John Bowe: The Gold Coast had everything

When it comes to entertainment, the Castrol EDGE Gold Coast 600 gets a 10 out of 10 from me.

In the tight confines of the concrete, mistake minimisation is the key, and it just shows the caliber of the top teams and drivers.

I have to congratulate Bargs [driving standards observer Jason Bargwanna] and whomever helps make the calls. Being reasonable and realistic about kerb use and tyre bundles made the races better, and more fair and exciting - it could have been far, far worse if they had exercised their authority for drive-throughs. Well done, common sense prevailed and as we saw, too much tyre bundle bashing took its toll on the cars anyway.

A few observations...

Firstly - slightly overlooked in my view was the double top 10 finishes of the tiny Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport team [ninth and eighth].

Russ [Russell Ingall] is a great street fighter still, even at his mature age, and young Tim Blanchard is way underrated and has been for a long time. He has done some very impressive stuff in the Pirtek Enduro Cup races this year - he deserves a break into the main game, really.

Likewise quite a lot of the co-drivers, most of who live in the shadows of the star drivers, were great. The Championship drivers get the attention, but without a very good job from the co-driver a result is impossible.

I am obviously biased here, but Stevie J's performances were really outstanding. I have know him since he was a little boy and he has natural ability to burn. I have never seen him so fit, committed and focused. and I truly believe he should be back in the main game. Over the course of his career he has paid the price at times for family loyalty - a driver's fortunes go up and down with the fortunes of the team, after all.

I would love to see Steve in another team to be honest, although DJ will probably kill me for saying that.

It would also be remiss of me not to mention my friends at Wilson Security, who will be forming an alliance with Volvo in V8 Supercars next year.

As part of the Wilson Security family the partnership with DJR has been outstanding - we all will be close and friends forever and it is with real reluctance to move.

DJR is about to embark on a new phase with DJR Team Penske and the Wilson Security requirement is for a two car team - it's that simple, really. A two-car team was not possible with DJR Team Penske.

Volvo has added great excitement to the series this year and will continue to do so. For those with excellent memories, my first touring car season was in the factory Volvo team in the 1980s - I was on the front row at Adelaide in my first race and took pole position at the next round in Perth. It has a nice twist, don't you think?

Speaking of DJR Team Penske, there is lots of talk and opinion about the return of Marcos Ambrose as a wild card entry for Homebush.

Firstly, it is fantastic for the race - expect a record crowd.

It will be a terrific way for Marcos to get some real world experience of the current cars. I for one will not expect miracles, but I also would not be surprised if he is competitive. Make no mistake, he is a champion, very race sharp and very, very focused!

A planned ride day at Lakeside and two intended test days will be a big help. The only obstacle I see is that the Fords are becoming less competitive - at The Gold Coast they never looked like winners. Could it be the minimum tyre pressure rule has hurt the Fords more than the others?

As the season reaches the final races I think we are going to see Jamie Whincup achieve the impossible dream - the greatest of all time. A six-time champ - how utterly amazing. How exciting, and how exciting for Holden, who sneaked Jamie and Triple Eight right out from under the blue oval noses! I bet they are sorry - but Ford now had a great opportunity to assist DJR Team Penske and FPR to redress that.

Go for it Ford, I say!

Cheers,

JB

Follow John Bowe on Facebook. Bowe is supported by Wilson Security, Dunlop Super Dealers and Coates Hire, and competing in the 2014 Touring Car Masters Championship.