This weekend the stars and cars will venture to another extreme, Australia's tropical top end for round six of the V8 Supercar series at Darwin's Hidden Valley Raceway, the twelfth time the series has visited the Territory.

Several leading teams found trouble in the Apple Isle with Ford Performance Racing pair Mark Winterbottom and Steve Richards again struggling and the Holden factory pair of Garth Tander and Will Davison making little impression on current Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup's championship lead approaching the half way point in the season.

Whincup bounced back to the Winners Dias after a mini form slump in the final race, increasing his lead in the series.

Holden were expected to dominate in Tasmania where they have an astounding record and need to come up with some answers.

Team Red faithful will be hoping things turn around in the north and put some fight back into the championship, before Whincup invests in silverware polishing companies shares and the distinct possibility of back to back championship titles for the blue oval.

Hidden Valley has held a Supercar round since the circuit's introduction to the series in 1998.

A unique track, the 2.9 Km ribbon of bitumen features a 1.1km main straight, one of the longest in the series where speeds in excess of 280 kilometres per hour are reached, horsepower is one of the main ingredients for success in the top end, although power down grip needs to be addressed as the circuit features some tight low speed corners.

When you talk about Hidden Valley, the thing that comes to mind is the heat, the round is a tough one on cars and drivers because of the sometimes, sweltering conditions, it turns both races into a real physical challenge in maintaining concentration levels in the oppressive conditions.

Just how hot and how humid can make the difference between success and failure with fatigue a major concern for drivers and crews.

Championship Pointscore: Jamie Whincup Falcon 1044, Will Davison Commodore 948, Steve Johnson Falcon 753, Lee Holdsworth Commodore 723, Garth Tander Commodore 720.