Betfair Official Blog

Get in gear for V8 Supercars betting

Australia's V8 Supercar Championship is as tight today as it has been for the past two decades, but these days V8 Supercars betting has really found an extra gear.

Few motorsport events offer better rivalry, or traps for those that go for a Supercars bet with their hearts rather than their minds.

The hard and fast racing between Ford and Holden drivers is the stuff of legends, and V8 Supercars betting gives fans of the teams the chance to cash in on their heroes' success.
The championship replaced the old Super Touring Cars competition, and challenges drivers on circuits and street courses across Australia, New Zealand, and Bahrain.

The marathon 1000km event at Bathurst is the most famous race in the series, but all of the championship's 14 rounds have grown in popularity since the new competition began in 1997, and some races now draw crowds of more than 250,000 on their own.

The 2008 season, nearing its halfway point, started in February with the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide and Betfair's Supercars odds have fluctuated with the season.

Ford Performance Racing currently has the edge over second placed Team Vodafone, having taken the lion's share of the points in the Perth and Hamilton, New Zealand, legs of the competition.

With 1,593 points from the first four rounds of the 17 team competition, Ford Performance Racing have guaranteed their Supercars odds have shortened in Betfair's vibrant V8 Supercars betting market.

The team leads second placed Team Vodafone, on 1,487 points, and Toll Holden Racing Team, on 1,414 points.

The strong performance won't surprise those who enjoy a Supercars bet on the team in recent years. Ford Performance Racing finished fourth in 2007, and second in 2006.

The only team to have done better than the number one Ford team is Toll HSV Dealer Team, which has won the championship in the last two years and their success is reflected in their Supercars odds as backers and layers do business.

HSV, currently represented by drivers Rick Kelly and Paul Dumbrell, is currently fourth on the championship ladder after a poor result in the season opening Adelaide event.

Those who study drivers' skill for their V8 Supercars betting would be hard pressed to look past reigning champion Garth Tander, from Toll Holden Racing Team.

Tander again headed the leading individual points table in 2008 and took the honours in the Hamilton leg, driving his Holden Commodore VE to victory in all three races in the round. He is a regular Supercars bet for many as he looks to pick up further podium finishes throughout the season.

Second placed Kelly and the third placed Mark Winterbottom, from Ford Performance Racing, will also be offering favourable Supercars odds to take out the driver's championship for the season.

Winterbottom's race wins in Perth in May helped Ford to their first win in five years at the city's Barbagallo Raceway.

Having a V8 Supercars bet can be as thrilling as the racing itself, so check out Betfair for the changing odds during the season.