John Bowe: All soft tyres means great racing

I am an unashamed fan of the Dunlop Sport Maxx Soft Tyre option - and this weekend's Coates Hire Ipswich 400 is all soft tyres. That's guaranteed to deliver some really exciting racing!

The compound seems to bring the field together even more, if that's possible, and the degree of tyre degradation varies from car to car and driver to driver.

To me, that spells more excitement, never quite knowing who's going to win or wilt in the final stages of the race.

The trend amongst teams these days seems to be to use very, very low starting pressures - and from what I hear, way less than Dunlop recommends! So, don't be surprised to see cars have tyre issues if their engineers roll the dice with low pressures at Queensland Raceway this weekend.

The track is not as tyre sensitive as it once was though; most teams now have a good understanding of the Dunlop soft tyre behaviour.

There are many different driving styles though, we all move our hands and feet differently and this can contribute to the longevity of tyre life.

You may notice on the in-car cameras footage how smooth and gentle Jamie Whincup is, same goes for Jason Bright and Mark Winterbottom with their steering inputs - smooth is good.

Their economy of style helps them potentially get a few extra peak performance laps, which sometimes is the difference between a podium finish or a mid-field placing.

From the testing the local teams did last week, expect the Erebus Mercedes team to continue their climb towards the top - Ross Stone is a great operator, make no mistake, he knows what it takes to win.

Who could forget the emotional win for DJR last year and Chaz Mostert too, I bet they both would like a repeat performance.

Having spent the weekend at DJR's open fan day, I was staggered to witness the depth of love for their team from their fans, pretty much to the extent I've not seen in our sport. The loyalty and commitment of their fans is touching to the extreme.

With the continued support this year of Wilson Security and joint sponsors Payce Consolidated, there is a great vibe within DJR. Both David Wall and Scotty Pye are capable of top 10 and better finishes.

My history with DJR goes back 26 years, so excuse me for this indulgence. I have many fond memories and a lot of emotional feelings for these guys.

As far as this weekend's Coates Hire Ipswich 400 goes, the only predictable thing about it is the unpredictability of the racing/results this weekend.

Many combinations could be on the podium... expect Frosty to make the most of this weekend.

In terms of numbers though, Holden is the dominant manufacturer. Wouldn't it be nice to see a couple of others, a Chrysler for instance and why not a Toyota, surely their image could do with some glamour and V8 Supercar racing provides plenty of sporting glamour.

They both have the basis for the engine in the US, the opportunity for new manufacturers has never been easier - why not come and play in our playground?

See you this weekend at Queensland Raceway!

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.