusiasm than can get the better of you so it was good to get that out of our systems on such open circuits.  Usually we start the season in Adelaide which is a tough and uncompromising street circuit where you can do a lot of damage.We now have two rounds under our belts, so we can settle down a bit for the Clipsal next weekend.  Our car was quickest in practice in Bahrain, but we made some adjustments for the top 10 shootout to try and get more front turn because we had struggled with understeer on a simulated top 10 run.Ultimately we went too far and got a lot more turn than we expected which gave the car a nervous rear end.  Consequently we qualified ninth, but I was happy with the car set-up and we got through the field to third, thanks to Jeromy (Moore), my race engineer, who called the shots with a good race strategy.On the Sunday we developed a surprising clutch problem just before the second pit stop.  I stalled the car twice in the pits and only just managed to get it out again.Upshift was ok, but the downshifts into corners were very difficult without locking the rear tyres so we were happy to salvage an 11th. It wasn't such a bad result given our problems.  That is what the season is about. You have to maximise your position and score as many points as you can, even when luck is against you.Unfortunately, Will (Davison) and Garth (Tander) haven't been able to do that.  They've had a terrible start to the season which is a real surprise.  That team is so professional, they haven't changed manufacturer and they have the same cars as last year, so we expected HRT to be ultra-competitive right from the get-go.But don't right them off. They can come back. Every time you have races like that it just gives you motivation to do better.  However, every time they have races like that people like Jamie will just open that gap even more.  HRT have a lot of work in front of them. To win a championship while scoring so few points in two rounds out of 15 is almost impossible.Interesting to note that if we were still a Ford team, Ford would have the top five positions in the standings right now.  I still think it's amazing how we have hit the ground running with two new Holdens.It's my best start to a series in two years. Who would have thought that?  But people have to remember that the two tracks we have come from are open, fast, slowing and smooth. Now we head to some rough and demanding circuits, none more so than the streets of Adelaide.I see V8 Supercars has stitched up TV deals with Fox Sports in Australia plus subscriber channels in Asia and the US.  That's great that we're increasing our global exposure, but hopefully they don't sacrifice the local fans along the way.I suppose we have to remember that there are a lot of expat Aussies in all corners of the world who only have the internet to catch up with the V8s.  For the drivers it is encouraging to know we will have more worldwide coverage and possibly increase our fan base.Speaking of fan bases, may character, Conrod, in the children's TV show Roary the Race Car has apparently gone down really well and created some interest.  There's no fan mail streaming in just yet, but I believe the episodes were successful for the BBC in England and the ABC here.  I loved it and hopefully we can do some more episodes for them.

Well, as good as his first round was, I have to say there are quite a few in the field who can beat him; me included.  Jamie had an almost perfect start with two victories and one pole. He's definitely on fire, but everyone can be beaten on their day if you get the car set-up right. Jamie came over here a coupe of weeks ago, had a good insight into the circuit and got a good set-up in the car.  Both our Holdens went well straight up. No one expected us to come out with the speed we had. We really hit the ground running and are delighted, but we still have some work to do to get the set-up just right.  We probably had a better car in the first race than the second. The first race was more about fuel consumption than anything else. At the end we just had enough fuel to do a full lap at full pace and close the gap.  With the length of some of the races these days you need good fuel consumption. We learnt a lot from race one and made some adjustments and had a lot better fuel consumption in race two, but our strategy didn't quite suit.  We didn't seem to have the pace early on yet strangely we did in the last 10 laps. The car was barely changed from race one yet we didn't seem to have the balance quite how I wanted it. It was a little disappointing, but that's motor racing. I still had a better start to the season than I've had for the last two years.  It's a long championship and to be sitting in third is better than where the HRT boys ended up. They showed a lot of pace, but were plagued with mechanical issues. I'm sure they'll bounce back this weekend in Bahrain.  A lot of teams and drivers showed good pace straight up: Frosty, the Kelly brothers, Cheeseburger (Shane Van Gisbergen) and Courtney. There are a lot of cars that will be competitive this year. There was a bit of biff and barge and some great racing at the weekend, but the incident where Cheeseburger bumped me off the track won't come to anything with the stewards because there was no real harm done. I can understand that the fans might be disappointed about starting the season overseas, but if we are going to have overseas races in the calendar then I think it's better that we get them out of the way first rather than interrupting the season. It's easier for teams, because we are all fresh and the cars are ready to go. If we started with Clipsal, there would be teams racing to get wrecks ready to be shipped overseas.  