V8 Supercars returns to Phillip Island this weekend for round 12 in this year's series.
Originally scheduled to run in Bahrain the twin race meeting has been relocated to the Victorian circuit after the announcement that the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series will begin with a Middle East double-header at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit on February 18-20, before the second event at Bahrain's International Circuit on February 25-27.
The Championship revisits the Grand Prix Circuit after September's L&H 500.
The Island 300 will feature an all-in 20-minute qualifying session along with a Top 10 Shootout and 22 lap (100km) race on Saturday.
Sunday will feature a 20-minute qualifying session, followed by the 44-lap (200km) race.
The Victorian circuit carries a Jekyll and Hyde tag, while having the most picturesque outlook of any track visited by the Supercar circus, with direct views over Bass Straight, the coastal setting usually serves up four seasons in one day and can be prone to very cold and wet weather making life very difficult for teams and drivers trying to dial the car into the varying track conditions.
A must have horsepower track with fast flowing high-speed corners that reward drivers who get it exactly right, no concrete lined walls and vast run off areas, those at the pointy end of the field reach speeds of around 290km/h.
Taking in the picture postcard scenery will be the furthest thing from the minds of this year's championship top four.
With three rounds remaining and 300 points up for grabs at the Island, Jamie Whincup, Will Davison, Garth Tander and Craig Lowndes will be intent on grabbing some Island silverware and a major haul of series points.
Holden Factory pair Will Davison and Garth Tander will be on a high returning to Phillip Island after finding the top rung of the podium at both the recent Phillip Island and Bathurst enduros and pointy end finishes at the Surfers Paradise round, taking a large chunk out of Whincup's mid season championship lead.
Both Triple 888 Ford drivers Whincup and Lowndes will be looking to get their championship aspirations back on track after Whincup found the concrete wall twice on the Gold Coast and Lowndes fell foul of the stewards in the final race.
Championship point score: Jamie Whincup Falcon 2605; Will Davison Commodore 2573; Garth Tander Commodore 2316; Craig Lowndes Falcon 2175.
MOTORSPORT MILESTONES
The 40th birthday of some of the greatest nameplates in motoring and motorsport will be celebrated this weekend at the historic Sandown meeting.
Melbourne's major annual historic race meeting will mark the 40th anniversary of the Holden Dealer Team, the Ford Falcon GT HO, the Nissan/Datsun 'Z' sports car and the Alfa Romeo Owners club and the 40th anniversary of Formula Ford racing in Australia will be celebrated on track with a capacity field of up to 60 cars dating from the 1970s.
The Australian Touring Car Championship series is also celebrating 40 years, with 1969 marking the first year that the title was decided on points from a series of races, rather than a single winner-takes-all contest.
Following endurance victories at Sandown and Bathurst with the new Monaro GTS 327 in 1968, the Holden Dealer Team was officially formed in 1969, with Harry Firth leaving the Ford team to manage the fledgling operation.
Ironically it was the new XW Falcon GT HO that spoiled Holden's party at Sandown in the three hour endurance race on September 14 that year, with Allan Moffat and John French pairing to head a crushing Falcon 1-2-3 victory.
However Firth's HDT rebounded at Bathurst just two weeks later, with Colin Bond and Tony Roberts taking the inaugural endurance victory for the HDT in their Monaro GTS 350.
Over the next eight years the HDT under Firth's direction achieved many notable race and rally victories and championship wins.
These included another Bathurst victory in 1972 with Peter Brock driving a Torana XU-1, two Sandown 250 wins, Australian Touring Car Championship titles in 1974 and 1975 (Brock and Colin Bond), four Australian Rally Championships and two Southern Cross Rally wins.
Around 10 original HDT race and rally cars - along with other makes that raced against them in their era - will be on display at Sandown, with notable cars leading various races on warm-up laps during the two day meeting.
HDT luminaries including Harry Firth, Colin Bond and Spencer Martin have also been invited to share in the celebrations.
Other milestones being marked at this year's historic Sandown, include the Mini and Elfin - both celebrating 50 years - while the Morgan sports car is 100 years old in 2009.
This year's historic Sandown is also V8 heaven for enthusiasts, with 16 events during the meeting featuring V8-engined sports, racing or touring cars.
The meeting will also feature the final round of the 2009 Touring Car Masters, with a field of up to 35 cars expected to take part in three races during the weekend.
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