There’s something different about Marcos Ambrose. Yeah, I know he’s from some place most people couldn’t find on a globe, but it’s more than that.
If you ask me, there’s something refreshingly, almost kind “old school” about Marcos Ambrose.
Though he comes from a racing background- his father Ross co-founded a Formula Ford chassis builder- it wasn’t like he was handed a steering wheel in his crib. Born September 1, 1976, Marcos Ambrose ambled on in to kart racing around age 10 or 12 (depending on whose story you go with), and he didn’t show up on American shores expecting to land a top Cup ride right off the bat. Though he scarcely has 30 Cup starts under his belt, he comes across very differently than your typical young gun. A prematurely balding husband and father of two daughters, the “Tasmanian Devil” has a certain “everyman” quality about him.
In the spirit of old schoolers like A.J. Foyt, Ambrose will race anything with wheels
and a motor. By the time the native of Launceton, Tasmania was on the cusp of adulthood, he was racing Formula Fords. By the time he was in his early twenties, Ambrose was racing Formula Three in Great Britain. He was a two-time V8 Supercar champion in Australia before taking a shot at racing in the Craftsman Truck Series before he moved on to stock cars.
Ambrose has arrived on the scene virtually free of hype. While everybody talks about Joey Logano and Scott Speed as the rookie racing sensations, Ambrose currently sits 18th in points, a spot higher than Logano and well in front of Speed- who sits in 35th. Ambrose isn’t even considered a Rookie Of The Year candidate- even though he’s only making 32nd Cup start- seven more than Speed, eight more than Logano.
All throughout his racing career, Marcos Ambrose has shown himself to be a quick study. He was pole sitter in his very first V8 Supercar start in 2001 at Albert Park. In fact, Ambrose earned four poles his rookie and finished 8th in the standings- good enough to be named Rookie Of The Year. The following season, he won the first race of the year from the pole position.
In 2003 and 2004, Ambrose scored back-to-back Supercar championships. A controversial crash kept him from winning a third straight title in 2005. In Round 10 at the Brathurst 1000, Ambrose crashed with Greg Murphy.as the two approached “The Cutting” on the way up “The Mountain.” The two had words, and Ambrose told a TV reporter he figured he’d be blamed for the wreck because Murphy “tends to blame everyone else for these incidents. I knew that I was 99% past him, I gave him a car length and a half to go two-wide up into The Cutting, and I just got clean wiped out.” Teammate Russell Ingall would win with Ambrose in third.
Don’t let his sunny disposition fool you, Ambrose has shown he’s not afraid of contact. He got into the back of Robby Gordon in the 2007 Busch Series race on Montreal’s road course, later bringing about an incident that cost both drivers a shot at a win. Last season, Ambrose got into it with Boris Said in Mexico, prompting Said to apologize to Ambrose’s crew chief in advance because he was going to wreck him. Just this week, Ambrose pulled a “dive bomb” maneuver passing Kyle Busch that can be regarded as controversial. To his credit, Shrub said the move wasn’t dirty, but definitely aggressive. For his part, Ambrose said the move was his one shot at catching Busch and he made no real apology for it.
While his racing tactics are certain to cross a few opponents and the fans of
those opponents, on the whole, Ambrose is well respected for his road skills, something evident in this weekend’s victory. The way he flies through those Watkins Glen turns, and the way he handles his braking, Ambrose has caught the attention of his fellow drivers. During the Nationwide event, Carl Edwards asked his spotter to watch the “47’s” line to see what could be learned. This is the second place finisher in both Nationwide AND Cup competition last year.
For me, it’s not hard to imagine Marcos Ambrose trading paint with an earlier generation of racer. Perhaps it was just the way he looked at home in the Wood Bros. #21 ford last year. It seems from this observer’s viewpoint that he has a genuine passion for racing and yet he doesn’t come across as God’s gift to the sport. He was the first to say that at places like Pocono, he’s got a lot to learn. True that may be, h’e improved his overall average finish from 29th to 19th- and he’s managed to make better showings at tracks other than the road courses.
Am I being a “Fanboy” here? I’ll admit it. There’s just something different about the way Marcos Ambrose conducts himself and it’s a breath of fresh air. He seems to get that he’s been given a golden opportunity and that he’ living a dream out on the race track.
Here’s hoping he doesn’t wake up.
PHOTO CREDITS- Upper left photo by purduenila, Ambrose supercar by Moloccio, Ambrose on podium by f1_power. To see more, visit flickr.com or click on the links. Lower right photo by Elsa for Getty Images.
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I think one of the keys to Marcos’s development is that he was always willing to challenge himself, by moving up. Most really good drivers probably learn about 90% of what they’re ever going to learn. in a couple of seasons. It may take a career to learn the last 10%. I see the really successful ones, moving through the Classes, rather quickly.
When Big Al, was guiding Little Al’s career, he put him in Sprint Cars, on dirt. To “teach him how to race”. Once he learned, it was time to move on.
Marcos could have stayed in Australia, & made a comfortable living, & had a good career in the Super Cars, but no one outside Australia would have known of him. To Come to NASCAR country, was a big leap of faith.
Having worked with Marcos since his rookie year in the Truck Series, to the win at Watkins glen yesterday he is indeed the real deal.
Hey, the U.S. has never had a problem with Australia. And so we now have a genuinely positive man coming across the pond in search of greater challenges — and he’s loving it.
Like it or not, NASCAR at the cup level is the absolute eiptome of the big leagues when it comes to motor sports, and that’s what the man is chasing.
In July, I drove from VA to ME to run a river for a week. Just south of Portland, I saw my first 47 sticker.
Yeah, I’m being a fanboy here, too. If you hate Ambrose, you probably need your meds adjusted.
@TN – That’s pretty cool you work with those guys. Are Tad and Jodi from NC? I really only started pulling for Marcos cause I like Tad, Jodi, and Brad. Its great to see a small team doing so well.
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