Besides, what better way to start the season than with a spectacular new circuit. It also sort of evened things up a little because no one knew what to expect. The Yas Marina circuit is absolutely amazing, especially when you consider how quickly they erected all the infrastructure, plus they are developing it all the time.  It's a fast, flowing circuit that also has some good second-gear corners. I don't know what it looked like on TV, but none of the drivers I know had any issues with the lighting or vision.  The only slightly dull patch was through the corkscrew which is a new area with more temporary lighting than the permanent stuff. Around the rest of the circuit it was like driving in daytime. After the weekend, our team headed out into the desert before heading up to Bahrain for this weekend's Desert 400.  Before we left, our team boss, Roland (Dane), decided we should do a "Desert Experience" where you camp out in the desert. We took two buggies and five four-wheel drives and had a great time yahooing over the dunes. It was a great chance to blow off some steam.  I really love camping out and it was tremendous to be out in the desert, sleeping under the stars. One day I'll bring Nat and the kids over to experience it, but just at the moment Levi and Chilli are a bit too young.  It's a two-week trip by the time we get back and that's too long to have the kids out of school, especially when they have just started. Levi is in year two and Chilli is in prep and it's important to give them a good start to the year.  But I must bring them over eventually.

We arrived earlier this week in Abu Dhabi where it's in the low to mid 20s and the track looks great.  It's not the same track as the one the F1s race on. It has an amazing corkscrew section which I am looking forward to driving on. We'll be racing at night, so temps will be down but the action will be hot. We're expecting blistering speeds and lap times.  I've been very happy with the response from the fans to TeamVodafone switching to Holden.  As I've said it's good to be back with the Lion. We now have two races overseas for people to get used to seeing me in a Holden before I return to the Clipsal in Adelaide next month.  Some people say my car is a "Folden" anyway because of the carryover parts from the previous car. But it's not a Ford. I don't want to dwell on it too much, but I have to say I was always upset that Ford's motorsport department didn't take advantage of Ambrose's wins. I was never in that situation of winning for Ford, but I would have been snaky if they had done the same thing. Maybe Ford has realised the error of their ways because they have now thrown their support and money behind Dick Johnson's team.  I think that's great for the sport because they have finally acknowledged they need to support the few Ford teams that are remaining in the field. And DJR is the best Ford team they have, going on last year's results. It's important for Ford fans to have a team the calibre of DJR and I'm sure (James) Courtney and Steve (Johnson) will back it up with great performances. I am happy with my new race car and the progress we have made after a one-day shakedown, an official test day and then an elective test day last Friday before the cars were packed away for the Mid-East.  My car feels just right. My seating position is now where I want it. I just have to get my head around the aerodynamics. We didn't actually take my car to the track on Friday.  Our team boss, Roland Dane, decided we would just use Jamie's car to free up the workload and combine the efforts.  It was almost like an enduro test day. We are the first team to try to extract the best our from both manufacturers, so we are pioneers, in a way.  Hopefully a lot of fans will have caught up with Australia's Greatest Athlete on Channel 7. It was great fun and very rewarding and a tribute to the hard work I have put in for several months now on my fitness.  About midway through last year I decided to concentrate on building my fitness and the first thing was to get down to about 80kg. Since then I've stayed at a constant weight, but my skin fold measurement has gradually decreased which means I'm building muscle and become stronger.  My fitness should ensure I don't waver in concentration, particularly on the endurance rounds. Also helping my concentration and focus will be John Bowe who Roland has appointed as a team driver coach.  Driver coaches are very big in Europe. He's a wise old race driver and an independent person who can not only help Jamie and me focus but also act as an independent adviser and judge on team decisions and strategies. He'll even be giving advice to Roland.  When you are so close to something, you lose objectivity. He's a fresh face and fresh opinion on our team.  He was at our test day last Tuesday, but he's not over here in the Mid East with us. However, he will be a welcome addition at Clipsal which is the hardest race of the year because of all the functions we attend. It is quite easy to get frustrated by not having enough time for the data and racing side and he will help us retain that focus. Finally, it was great news to hear that Pink will be the face of V8 Supercars this year.  She is such a great personality and Aussies seem to like her judging by the number of concerts she performed here last year.  Wouldn't it be great if they could get her to perform at the finale in Sydney?

