The Indy support race at Surfers Paradise compounded the margin for the series lead, as Garth Tander clinched his third round win for the year, whilst Whincup endured a horror result which saw his lead eaten away to just nine points.

Whincup again suffered in Bahrain, losing his lead after several incidents on the track, and allowing Tander to slide into the top spot, ahead of Craig Lowndes in second.

With just two rounds remaining, Jamie Whincup's luck appeared to have evaporated.

The Toll HSV Dealer Team had run a slick and consistent operation all year, Garth Tander was king of the paddock, and Team Vodafone had been playing a year-long game of chasey, in which it had always been 'it'.

Tasmania's penultimate championship round proved to be Triple Eight's much needed lifeline, when an uncharacteristic mistake from Tander saw him concede the title lead to Whincup, who dominated the last two races of the weekend to clinch his fourth overall victory for the year, and carry a slender seven point lead into the final round.

With almost nothing between Whincup and Tander, fans and organisers were blessed with a down to the wire showdown between the series' top two teams at Phillip Island.

Tander convincingly won the opening races of the weekend, and held on for fourth place in the final decider to narrowly win his first V8 Supercar Championship Series by a minute two points from Whincup.

Aside from a re-adjustment to the points system, next year's V8 Supercar Championship appears likely to continue on from this year's standard of competition, with the new VE Commodore and BF Falcon set to go head-to-head once again.

As demonstrated by Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup this year, the key to winning the championship with the current points format will rely heavily on winning races and finishing well on a consistent basis, and with two new races in Hamilton and Townsville, everyone will be wondering whether the Toll HSV Dealer Team will make it three-straight titles, or if Team Vodafone will finally go one better.

What did you think about the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series? Add your comments below.