CONDENSED grid numbers were a very likely prospect for 2008 and even days ago there were licences with ‘for sale’ signs still attached. But all has come good in time for the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. A full 32-car grid will race a new year of competition including six rookies, a raft of practice and qualifying rule changes, the non-championship AGP round and revamped liveries; all will keep the sport fresh and exciting. To help you understand the who’s who of who’s gone where and what’s changed, read on.

Toll Holden Racing Team

Reigning champion Garth Tander brings #1 back to the factory Holden team to join Mark Skaife, but long-standing team manager Robbie Starr leaves, being replaced by former HSVDT team manager Rob Crawford. HSVDT engineer Matt Nilsson also jumps over, as does Toll Holdings as naming rights sponsor. Enduro drivers are Glenn Seton and Craig Baird

HSV Dealer Team

Two-time Team’s Championship winner welcomes two new sponsors with Rick Kelly leading the way in his #15 Opes Prime VE and Paul Dumbrell jumping into GT’s #16 VE with Autobarn backing. Erik Pender becomes new team manager (replacing Crawford). Marcus Zukanovic is Dumbrell’s enduro co-driver.

Stone Brothers Racing

Kiwi young gun Shane Van Gisbergen, who drove the latter half of last season for Team Kiwi Racing, steers the new #9 SP Tools-supported Falcon in his first full season. Jeld-Wen Motorsport Falcon has revamped blue and white livery. David Stuart is appointed team manager.

Ford Performance Racing

In its sixth season, Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards return, so do Orrcon and Castrol but a multi-year contract with Hagemeyer Australia adds to the sponsorship pool.

Jack Daniel’s Racing

It’s all about youth and experience with Shane Price joined by ex-HRT star Todd Kelly in the #7 Commodore, which will aid the team’s ongoing development. Jack Perkins jumps back to the development series after announcing his Type 1 diabetes last year.

TeamVodafone

The core essence of TeamVodafone stays put with Barry Sheene Medalist Jamie Whincup re-signed until the end of 2009. Campbell Little is promoted to Engine Development Manager while Jeremy Moore left to engineer Craig Lowndes and the #888 Falcon. Nokia sponsorship replaces out-going Sony Ericsson.

WPS/WOW Racing

The team remains status quo with Max Wilson and Jason Bargwanna but are joined by new sponsors LG Electronics and The Coffee Club.

Team BOC

Yes, BJR is officially Holden, with Walkinshaw Performance support and a pair of top-notch VEs – Todd Kelly’s Phillip Island winner and the ’05 chassis Mark Skaife drove to his 38th round win. Andrew Jones is back, joined by newly-signed Cameron McConville and his ex-Lansvale engineer Wally Storey.

Tasman Motorsport

Other than Storey leaving the engineering ranks, Murph and Jason Richards are back to steer and welcome new sponsorship from Sprint Gas.

Jim Beam Racing

Only major change for the 2007 Best Present Team is a tweaked livery that includes Coca Cola more prominent on the front bumper.

Team Kiwi Racing

Third in 2007’s Fujitsu Series, Kiwi Kayne Scott jumps into his maiden full season driving a recently-purchased Triple Eight chassis, run independently by TKR from the Gold Coast and powered by SBR engines. New HQ was built in Hamilton, NZ.

Walden Motorsport

The lucky 32nd licence purchaser, Sydney-based Brian Walden will field a BF Falcon, and an ex-Team BOC car is one option for his son Garth to drive. Sponsorship was unconfirmed at the time of print.

Britek Motorsport

All-new livery designs for Jason Bright’s #25 Fujitsu Racing – now sky blue, white and fluro orange – while new recruit Marcus Marshall commences his two-year deal driving the #26 Irwin Racing Falcon turned mostly navy blue.

Valvoline Cummins Race Team

Dean Canto’s contract wasn’t renewed, instead 2007 Fujitsu Series runner-up Michael Caruso has relocated from Sydney to fulfil his new multi-year contract. Lee Holdsworth returns in the #33 VE Commodore.

Supercheap Auto Racing

SCAR returns in its third guise, giving an all-new look to Paul Morris Motorsport. The high-profile signing of 2005 champion Russell Ingall signals a return to Holden after five years with Ford. Ex-GRM engineer James Small will work with Ingall, while James’ dad Les continues to engineer Morris’s VE.

PWR Racing

Despite putting both licences up for sale in ’07, PWR will field one entry for 20-year-old rookie Andrew Thompson. The #50 Walkinshaw Performance-assisted VE comes with backing from Hog’s Breath Café and InvestQld.com, with the experienced Robbie Starr heading the operation after departing HRT.

Ausdrill Ford Rising Stars Racing

Jim Morton’s Sydney squad has purchased that second PWR licence to run open-wheel steerer Michael Patrizi with backing from mining company Ausdrill. The factory-backed #777 Falcon will be prepared by FPR and hopes to debut at either Eastern Creek or the AGP.

Rod Nash Racing

Steve Owen is out and reigning Fujitsu Series champion Tony D’Alberto is in. Running under the RNR licence run by Tony D’Alberto Racing, new major sponsor Bottle-O makes its series debut too with the #55 Commodore, although other sponsors will appear at selected rounds. Dumbrell’s former engineer Pete Smith will head the team’s development while Graham Jenkins is team manager.

Glenfords Racing

Carrera Cup champ Fabian Coulthard takes over John Bowe’s vacated old seat. New Triple Eight chassis bought. PCR has cut off all support class entries to focus purely on V8s.

– Filippa Guarna

Ingall talks up new team's '08 chances FORMER series champion Russell Ingall has indicated that his new-for-2008 team Supercheap Auto Racing is one of the best outfits of his V8 Supercar career. After five years in Ford colours with Stone Brothers Racing, where he won his inaugural championship crown in 2005, and seven years previous with Perkins Motorsport, Ingall said that he’s "playing for keeps" at his new home with Holden with confidence his car can keep him inside the top 10. "I’ve been with two of the biggest teams in the country and I’d put Paul Morris Motorsports at the top of the tree as far as the facilities and the know-how that’s involved goes. "We’ve got better engines; we’ve got two brand new cars; there’s a lot of pluses that equate to time and when we went testing in December, we were only two or three tenths off the pace out of the box. It’s a top 10 car straight away, before we’ve changed anything." Team owner Paul Morris recently undertook a two-week trip to the US for intensive engineering testing with seven-post rigs and wind tunnels; its outcome was favourable to drive his team forward, he said. "When we got to the US the car was probably a five out of 10. We can address straight away things like aerodynamics stuff and air intakes for the engine to make it seven out of the 10. And in six months we want to have it right on 10 out of 10. But testing analysis is only as good as the smartest people you’ve got going over it, and now it’s up to us to interpret it." While it is the first time the team had sent a car overseas for such testing, Morris said it will likely become a regular yearly exercise. "It’s cheaper, because you never used to be able to use all the commercial rigs and wind tunnels because they were always booked out with the NASCAR teams. With the teams having their own, it’s freed up time for people like us, and the price has come right down because they’re not getting the usages they did." – Filipa Guarna