Our testing at Queensland Raceway on Tuesday in wet conditions wasn't exactly the right warm-up for the hot and dry conditions at Abu Dhabi and Bahrain over the next couple of weeks, but at least we got to run through some set-ups with the car.  We've got another test today (FRIDAY) before we head off to the Mid-East.The good news is that the Commodore seems to respond the same as the Falcon.  By that I mean that if they added 5 per cent downforce on the rear wing of the Falcon, I knew how to adjust the brake bias. I am finding I can do the same adjustments on the Commodore for the same results.Having said that, the Holden feels more stable at the back, but doesn't turn in as sharp.  The engine feels strong, but it's hard for us to know what car speed will be like because QR isn't a high-speed circuit.  We weren't the fastest in testing, but we've not really put our best foot forward yet, either.Tuesday's test showed that Courtney is carrying on his form from last year with good pace.  Ingall has come to grips with the new car quite well and he's also showing good speed.And Murph is right on the pace considering it's not his normal test track. He's come up from the South Pole and seems to be doing well. This is a brand new challenge for him.  One to watch out for is Jonathon Webb who circulated with reasonable lap times.Glad to say Jamie and I mixed it up pretty well with them all. There was no real stand-out.  Testing is one thing, but no one ever knows what tyres teams are running and what their plan is for the test day, so lap times really mean nothing.The true speed will come when we get to Abu Dhabi.  It should be interesting because Abu Dhabi is a totally new race track for everyone and I hear it even has a corkscrew like the famous corkscrew at Laguna Seca. It drops 15m over 100m. Wow! That should be interesting.  Even Bahrain will be new to everyone because this year we are racing the full-length circuit.There has been some good news and bad news in V8 Supercars this past week. It's great that the Ipswich race is definitely on, but it is really sad news that Barbagallo has been axed from the calendar.To be a true national sport, we have to be in every state.  It's sad news for the West Australian fans, in particular. Let's hope that something can be done for next year so we are back there racing again.As it stands at the moment, I could be the last winner there. Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better about the situation.  I know it's a long way off, but I've been thinking a lot about the Indy _ I mean the Gold Coast SuperCarnivale. I suppose it will always be the Indy to the drivers and the fans.Doubling the race distance and shortening the track will be great for the fans. They'll see the cars go past more often and for twice as long.   However, I also predict now that it will also mean double the carnage.That circuit is a graveyard for cars as it is. Twice the distance and it will really claim some victims.  It might make for great footage on the TV, but it will be hell for the teams.

