Ellery backed up by strong team for V8 Supercars.

Last year's standout endurance performer, Steven Ellery will draw on the support of the small but dedicated Super Cheap Auto Racing team to give him the best start possible to the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship at Adelaide next weekend.

The commitment of the team became apparent last year when the Super Cheap Auto Racing Falcon was placed on the podium at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

"Coming third at Bathurst last year was certainly the highlight of my driving career and it was only possible through the hard work of the small but dedicated team of guys at Super Cheap Auto Racing," Ellery said.

"Super Cheap Auto Racing is only small in comparison to other teams in the V8 Supercar Championship and only ten staff members prepare both the cars for the main series and Konica Minolta Championship. It is a credit to the guys that at each event they roll a car out of the truck which is as competitive as the bigger backed teams."

In his first year with Super Cheap Auto Racing, team manager, John McLean credits a lot of the team's success due to the multi-skilled culture established throughout the crew.

"I have only been with the team since the start of the year and one of the things that have become apparent already is how each member of Super Cheap Auto Racing is willing to diversify into areas which they may not be specially trained in just to ensure Steven [Ellery] has the best car possible," McLean commented.

At the final phase of the 2003 V8 Supercar Championship, Super Cheap Auto Racing started to achieve success with a long term engine development programme.

"Last year we started an engine development programme which continues to gain momentum due to the effort the guys put in at the workshop and the track," Ellery concluded.

"Knowing each member of the team is behind me 100 per cent inspires me to work a little bit harder for them and hopefully as the year progresses we can put the runs on the board when it counts and finish the championship in a strong position."

Round one of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship commences in Adelaide at the Clipsal 500 on Thursday 18 March 2004.