Preview - Ferodo Triple Challenge.

by Matthew Agius

The V8 Supercars head to Tasmania's Symmons Plains circuit for the penultimate round of the 2005 Championship Series - the Ferodo Triple Challenge.

Following a four-year hiatus, Symmons Plains and indeed a Tasmanian round of the championship, returned to the calendar in 2004. A partly resurfaced track and a full field of V8 Supercars witnessed Russell Ingall take honours at the expense of rampant race leaders Marcos Ambrose, Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly - who all suffered technical misfortunes. It also hosted the inaugural race win for the WPS Racing team - with David Besnard taking victory in the third and final sprint, albeit a victory with

Indeed, 2005 marks the complete resurfacing of the Taswegian circuit, with drivers and teams being able to benefit from a less-technical track setup. The current lap record of 52.72 seconds held by the Holden Racing Team's Todd Kelly, is a reflection on the short lap distances covered (just over two kilometres) and the long straights that comprise the Launceston-based raceway.

Several important achievements will be reached this weekend, notable of which are the milestones of drivers Glenn Seton, Jason Bargwanna and Mark Skaife.

Seton - a double V8 championship victor - will drive in his two-hundredth series round, and will do so with Westpoint Racing. Starting his Touring Car career in 1984, Seton is one of the most loyal drivers in the series, having driven for Ford since the current formula championship began in 1993.

Bargwanna has driven for both Holden and Ford (currently with Larkham-Orrcon Racing) and will make his one-hundredth championship start this weekend. Beginning his career in the Holden Young Lions and later with Garry Rogers Motorsport - culminating with a Bathurst 1000 victory in 2000 with the Repco Valvoline Cummins backed team. He switched to Ford and Orrcon Racing in 2003, debuting in an AU Falcon, but later upgrading to an SBR-powered BA. He will compete with competition number #100 celebrating his century of round starts this weekend.

Five-time Australian Touring Car Champion and Bathurst 1000 winner Mark Skaife will drive in his 100th race start for the Holden Racing Team since joining the flagship team in 1998.

Coupled with the Seton/Bargwanna/Skaife milestones this weekend, Owen Kelly has been assigned to drive the Autobarn Racing Commodore in place of Alex Davison this weekend. Davison has been relatively unimpressive this year, whilst Kelly (of no relation to Rick and Todd) finished a career-high sixth at the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000. The other new driver this weekend will be David Brabham - replacing Greg Ritter in the Ford Credit/FPV Falcon.

The Ferodo Triple Challenge marks the beginning of the end - and is likely to make or break the title hopes for championship aspirants. Three of the final six V8 races for 2005 will be held at Symmons Plains - each covering one hundred kilometres (or 42 laps). In preparation for the three sprints, teams will benefit from Friday's two hour practice session in the lead up to Saturday qualifying.

Of the five likely championship contenders - the top three are Fords - whilst the other two belong to the Holden Racing Team. Russell Ingall and Marcos Ambrose from the Stone Brothers Racing stable head the points tally - each boasting a significant claim to victory this weekend.

Ingall currently leads the title fight his sixty-six point lead to teammate Marcos Ambrose, providing a reasonable buffer in the approach to this weekend's racing - however a DNF will severely dent his hopes of securing an elusive V8 Supercar Championship. The British-born driver is however, aware that the competition will be ever close this weekend.

"Because of the simplicity of the track and the fact that we will be well under one minute per lap, the whole field could be split by a single second," says Ingall.

"There could be a few surprise runners at the front because it is not too technical. I think that could mix things up a bit, especially with a few drivers who are not in championship contention towards the front. The secret will be lots of horsepower and lots of brakes. You will need a strong right foot."

His second-placed teammate Marcos Ambrose is enduring a tough culmination to season 2005. Poor results at Sandown, Bathurst and Surfers Paradise have resulted in Ambrose slipping from favour with the motorsport gods. He is hoping to win in Tasmania this weekend - his home event - and leave for NASCAR racing in 2006 with a win in front of his home state.

"I guess it was pretty good to finally get the chance to race at Symmons Plains last year after growing up just own the road," said Ambrose.

"We had a couple of good results in the first two races, but then we had a rare engine drama in race three which probably cost us the round and the chance to wrap-up the championship in front of a home crowd. This year we have some chasing to do and we will be giving it our best shot."

The final Ford driver realistically in the championship is Team Betta Electrical's Craig Lowndes. The former champion boasts the highest number of 2005 wins, four pole positions and importantly track experience at Symmons Plains.

"It has been a long time since I have been in a position to compete for the championship title, so I am certainly not going to let this opportunity slip away without a fight," Lowndes said.

"I am really looking forward to getting down to Symmons Plains the Team Betta Electrical car was strong there last year and the improvements we have made to the cars this year should suit the circuit.

"We are under pressure but not as much as the front runners. Our aim is to win races and in doing so push for the championship, the three race format gives us a chance to collect some good points and this style of pit stop race really suits our team."

The Holden Racing Team flies the Holden flag in the 2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series. Rated as the only chance to deliver Holden a title, drivers Todd Kelly (fourth) and Mark Skaife (fifth) will be fighting to win a championship in the year that they also secured the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

"We were fast there last year, we were on the pace from the word go and it was all looking great until I had a mechanical drama in the last race," said Kelly.

"I like the track a lot - apart from one seriously tight hairpin it flows really well and if you get through the hairpin and get the power down, you can use straight-line speed to pick up spots on the back straight.

"Anyone who thinks this championship is done and dusted is kidding themselves, you only have to look at what happened at Indy to realize we still have a lot of racing ahead of us and that the championship scenario can change in a heartbeat," he continued.

"Skaifey and I have a couple of things working in our favour - we will be looking out for each other out there, and we have excellent data available to us for both Symmons Plains and Phillip Island, where we have tested this year."

Indeed, Skaife noted of his desire to win this weekend and also battle for the championship.

"There are five drivers left in championship contention. It's pretty certain the other three will all be looking out for themselves, so Todd and I already have a significant advantage," said Skaife.

"We each have one less contender than the others to worry about, and a potential ally out there if we need it. It's always easier to hunt in packs than to be alone, being stalked. We both have a burning desire to win the championship, but we have agreed for the team's sake that we won't jeopardise each other's run at it."

In addition to a handy swag of 192 points for a win on offer, a win for any of the Ford teams this weekend will secure the Blue Oval the manufacturer's championship - with six wins this year: four to Craig Lowndes and one apiece to Russell Ingall and Marcos Ambrose - seven round victories in the 2005 series will clinch the title.

Certainly the Ferodo Triple Challenge will be a pivotal round in the 2005 series battle, and with lap times expected to fall again this year - will provide close competition between teams, and great racing for spectators.

2005 Tasmania Triple Challenge Results 2004

Pole
Steven Richards, Castrol Perkins Motorsport, VY Commodore

Round
1. Russell Ingall, Caltex Havoline Racing, BA Falcon
2. Greg Murphy, Kmart Racing, VY Commodore
3. Steven Richards, Castrol Perkins Motorsport, VY Commodore

Fastest lap:
Todd Kelly, Holden Racing Team, VZ Commodore - 52.8062secs

Race winners:

Race 1
Rick Kelly, Kmart Racing, VY Commodore

Race 2
Marcos Ambrose, Pirtek Racing, BA Falcon

Race 3 After much conjecture...
David Besnard, WPS Racing, BA Falcon