Ambrose wins race one at Eastern Creek.

Marcos Ambrose took the first race win of the weekend at the Eastern Creek Raceway in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship, and the title is nearly in the hands of Ambrose and Ford.

In a comfortable race for the Pirtek Racing driver, under hot sunshine at the circuit on the outskirts of Sydney, Ford showed Holden the way home; in the race and very nearly in the drivers' championship.

Pole sitter Mark Skaife was off to a storming start from the line in the V8 Supercar Saturday afternoon race, but the Holden reigning champ was just a little too eager and completed that first tour with a penalty visit to the pits.

Ambrose was then the race leader as Todd Kelly had opted for the opposite approach to his team-mate and had got away from the line slowly.

Marcos was then a man on a charge. On the third lap of the race he set the fastest lap time, a 1 min 34.1731secs, which he then promptly lowered to a 1min 34.1055secs , and that was to remain the fastest of the day.

Further down the field the other title contender, Greg Murphy, was having to deal with running in the midfield after having set the fourteenth fastest time in the qualifying shootout.

Murph set about those ahead of him with enthusiasm, as a tipped-into-a-spin Greg Seton will attest, but ultimately Greg was not to have the best of races and he eventually brought the Holden home in twenty fourth place.

There were no issues for Marcos Ambrose atop the field. Once the pitstops sorted themselves out the Ford man was a good 15 seconds to the good from those behind and he could cut the Falcon some slack rather than needing to nail it.

After his enforced visit to the pit Mark Skaife performed impeccably and was back up to eighth place come the chequered flag.

Victory for Ambrose means the title is all but his, he only has to do better than finish higher than second from last to guarantee the title for himself and Ford.

Top ten

1. Marcos Ambrose - Ford
2. Jason Bright - Holden
3. Todd Kelly - Holden
4. Russell Ingall - Ford
5. Steven Richards - Holden
6. Max Wilson - Ford
7. Craig Lowndes - Ford
8. Mark Skaife - Holden
9. Paul Morris - Holden
10. Jason Bargwanna - Ford