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REVVING himself up for his full-time return to V8 Supercar racing in the season-opening Clipsal 500 next week, two-time champion Marcos Ambrose says the key to hitting the top of his sport again is to slow down.
After an almost 10-year absence from the pinnacle of V8s, the 38-year-old Launceston born driver has his first race in Adelaide next weekend in the Dick Johnson Racing-Team Penske Ford.
Ambrose took out the Australian series in 2003 and 2004 before forging a career with seven Nascar wins in America, including two in the top-level Sprint Cup.
He says there is a long list of challenges to get through to beat the new generation of V8 drivers who have emerged during his years away from home.
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"For me the biggest challenge in the V8s is slowing the car down,'' Ambrose said yesterday. "In Nascar the whole aim is to keep the car running at very high speeds for the entire race, 330km/h to 340km/h for 500 miles (800km). You don't have to slow down that much.
"With these V8 cars it's the slowing down that makes the difference. The person who can brake the best wins the race.
"So I really have to refine my braking technique as well as get a better understanding of the dynamics of the car on old tyres, new tyres. Time will help with that.
"I know at the moment I am slightly under where I want to be as far as feel behind the wheel with these modern cars but it will come. They have certainly moved on in the years that I've been away in terms of the brake distances being a lot shorter and that requires more finesse.''
Ambrose and Johnson yesterday unveiled their new car at Johnson's race headquarters at Stapylton, south of Brisbane, and also announced a major sponsorship from Shell for the joint venture that has seen American billionaire Roger Penske buy 51 per cent of Dick Johnson Racing.
Dick Johnson (left) and Marcos Ambrose unveil the new DJR V8 Supercar. Source: News Corp Australia
Ambrose realises he is under huge pressure to perform in a competition that has been dominated by Jamie Whincup for the past seven years.
"Jamie has had an outstanding career,'' Ambrose said. "He's probably the most successful touring car champion of all time.
"The fans are expecting big things from me and it's good to have great expectations. I'm using them as motivation to really focus on the job that's coming up. I tend to thrive under pressure but it's going to take time for my technique to be refined to get the most out of the car.
"It will come but I've been away from V8s since 2005. The other teams and drivers are a very high calibre and I'm not underestimating this challenge at all.
"I'm not getting into a car that won races last year but I'm driving for a team that is on the way up.''
Ambrose said he grew up as a fan of Johnson, especially because Johnson's teammate John Bowe was a fellow Tasmanian. He was delighted to now be driving a car with Johnson's No. 17 on the side.
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Johnson, 69, who started his racing career in an FJ Holden 51 years ago, said he was thrilled to secure a driver of Ambrose's calibre.
"Marcos has always had a high profile in Australia,'' Johnson said. "When he left for America he was on top of the game in V8 racing and in NASCAR he achieved wins that no other Australian has ever done.
"He wanted to come back because he has young kids he wanted to raise in Australia and it was perfect timing for us.
"Marcos is totally focused on his job, the kind of driver who wants to squeeze every last drop of performance from the machine, to understand every last detail about the car and the people in the team around him.''
Ambrose won the Clipsal 500, the annual Adelaide street circuit event, in 2004 and 2005, also driving a Ford.
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