20 years on: A modern master becomes Ford's saviour

On this day 20 years ago, Marcos Ambrose was the toast of the Supercar world with a second drivers' championship in a succession.

On December 5, 2004, Ambrose completed a three-from-three sweep of the final round in Sydney, where the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship will commence next February.

Ambrose won 11 of the season's 26 races to deliver a second consecutive championship to Stone Brothers Racing, with the Tasmanian reeling off a number of storylines to make Ford fans proud.

Notably, Ambrose became the first Ford driver since Dick Johnson in 1988 and 1989 to win consecutive titles. In a fitting moment, Johnson personally congratulated Ambrose after the race.

Ambrose won the 2003 crown with nine wins in 22 starts, helping SBR and Ford wrest the crowns away from the Holden Racing Team, which had won five drivers' titles in a row between 1998 and 2002.

Come 2004, and the competition was more fierce. In response, Ambrose swept the round in Adelaide, won again at Pukekohe, Queensland Raceway and Oran Park, and survived a spin to win the Sandown 500 with Greg Ritter.

After missing out in Bathurst, where he finished fourth, Ambrose had the bit between his teeth. In the final eight races, Ambrose won five times, finished second twice, and suffered a DNF due to an engine failure.

Angered by some decisions throughout the season, headlined by a $10,000 careless driving fine on the Gold Coast over a brake test on Rick Kelly, Ambrose wanted to humiliate his rivals en route to title No. 2.

"I took controlled anger into that race," Ambrose said at the time of his title-clinching win.

"I am really angry at how the second half of the year has panned out with a few of the decisions that have not gone my way... I had a deadline, I wanted to finish the deal tonight.

"It's an absolutely great result for us. I really wanted to win this championship in style. We have been the best team out there. We have won more races than anyone else, led more laps, so it's deserved.

"The first championship was special for being the first time, but I think this is more rewarding and satisfying. The pressure was on from the very first race."

Having sealed the title on the Saturday, Ambrose could have taken it easy. He didn't; in fact, he belted the field in the finale, finishing 26 seconds ahead of runner-up Mark Skaife.

The tool at Ambrose's disposal was arguably one of the greatest Supercars ever built, SBR's BA02 chassis. Ambrose won 11 of the 26 rounds he contested across the two championship seasons, emphatically ending Holden's reign.

Ultimately, Ambrose was unable to deliver a three-peat, with teammate Russell Ingall emerging amid troubles for Ambrose and Craig Lowndes to win in 2005. Ambrose left for the United States, where he carved out a decade-long NASCAR career.

A brief comeback in 2015 ended with a DNF at the Mountain, the place that ultimately denied him a Bathurst 1000 win to go with his two championships.

Regardless, December 5 will always remain a special day for Ford fans, with Ambrose one of the Blue Oval's favourite and most important sons.