Aussie eager to get F-150 on fast track

Two-time V8 Supercar champion Marcos Ambrose has taken the wheel of his Ford F-150 racing truck in testing ahead of his entry in the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series in the United States.

Australian Ambrose will make his racing debut this Saturday at the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

He has been testing the Ford F-150 at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina and will familiarise himself with the Martinsville track by running a racing sedan in the lead-up to the race.

Ambrose will drive for one of Ford's most famous racing organisations, Wood Brothers JTG Racing. Wood Brothers have 50 years of racing experience in Nascar, all with Ford.

Because of strict rules governing driver eligibility, Ambrose has been forced to watch the opening rounds in Daytona (Florida), Fontana (California) and Atlanta (Georgia). These tracks were all classified as too fast for a driver who had not raced on the ultra-fast oval.

"It's all finally coming along," Ambrose said. "My custom-made seat was finished a couple of weeks back and now it's about making sure the rest of the truck fits just as well.

"I'm excited about the first race, but I'm also a little nervous about qualifying. There are only five free positions available and we expect over 15 trucks to be vying for those spots. I have to go into that first race switched-on, there's no time to ease my way into things. I'll also be under the scrutiny of Nascar who will be making sure that I'm not only up to speed but also doing the right things on the track. They're very strict on eligibility and as I have not come up through the regular US racing system, they have told me that to give me a full licence they will continue to evaluate my racing until totally satisfied."