Asian Motor Sports

Garth Tander/Mark Skaife - Holden

“Tander’s at the top of his game. He’s leading the championship and his drive at Phillip Island was impressive. Skaife’s under a lot of pressure. He hasn’t had the best of years and he’ll be haunted by the last couple of Bathursts. Skaife knows Mt Panorama like the back of his hand and I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten how to win. He just needs to remember how to go fast.”

Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup - Ford

“They’re going for three in a row, but I’m predicting a hiccup for these two. In racing you never really have that good a run. Whincup always drives on the edge and he and Lowndes have had a couple of close calls there. I’ve been behind both of them up on the mountain a couple times and have seen them on the limit and glancing off the walls - it’s great to watch, but all it takes is to go one inch too far and you’ve sidelined the car. I’ve got a feeling they’ll be trying to prove a point to each other and something’s going to happen.”

Mark Winterbottom/Steven Richards - Ford

“Winterbottom’s matching Tander at the moment. He’s matured a lot, but he’s still new as far as Bathurst goes and experience is hard to beat. Richards hasn’t been matching his teammate’s pace and that could be a factor. You need two strong drivers who know when to go. They should be contenders, but I’m putting a question mark over their heads.”

James Courtney/David Besnard - Ford

“Courtney will get around there fast, but he’s always on the edge and will be either blindingly quick or wreck big time. Besnard is usually pretty good, but seemed off the pace at Phillip Island. Courtney’s leaving the team at the end of the year and there’s disharmony in the camp. The atmosphere’s bad and that’s going to hurt their chances.”

Rick Kelly/Paul Radisich - Holden

“The younger Kelly is definitely more mature and competitive now. After living under the wings of Murphy and Tander, he’s on his own now and shown he can carry the car himself. Radisich might suffer like Besnard, but in saying that he did do a good job at Phillip Island. They’re both experienced on the mountain and will go well. They’re strong enough to win.”

Todd Kelly/Shane Price - Holden

“The older of the Kelly brothers hasn’t been running where he wants to be. There won’t be a problem with strength and reliability, as my old boss Larry Perkins builds one of the strongest cars around. Price’s inexperience at Bathurst means he’ll probably get clipped around the ears a little bit. It could be a make-or-break weekend for Price. The mountain’s broken a lot of careers in the past, but a big result could have him looking like a genius.”

Will Davison/Steven Johnson - Ford

“Davison is the form driver in this team. He’s more consistent and has stopped picking off people he shouldn’t have been. He’s eventually worked out that picking fights with the wrong drivers doesn’t pay off. Junior Johnson’s a strong teammate, but hasn’t been able to match Davison for speed. I’m not sure what the issue is, so this could be a make-or-break race for him, too. They’re a podium chance, but not fast enough to win.”

Greg Murphy/Jason Richards - Holden

“Murph would be pretty disappointed with his season and Richards has been outpacing him all year. But Richards seems to like running into things at the wrong time, which isn’t what you want at the mountain. Murph’s still the fastest bloke ever around Bathurst and has won four times, so they’re a definite podium chance, but everything will have to be perfect for that to happen.”

Lee Holdsworth/Michael Caruso - Holden

“Holdsworth started the year well, but then had a lull. He’s back now, and while they seem to lack outright speed, he and Caruso are a well-matched pair. Caruso’s been the surprise for me this year. He’s driving well and keeping out of trouble. Don’t expect them to be fastest, but if they’re hanging around with 25 laps to go when everyone starts racing, then they could surprise.”

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