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MELBOURNE - Young star Rick Kelly is charged with ending an embarrassing anomaly for Holden when he lines up at this weekend's V8 supercar season-ending finale at Phillip Island.
Commodores won the prestigious Bathurst 1000 for seven straight years until Craig Lowndes ended their reign in October but they have been shut out of the series championship since 2002 by Ford.
Kelly, who takes a slender seven-point margin over Lowndes into this weekend's thriller, has led the championship since the Tasmanian round last month.
Both he and Lowndes are at home at the Island - the 4.45km circuit has been used by his Toll HSV Dealer Team as its test track last year and he and teammate Garth Tander finished second and third there in last year's round.
But Kelly admits he is shaping up for the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on the former dual series winner in a head-on assault.
"By about 5pm on Sunday, I will be enjoying the best time of my life or the most disappointing," Kelly said.
"Craig and I go into the final round on an even footing. Essentially, we have to beat each other to grab the trophy. Holden against Ford, head to head.
"It was the way it was meant to be, and it should be a fair dinkum battle down to the wire.
"It is great for the series, the fans and the event at Phillip Island. Without a doubt, Craig will be hard to beat there.
"He goes well at the island. But so do we."
The Commodore pilot exudes confidence despite tackling one of the most experienced drivers in the competition.
"Garth and I were both on the podium there last year and our cars are an improvement over our 2005 machinery," Kelly said.
Meanwhile, Phillip Island will be the final outing for what Ford is calling Australian touring cars' most successful race car - the BA Ford Falcon.
From 2007 Ford will campaign the BF MkII Falcon in the series.
Since its debut in 2003, the BA Falcon has taken 29 round wins, three driver titles, three team championships and three manufacturers trophies.
Holden Commodore's VT car boasts 26 round wins.
Developed in-house at Ford during late 2001 and 2002, the BA Falcon was the first factory-built racecar since the XA GT Falcon in 1974.
- AAP
