Holden Motorsport boss Simon McNamara says his boys in red are ready to dominate at Albert Park this weekend in the inaugural Sprint Gas V8 Supercar Manufacturer’s Challenge at the Australian Grand Prix.

McNamara says the Holden teams are ready to roll Ford on the track with current Champion Garth Tander, Mark Skiafe, Russell Ingall and co all on form to earn the trophy.

“Holden is the current Champion and we’re running a new generation car. It’s obvious who the best manufacturer is. We’re really going to get behind this event,” McNamara said of the General’s men.

Former Championship winner and dual Bathurst victor Rick Kelly was also enthused about Holden’s bid to become the No.1 Manufacturer.

“It definitely excites us as drivers to go out there and race for our manufacturer and see who wins that battle,” Kelly said

“At the end of the day it is something new for us. There are no points up for grabs, we just get the chance to give it a red hot go and try and help Holden win.

“For us in particular, it is a local event, it is a great track and when we don’t race there, we miss it a little bit. It is a lot of fun to drive around.

“It is great to represent V8 Supercars of Australia at a track that also hosts the Formula One, and to perform in front of those guys is exciting for us as well.”

The new format will be intriguing to watch as every car on the grid will have a bearing on the ultimate winner across the three races.

Qualifying today will determine pole position as usual, but once a Ford or Holden has been placed at the head of the grid, all cars of that make will line up behind them on the same side, in order of fastest to slowest for that make. The other manufacturer will then line up beside them. One line of Blue versus one line of Red.

Total points will be combined for all Holden and Ford V8 Supercars to determine which manufacturer is leading after each race. Points from the first race will be carried over into the second and third races so that, although the lead may change hands, the winning manufacturer may not be known until the final cars cross the finishing line on Sunday afternoon.