Six Quick Questions - Mark Skaife

Mark Skaife, Owner and lead driver, Holden Racing Team

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1. You have just equalled Peter Brock as the most successful touring car racer in Australia with 37 victories. How are you feeling after the latest V8 Supercar success in New Zealand?

"I have commented so far that it is quite humbling. When you're in the heat of the battle you don't often think about any of the history making things that occur in your career. It is a great careeer milestone."

2. Is it more significant for you personally?

"In one way, yes, because the number of wins creeps up and you don't go and look at your career record every day and think about the number of wins. And it's not a target that I consciously set as any sort of a target prior to the start of a season.

"So, over a period of time - through what's happened over 15 years of competitive touring car racing - we've come away with that amount of wiwns.

"It does make me feel proud that it has been achieved, and very happy for the blokes associated with my success as a drive. That is the blokes where I started with Fred Gibson and now with the crew at the Holden Racing Team."

3. Did you ever think you would be this successful?

"That's been the surprise. You never go into these things looking, in a sporting sense, that you're going racing and hoping that leads to success. I don't think anyone ever sits there and thinks this is what the end game is.

"As a young bloke I suppose I always wanted to be the most successful touring car driver ever, but you never know if those things are actually achievable. And, given the level of competition and some of the greats that we've been lucky enough to have in our series, that is a very big call.

"When you think about blokes like Ian Geoghegan from the seventies and roll right through to Craig Lowndes and Marcos Ambrose, and the number of superstars across that 40-year period, it's a great achievement."

4. Where do you see things going from here?

"Although the '04 and '05 seasons were not as good as I would have liked them to be, I still think there have been periods when I've driven as well as I have ever driven in my career. And at the moment I feel like I'm going as well as I have ever gone.

"I'm not in any way thinking abut hanging up my helmet. I'm probably thinking there are still five years of really good competitive stuff in me.

"But I have said many times that when the day comes that I'm not enjoying it, or not competitive, I'm out the door. And I owe that to the team and to Holden, because we are the factory team.

"The day that I'm not doing justice to that team and that commitment then I won't be in it."

5. Looking at the record books, do you think Brock and some of the other blokes maybe had things easier than you?

"Ah, looking for a bit of controversy? Well, as a mad sports fan, I believe it is always difficult to compare eras.

"How do you compare Ali with Tyson, or Bob Fulton with Wally Lewis in rugby league, or the AFL stars from the early days against Hird and Buckley. It is always a very difficult one.

"For me, the one comparison that is very appropriate is that I have achieved my 37 round wins in a a fairly short period. And most people would probably agree that since 1993, through the whole new era of V8 Supercar racing, the whole competition has been much more of a level playing field. It has been very difficult to dominate technically under the V8 Supercar rules so to win four titles in that time period has been very gratifying for me.

"In 1979 Brock's level of dominance we such that he could win Bathurst by six laps and set the fastest lap of the race on the last lap. Those days are over.

"There is also a difference in the way the championship runs. Pete Geoghegan was one of the very best drivers I have ever seen, but in those days the championship was decided on one day. Now it's 13 events with three races at most events.

"Any time you can win a round today is a day you think you've done a bloody good job."

6. So, then, do you think you can win the championship in 2006?

"Look, I think so. I've been pleasantly, I would not say surprised, but very happy with the car speed we've shown from the time we wheeled the car out for the first time this year. And to be four- tenths faster at Adelaide than the rest showed we had encouraging signs there.

"But we've been very unlucky too. We definitely should not have been on zero points after the first round in Adelaide.

"New Zealand was a welcome return to the top, but we're still only two rounds into a 13-round championship, so I am hoping we don't have any more weekends like the Clipsal one in Adelaide.

"The championship is going to be tough, but it is still achievable. It is still possible.

"New Zealand was as good, for the team and my personal performance, as anything we have done in recent memory. That includes everything from qualifying pace, good quick laps on cold tyres, turning quality laps without making mistakes, or whatever.

"It was a really good round for us and I think we can go on from there."

Source: 01 May 2006 Paul Gover News Interactive