This is a brand new column for a brand new season but with an old manufacturer — one that I started with and am happy to be back with. My career has now gone full circle. To all the Ford fans, it's like closing a chapter in my racing career and I still feel, I suppose, disappointed that I wasn't able to achieve a championship for you. That is something of an unfulfilled dream for me. As you are reading this I will be having my first drive in a Holden race car in 10 years.  Today's (FRIDAY'S) shakedown of the new TeamVodafone Commodore at Queensland Raceway is a chance for us to test all the mechanical, electrical and fuelling components, not to go out and set scorching lap times. Then we'll have the weekend to sort out any problems that may arise before we have another shakedown on Monday.  Every new car gets a 20-lap shakedown. That means we can sort out the cars before Tuesday's test day when all the V8 Supercars come out on the track and have their first serious session.  Hopefully our shakedown will sort out any niggling problems so we don't waste valuable testing time. It's not only been 10 years since I was in a Holden but also 10 years since I won a championship and anyone who says I don't have the passion and desire for another title win certainly doesn't know me. My biggest letdown in the past couple of years has been consistency and I will be concentrating on that side of things this season.  At 35, I know it's still in me to win. I've still got the speed to produce race wins as I proved late last year; now I just have to turn that into another championship. The average age when I first got involved in this sport was 38-40 and now it's about 24.  Obviously you have to be well aware of the younger generation coming into any sport.  Youth brings a lot of enthusiasm and determination, but with that they also bring some arrogance and mistakes. I have to focus on my achievements, my knowledge, my strengths and I'm even more determined now because of the change in manufacturers.  Over the break I have also been working super-hard on my fitness and competed in Australia's Greatest Athlete on Channel Seven starting tomorrow. This year I am the stand-in for motor racing, taking over from my teammate (Jamie Whincup) who did such a good job last year.  I'm not allowed to say where I finished, but I can tell you I went well in any category that involved a motor. My weakest asset was explosive speed, but anything to do with endurance and long distance I was very competitive.  All I can say is that I didn't let the motorsport side down and was happy with the my achievements. I think I surprised a lot of people, just like Jamie did. The big news this week was the announcement that I am back again with my former HRT teammate Mark Skaife for the endurance rounds.  I remember when we were the supposed Dream Team at HRT we were hugely competitive against each other. Then I switched to Ford and we became rivals with great battles on the track - like Senna and Prost or Brock and Johnson - but we also had huge respect for each other.  Now teaming up with him again I am personally excited knowing that when we get to the endurance spec of the year his ability to get into a race car and feel it and understand it will be a huge asset. So there you go, my aim for this year is to win a championship and Bathurst again.  Wish me luck.

As I watched the television screen and saw one of the Team Vodafone Falcons slap the wall I was thinking the worst. I wondering how bad the car was, if it would upset our race plans, and if Jamie was ok. The problem was I couldn't see the number and I was thinking the worst. Then I realized it was the second car, with Fabrizio Giovanardi, and it was a big relief. At the same time, I felt sad for Fabrizio. Before qualifying I tried to spend a bit of time with both our team mates to give them an idea on where to carry more speed, how to use the brakes a bit less and let the car do more work to improve their speed. Over Skyline was an area we had talked about. So . . . hmmm, I'm not sure how I feel about what went wrong. Actually, Fabrizio and Marc Hynes have had a bad run all week, interrrupted with some mechanical issues with their car. And they managed to hit a bird yesterday in practice which made a big mess of the windscreen. For us, it was a great result in qualifying. Jamie is happy with the car, he's only doing minimal laps, and still coming out third shows we're on track and that makes us feel pretty confident. I think the top-10 shootout later today is going to be really interesting. We haven't had one of the old-style one-lap efforts for a long time and that could shake things up a bit. For Jamie it will be great experience. I know I always enjoyed the challenge of the Top 10 runs. But he 's been arond long enough to know that pole position around Bathurst is not the ultimate objective. Actually, I'll be happy if he finishes up sixth. That's where we started the last two years and it's worked out pretty well for us. If we are in the top two rows I'll be happy but it really doesn't matter so long as we do the top 10 with a complete, straight car after qualifying. Then we can get on to changing the car to race spec for Sunday. I only did eight or nine laps yesterday but I'm comfortable in the car. It's responding well. I got into a rhythm fairly quickly and the car is not doing anything ugly or surprising anywhere. It flows well across the top of the mountain which is important. That's where I get great confidence. Looking at the qualifying times, I'm not really surprised. Frosty was quick last year and I expected him to be quick again, and he got to the top at the end. Murphy and Richards have done a great job. They are probably a little stronger than we expected. The surprising one is Tander because he was quick in the morning but then didn't have the pace at the end of qualifying. I'm sure he would have wanted to be number one. Looking at how things stand, we expected six or eight good car-and- driver combinations this year and that's what we've got. There are probably four to six cars that are potential winners and another eight or 10 which could get onto the podium on Sunday. For me, the plan today is much the same as it's been all week. I'll be up early for the track walk and then we've got a one-hour practice. I'll do the first half and then hand over to Jamie so he can get ready for the shootout.