by Andy Stobart

Ever get the feeling of déjà vu?

The final race of the V8 Supercar Series in 2004 started so many similarities with the noteworthy events of exactly a year ago at the same venue it was unreal. There was a thunder storm off in the distance; Marcos Ambrose was leading the race; the electricity failed in the media room; then to top it all Russell Ingall and Mark Skaife were battling for the same piece of race track and Ambrose celebrated his win in the rain. This was 2003 revisited.

Through all of the action, Marcos Ambrose completed a dominant end to his season, finishing the final race of the day exactly where he finished the first and second, with a fine first place.

With lightening evident off in the distance, race three of the V8 Supercar Series was cleanly away at the start, all save for the Orrcon Racing Winterbottom Falcon, whose gravel placement brought out the safety car before the first lap had met its conclusion.

Lining up behind the WPS liveried Audi was Ambrose, Radisich, Lowndes, Steven Richards, Mark Skaife, Max Wilson, Steven Johnson, Russell Ingall and Cameron McConville at the thick end for the restart, whilst the #20 Orrcon car returned to the track to rejoin the safetycar snake, albeit a lap down.

At the restart Ambrose was on a winner as Paul Radisich did a good rear-gunner act for the new recrowned champion opting for the defensive school of race restarts approach.

By the end of the first lap back under green conditions Ambrose was 1.6seconds to the good, meaning that another race where Ambrose was going to be in a class of his own was in prospect.

Then the duel of the race began. Both Russell Ingall and Mark Skaife, the pairing which caused such a stir with their coming-together at this circuit last year, found themselves exiting the pits from their early stops together, with Skaife ahead of Ingall.

The pair were right on a charge with Ingall poised on the rear bumper of the HRT car, and everyone watching just waiting for some contact to happen. The duos traded fastest laps for a time as they battled over what started as twenty-first position, Ingall almost glued to the rear bumper of Skaife's Commodore really pushing hard the whole time, just thousands a lap quicker than Skaife, then dropping back a mere few inches before attacking again.

Out front, ignored by the television cameras, Paul Radisich in his last drive for Ford and Triple Eight was putting in a sterling effort, keeping his tyres for the long duration and playing a waiting game with the weather to see of the predicted rain would come.