CARTOURINGV8

Mark Skaife prepares to go second on the all time list for Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar starts.

Just two rounds away from the end of his full-time racing career, Mark Skaife will reach another milestone in his career this weekend as the V8 Supercar Championship heads to Symmons Plains.

Skaife will make his 213th Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championship start in the Falken Tasmania Challenge, passing Holden legend Peter Brock to move into second position on the all-time list behind John Bowe.

The 41-year-old has already edged past Dick Johnson and Glenn Seton on the list this year but said passing Brock would take on additional significance with the death in 2006 of his former HRT team-mate and good friend.

"It's certainly humbling any time you can surpass a record of Peter's but, like when we beat his record for the most wins last year, it will be disappointing that we can't share the moment with Peter - that's one of the things that will make this event a little more emotional," he said. "I'm certainly proud to have been able to have contested so many events, but the amount has never been a priority. That's always been how many we could win and I'm humbled by how that's worked out for me, it's been fantastic."

Skaife's team-mate, Garth Tander, meanwhile said he was no longer solely focused on the championship picture after a tough time in Bahrain where he dropped 292 points behind leader Jamie Whincup.

However, the two-time winner of the Tasmanian round vowed to leave nothing in the garage when he hit the track at Symmons Plains this weekend.

"As far as the championship goes we're just focusing on each race as they come," he said. "We're basically a round behind with two rounds to go, so rather than go there thinking about the championship, we'll just try to finish the year off strong. If we do a good job we potentially claw back some points, but Jamie's got it all to lose and we've got it all to gain."

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