Saturday Sleuthing: Ambrose in a Holden!
Yesterday was a big day in Australian motorsport as two-time V8 Supercar Champion Marcos Ambrose drove his first laps in a V8 Supercar in nine years at a Lakeside ride day with his new team, Dick Johnson Racing - soon to be DJR Team Penske.
His brand new #66 Falcon FG also gave him his first taste of the New Generation of V8 Supercars compared to the 'Project Blueprint' era car he last raced.
Ambrose's five-year run in the category from 2001 to 2005 with Stone Brothers Racing has been well documented, but would you believe he only ever raced two cars during that period?
And that the now former NASCAR driver has actually driven a very small number of different V8 Supercars in the past - whether it be in racing or testing?
In fact,his first V8 Supercar race car will be on site at the Sydney NRMA 500 from December 5-7.
Surely youwould be even more shocked to know the first V8 Supercar he ever actually drove was a Holden!
Ambrose's V8 journey started as a young Formula Ford driver in 1996, when he quietly was given the chance to test the privateer Alcair Airconditioning Commodore of fellow Tasmanian Greg Crick at Symmons Plains.
He slipped back behind the wheel of the same car in early 1997 at the V8 Supercar sprint round at Sandown, filling in during Friday practice for the absent Steven Johnson who was held up by a prior engagement in Sydney.
How ironic is it too that the names Ambrose and Johnson have been together before in V8 Supercars given the new deal that Marcos has returned to Australia for!
After his brief appearance in '97, Ambrose headed overseas to compete in Formula Ford and Formula 3 open wheelers before making a return Down Under in late 2000 after signing a deal to drive for Stone Brothers Racing.
His first taste of an SBR Falcon came at a test day at the end of 2000 at Queensland Raceway before he made his debut proper at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix support races at Albert Park.
It was there he debuted a brand new AU Falcon (SBR AU4 to be exact) - one of only two SBR Fords he would race in his five years with the team.
He put it on pole position straight away in Melbourne and raced it during his rookie season in the category, which included victory in the Hidden Valley round (achieved without winning one of the three races!) and pole position for both of the endurance races - the Queensland 500 and Bathurst 1000.
Ambrose achieved the Bathurst pole in his debut in the 1000-kilometre classic, becoming just the second man in history (after German Klaus Ludwig) to do this - and from 11th in regular qualifying given that year's Shootout field was 15 cars!
A side note to this car's history in 2001 also was that then-Network 10 commentator and former motorcycle ace, the late Barry Sheene, tested it for a TV story.
Ambrose retained the car for the 2002 season and he again drove it for the entire year with Paul Weel his partner in the endurance races.
The 'Tassie Devil' sent this car out in style in the last round at Sandown, claiming a dominant win the 'V8 Ultimate' round ahead of the introduction of the BA model.
His 2001/2002 car moved into the Development Series with Paul Cruickshank Racing and later Image Racing before competing in the V8 Touring Car Series and later being sold to collector Dean Montgomery, who will feature it in the soon-to-open Warrnambool Motor Museum in Victoria.
Ambrose's new BA debuted in 2003 at Albert Park and it would prove to be his most successful car - and one of the most successful V8 Supercars of all-time.
He went on a blitz on his way to winning the '03 championship, claiming four rounds wins in a row at Eastern Creek, Winton, Barbagallo and Hidden Valley as well as further round wins at Oran Park and the Eastern Creek finale.
He backed it again in 2004 to claim the Championship one more time highlighted by his first Clipsal 500 win in Adelaide and rounded out by victory at the Queensland 300 in Ipswich, Oran Park, the Sandown 500 (with Greg Ritter) and the Eastern Creek finale.
Three straight titles was a very distinct possibility in 2005 for both Ambrose and his Pirtek Falcon. Together they won the Clipsal 500 again and soon after his move to America and NASCAR project was announced.
He remained in the title fight all season but the infamous accident at Bathurst with Greg Murphy left him scoreless from the biggest race of the year and further dramas on the Gold Coast left him out of the title picture as teammate Russell Ingall claimed SBR's third straight crown - though Ambrose did go out a winner at Phillip Island.
SBR always intended to retain Ambrose's BA as a museum piece and keep it on-hand in case of a spare chassis being needed - which happened almost immediately in 2006 with new signing James Courtney.
Courtney used the ex-Ambrose car for a few events in '06 before it spent time in the Development Series in 2007 and 2008 with Jonathon Webb driving.
Since then the chassis has been unraced, sitting ready for a restoration project at the team's workshop in Queensland, which is now the home of Erebus Motorsport V8.
When it finally is finished, the Ambrose Pirtek Falcon will take its place among the great cars of V8 Supercar history - and his newly unveiled Sydney 2014 car may also be the start of another chapter of special Ambrose V8 Supercars.
Saturday Sleuthing returns next week on November 29 with a special story for Ford fans.
Given the Sydney NRMA 500 will be the last time the FG Falcon is the factory team's prime V8 Supercar weapon ahead of the introduction next year of the FG X, our V8 Sleuth is going to bring you the story of the very first prototype FG race car - where it is now may surprise some people!
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