With new cars,
new rules and
new opponents,
Ambrose faces
a very different
challenge to that
of a decade agochallenge Triple Eight and
HRT?
Oh they will, but it’s going to take
time. So they will be a contender; we’ll
turn this team into a championship-
contending team. Whether we are good
enough for that, time will tell. But it’s
going to be a marathon, not a sprint,
to get there. And I think everybody’s
expectations need to be kept in check.
I think the team has begun to see the
intent and commitment that Penske has
to bring this team up the grid. And they
will. They will get it there whether it’s
this year or next year, whether it’s with
me or another driver, it’s going to come
to pass.
If 2015 isn’t as successful
as you’d like it to be, what
then for you as a driver?
I’ll keep going. I’ve made a commitment
for a couple of years to DJR Team
Penske. And if I’m enjoying it and if
they want me around, who knows?
But right now, I’m just going to be a
contributor to the whole effort, and if
I’m holding them back I’m going to be
the first one to hold my hand up and
tell them that. I think that I bring a few
assets to it, obviously the name and
reputation, and experience, and it should
be a benefit to us.Back in the day there were
blokes who liked to needle
you a bit, and you liked to
give it back. Do you expect
more of the same this time
around?
Well a lot of them are now on TV or
in the steward’s room, so I’ve got to be
careful now, haven’t I? I’m going to have
a go, and I’m going to try to race within
the rules, but I certainly haven’t built a
career on being a nice guy, I’ve built it
on racing 100 per cent all the time, and
that’s what I’m going to do.What were your first
thoughts of the new-
generation V8 Supercar?
Well first of all, I had to work out how
to start it! I was under a lot of pressure,
too, because we had all the media guys
there! The biggest thing that struck
me was the heat. There’s not a lot of
airflow in the car, and the engine’s very
close to the driver. The handling and
characteristics are remarkably similar
between [it and the old V8s], until you
get that last five per cent. Finding the
last five per cent is tough in any racecar,
but these current generation Supercars,
you’re right on the edge finding it. You
used to be able to just wail in there, and
let the car slide and do its thing, and you
kind of work it out. This new car is a
little more precise.What are you going to miss
about the USA?
Well, I’m certainly going to miss racing
every Sunday. I used to really enjoy
looking at the calendar at the start of the
season and then looking at all the races
that you’re going to do. So I’m going to
miss the intensity. I went over there for
that and that’s what I really get a kick
out of. I’m going to miss the 300 TV
channels, too!What won’t you miss?
At the same time, I’m not going to miss
the grind. The biggest challenge there
was just keeping the body in check,
because you build yourself up, you’ve
got a lot of adrenaline building up to
the end of the race on Sunday, and then
bang, it gets turned off. You would do a
sponsor appearance three or four states
away midweek, and then head off to
the race from there. So some weeks you
don’t get home at all... You do a lot of
midweek testing as well, so quite often
you would go two or three weeks where
you wouldn’t come home.How are you going to spend
all your new spare time?
I just got my boat licence, so I’m looking
forward to that, and I’ve bought an old
four-wheel drive, so I’m going to do
some bush bashing and do some trips
out in Tassie. I’ll pick up the gold pan as
well, and do a bit of gold prospecting.
And I’m going to spend some time with
Dad and my family, and generally just
have family barbecues on the weekends
and things that I’ve been missing out on
for the last nine years. Md motorofficial f motor_mag^37