I know that engineerd and I are both so excited we can hardly contain it, but for those of you who are not so obsessive, the wait is over. The 2011 Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series has begun again, and it promises a whole lot of excitement. All the usual suspects are present, and familiar faces return, but with a bit of shuffling to keep it interesting.
For those who missed all the fun at the end of last year, James Courtney, in the Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon, wrenched the Championship victory away from perennial whiner stalwart Jamie Whincup. For those of us who are cheering for the Anybody-But-Whincup Racing Team, it was a welcome relief. For Ford fans, it was exciting to see the #1 decal return to a Ford after it was carried over to Holden by Whincup last year.
Unfortunately it was not to be. Rather than continue on in the Jim Beam Falcon, Courtney has been signed to the Toll Holden Racing Team alongside Garth Tander. Knowing the strong personalities involved, there has already been a great deal of speculation of in-team rivalries between the two drivers. Tander has shown in the last few years that he is one of the most aggressive, no-nonsense drivers in the circuit. If you can count on any one man to show nobody any favour, it’s Tander. Teammate, opponent, friend, it doesn’t matter; he is outspoken and opinionated, but he can be, because he’s also really, really good. Courtney has a lot to live up to.
Also in the Holden camp is my personal favourite driver, Jason Bright. I’m not going to spoil any of the results of the first round of racing for those who haven’t watched it yet, but let’s just say, the lad made me proud, and looks like he’ll be a serious force to be contended with. He has a whole lot of driving skill, but more importantly he has a whole lot of patience in his driving. He is not reactionary, and will be totally content to ride on someone’s back bumper for 12 laps until his passing opportunity comes up. For anyone with less patience than he, that becomes a form of torment, with a pair of headlights two inches off your back bumper for that long. Watch for Bright’s mind games to continue in 2011.
In the Ford camp, to make engineerd happy, there is pretty much nothing negative you can say about Mark “Frosty” Winterbottom. If he continues in the theme he has followed for the last year or so, he may be the man best positioned to snatch away the title this year. He is perennially in second or third, with the occasional victory tossed in. Most of his competition, has a tendency for either top-podium results or DNF’s. If that theme continues, watch for Frosty to come out on top.
And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the rocket-like ascension we have seen of late from Shane Van Gisbergen. This 21-year-old has looked solidly average in many races in the last few years, and it’s been enough to wonder what the team owners saw that caused them to give a full-time racing contract to a 17-year-old. In the last five or six rounds, he’s suddenly found his stride, and friends and enemies alike have been forced to take a huge step back in astonishment. I’m convinced that in 15 or 20 years, we’re going to be mentioning this kid’s name alongside Alan Moffat, Jim Richards and Mark Skaife.
If you’re not already following this race series, it’s about goddamned time you started. It may be the best Touring Car series in the world, and certainly makes WTCC look boring.