KEY POINTS:
Tensions are running high this weekend at Phillip Island, Victoria, as the 2007 Supercar V8 championships comes to a close.
Four drivers, Jamie Whincup, Garth Tander, Craig Lowndes and Rick Kelly, have a chance to claim the title at the 14th and final round.
Whincup leads the quartet
on 569 points, a narrow seven points ahead on Tander. Lowndes sits in third on 548 and defending champion Kelly is still in with a chance on 521 points.
Not only will the drivers be at it hammer and tongs, but it's also a shoot-out between Holden and Ford.
In the red corner are HSV drivers Tander and Kelly and, in the blue corner, are the Triple Eight drivers of Whincup and Lowndes.
Strategy and discipline are the keys to taking out this year's V8 Supercar championship tomorrow, says Jeff Grech, managing director of Tasman Motorsport.
Grech speaks with authority having guided Lowndes and Mark Skaife to six championships in seven years while at HRT.
"They're playing for sheep stations; everything's on the line and people do strange things under pressure," said Grech. "In this situation, you have adjust your outlook each day, take each session as it comes and mix it up if required. You've got to be fast, but also proceed with some caution. Without discipline, it'll be easy to throw it all away."
All four contenders have had a bad round recently and, as Grech said, mistakes will be at a premium with the title on the line. There appears to be a 50/50 split on what the rest of the field will do over the weekend. Some of the drivers want to stay well out of the way of the battle for the main prize, while others are determined to try and take the round win.
The FPR cars have shown good speed lately as have the HRT cars.
The 24-year-old Whincup realises he is in the firing line and acknowledges he's a little apprehensive about the weekend.
"It's a big deal. There's a lot of people at Triple Eight who've worked hard for three years to get a championship and they haven't been successful yet," said Whincup. "And there's plenty of supporters out there who want bragging rights for the next 12 months."
Kelly and Lowndes have won championships before, whereas Tander and Whincup have not. It'll be the driver who handles the pressure best, that'll walk with the big prize.
