I hope Casey brings with him that hunger that made him who he is, and learns to apply it a bit better than Wayne Gardner did. I met him by chance at Raymond Terrace a few years ago when he was looking at the sounder installation on my boat (he was going to buy something similar) and he seemed a very quiet, unassuming, genuine bloke. I hope he does well.

I just find it interesting that every 10 years or so the governing body of whatever they call it at the time has a big "Ah Shoot" moment and knee-jerk reaction when they realise they've moved so far away from the original (Touring Cars) formula towards NASCAR that they seem to need to re-invent the sport/name etc. I remember the drivers assoc jacking-up about $$$ and not long after "V8's" was born.

Well gone are the days of "win on Sunday, order it on Monday". People will claim "it's big business" etc but those arguements are all crap. The sport has moved too far from its grass-roots to be relevant to the vehicles you and I drive, except in external appearance. You're not watching Holden v's Ford anymore, you're watching who can build the best load bearing spaceframe and carbon fibre roll-cage that takes the place of the original sheet metal and who builds the highest strung donk. Sure, much faster and safer for the driver, but the car has lost what makes it what it is... and the ability of anyone off the street to buy one and either drive it or go racing with it.