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How will Holden justify a parity adjustment after last season? Their standard line in 2002 was that the Commodore was NOT superior to the Falcon, but Holden won the races because the Ford teams just kept screwing up.
This season? Skaife exceeds the pit lane speed limit at Phillip Island and gets a drive-thru penalty (driver error). Skaife and Kelly have flat tyres caused by wheel problems (team error during pit stop). Bright and Murphy have to compromise on set-up due to lack of testing caused by 3 team problem (corporate error).
Ambrose, Lowndes and Ingall are getting results because they are now not forced to race inferior cars at 11-tenths, which takes the heat of the teams during pit stops, allows them to RACE for all 300kms, etc. The leading BAs are thrashing the AUs because they are better cars (the leading AU, Besnard, was LAPPED at Eastern Creek). The leading VXs are beating the VYs because the VY teams are screwing up.
Motorsport News spoke the the Ford Performance Racing tech guy a while back and he said something like, "We want to build a car slower than HRT's and then beat them because we are a better team". Sounds to me like that is just what is happening: Lowndes 8th in qualfying, 4th in shoot out, 2nd in race. To me, that appears to be a team making a good, not great, car get results.
I do not particularly care whether Holden of Ford win the races (I drive a Japanese car). But... having witnessed all the Holden dominance over the last 3 seasons, I have no problem with the Ford teams sharing the wins for a while.
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