Asian Motor Sports

The in-form Mark Skaife commemorates a milestone in Perth this weekend at a track where he will remember his first Championship success 15 years ago but at a venue where has hasn’t filled the top row of the podium since.

The celebrated Holden Champion and winner of the most recent V8 Supercar Championship Series event in New Zealand last raised the trophy in Perth last in a Nissan GTR in 1991 but the track has since been somewhat of a bogey.

In the 15 times Skaife has started at Barbagallo Raceway he has qualified on Pole five times and won four races but only has one event victory, his very first in 1991, across all races for the weekend.

Just last year he was geared to break the drought from the front of the grid before he and former Champion Marcos Ambrose tangled at the first corner in race two where neither gave any ground. Skaife ended up in the sand and Ambrose at the rear of the field.

It prompted an angry reaction from Skaife at the time.

“That was Championship deciding stuff,” Skaife said. “The day he thinks I’m ever going to quit driving into the first corner and he can drive across and force me off the road … he’s kidding himself. It’s very disappointing.”

Ambrose was subsequently charged with reckless driving and docked 25 championship points, as well as having to complete a drive through penalty during the race. He later claimed not to have pleaded guilty but accepted the fine.

The outcome meant that both drivers were virtually out of contention for a round win although Ambrose scrambled into third and Skaife seventh.

Victory in New Zealand elevated Skaife to equal with the country’s most successful touring car driver Peter Brock. Both now have 37 victories. A long overdue breakthrough in Perth will make him the greatest of all time.

In contrast to Skaife’s win drought in Perth his former team-mate Craig Lowndes, now with Ford’s Team Betta Electrical, has the best record of all in the west. Lowndes has won four times at the track, every time in a Holden.

Although his record in a Ford is nowhere near as flattering it is clear 2006 represents his best chance to make amends.

“There’s no questioning the pace of the Triple Eight Falcons at Barbagallo with our pole here last year, but it will come down to keeping a straight car and avoiding incidents that will ultimately decide the winner,” said Lowndes.

“The reverse grid race adds a real element of uncertainty into the round so it’s very important to finish well in the first race and obviously follow this up in the final.

“It was great to come away from New Zealand and climb into the top ten, now it’s just a case of building on the points tally and working towards the lead guys.”

Jack Daniel’s Racing’s Paul Dumbrell will make his 50th Championship start at Barbagallo and in doing so becomes the 51st driver to have taken part in 50 or more rounds.

Dumbrell made his debut back in 1999 at Symmons Plain at the age of just 16 years and 341 days, making him the youngest driver to take part in a Championship event

He won’t, though, become the youngest driver to have made 50 starts. That honour belongs to Toll HSV’s Rick Kelly who did so last year at Oran Park at the age of just 22 years and 209 days.

Team BOC’s John Bowe comes to Barbagallo for his 201st start, which will put him equal third on the all time list with Glenn Seton.

This will also be the 20th time that he has started a Championship round at Barbagallo. His first start at this track in the Championship was in 1986 when he was driving a Volvo.

Teams hit the track for a two-hour practice session on Friday afternoon. Saturday’s action includes qualifying and a top-10 shootout. The first 50-lap race starts at 3pm (Perth time) on Saturday. Sunday’s reverse-grid race starts at 10am with the final 58-lap race of the weekend set down for 1.30pm. (via XTRA MSN)