While DJR Team Penske's new technical director Nick Hughes is new to a V8 Supercars team, he not only brings a wealth of racing knowledge into 2015 -but a history with Marcos Ambrose.
Hughes -who has spent 17 years overseas and has Penske and NASCAR both on the resume - knows it will take time to learn about the new generation V8 Supercars and the team. But what he knows about Ambrose gives him the impression they will do well once the adjustment period is over.
"Having worked with Marcos, I know how serious he is about his craft," Hughes told v8supercars.com.au.
"So we've already been communicating quite a bit with him just about the cars, looking at footage from in the cars and things like that, to help get him up to speed with how they race the cars these days. What is acceptable conduct on-track, which is probably a bit different from what he's been doing.
"The cars have changed since he was last in them, but there are similarities between the cars ... being big, heavy, undertyred, overpowered cars. He has a good feeling for that, so really providing him with the information and the background to answer his questions and make him feel comfortable about stepping into one of these [is the key]."
In the States, Ambrose drove for JTG Racing, the sister team of Michael Waltrip Racing, who Hughes worked for.
"They operated out of our shop," Hughes explained. "Great relationship - I know a lot of the time, those relationships can be challenging, because they were typically housed in the MWR building, [but] it was really like we were working in the same team. That relationship went for two or three seasons ... it was great getting to work with Marcos."
Given both were Australian, they had crossed paths before -including 2005, when Ambrose went to the States to scan the NASCAR scene.
"I think being two Aussies working in the American NASCAR, we sort of gravitated towards one another a little bit as well," Hughes said.
"So we enjoyed that relationship at the track and away from the track, it was good, we got to know each other pretty well.
"Absolutely [I knew what he had achieved]. I sort of knew of Marcos way back in his Formula Ford days, and he actually came over to the States on an exploratory trip around 2005 ... he came to the Bristol night race in August that year.
"He got my contact details at that point ... I gave him a bit of a perspective about NASCAR and life in America and things."
The funny thing is, from working at Penske Racing Shocks Australia, Hughes also had worked with DJR before also.
"We actually had a very tight relationship with Dick Johnson Racing!Funny how it fits around a big circle, back in those days it would have been '95, '96, Dick and John Bowe were driving for the team, so I got to work with the team quite closely back then."
While Hughes has history with various parts of the operation, now it's time to make more history and help show why Penske chose V8 Supercars and Ambrose for its next venture.
There are going to be plenty of eyes on them, and while the team will be pacing itself, looking back Ambrose was able to land his Ford Falcon V8 Supercar on pole position first time out in 2001 at the Australian Grand Prix support race.
"I know there's going to be a lot of focus, for sure," Hughes said.
"I think, talking with him, he has a similar perspective to me that you can't underestimate the competition. So he's going to be coming in knowing he has a lot of things to learn and figure out - no different to me.
"So we've just got to try to learn and get a hold of it as much as I can."
At the first Championship event of Ambrose's first year, the Clipsal 500, the top two drivers in the first qualifying session -Paul Radisich and Mark Larkham - were separated by 0.37sec, with Radisich setting a lap record with a 1min25.11sec run.
This year, the top nine were separated by the same margin, the gap from Jamie Whincup to Craig Lowndes just 0.15sec.
Hughes agreed that now, the Championship was closer than ever and put it down to the team and drivers' attention to detail.
"But as close as the series has been on track, when you look at lap times, we have seen the cream always rise to the top. We've seen Red Bull/Triple Eight win a few championships over the last couple of years in a series that has very close racing. (That) shows their approach to it, their professionalism and their attention to detail is obviously very good -so that sort of shows that in a series that's very close, if you do your job well you'll find success."