Lowndes is a special talent, arguably the best of his generation. His name has already been etched beside the sport's greats with a trio of championships to his name.

And he's immensely popular: an agreeable, down-to-earth sort of bloke who has endeared himself to the motorsport public, transcending manufacturer loyalties. He is a superstar.

It made Ford's coup in signing him a monumental one, and the expectations surrounding Lowndes become phenomenally, perhaps unfairly, high. A lesser man would have crumbled under the pressure - but not Lowndes.

On the streets of Adelaide last year, he drove a reborn Stone brothers Falcon, masterfully engineered by the Gibson crew, to victory in the opening race. Results throughout the rest of the season weren't as spectacular - he found himself in unfamiliar back-marker territory on a number of occasions - but rarely was his green-eyed Falcon not an ominous force.

Before the start of the season, Lowndes boldly predicted a top ten finish in the 2001 series. He failed - just. But Ford's 'Project Lowndes' is well on track.

[an error occurred while processing this directive] Neil Crompton will again play Lowndes' dependable sidekick this year, but has the opportunity to steal some of the spotlight in his own car.

The lure of racing alongside Lowndes proved irresistible for Crompton, whose most recent association with Glenn Seton's team was less than productive. But the delay in construction of Lowndes' new machine meant, the endurance events aside, Crompton was banished to the television commentary box for much of the year.

He's an astute operator, and underrated driver in his own right. His insight has been an asset to a team still maturing under Ford power, and will continue to be this year.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Rodney Forbes will continue to run a satellite Falcon out of the Melbourne-based workshop.

The accident-prone mid-pack runner should improve his results this season, if only because his biggest supporter, father Bob Forbes, now has the reigns of the entire operation.

Despite the presence of his petrol-head dad, Forbes only caught the racing bug at the age of 29. Glenn Seton gave him his big break in 1998, but he returned to the nest soon after to race a Commodore - and now a Falcon - for his father.

It’s been a tumultuous summer for the Ford/Lowndes alliance, with its former namesake, Fred Gibson, departing in less-than-cordial circumstances. But Forbes is a shrewd manager, and with the experienced Alan Heaphy still at the helm track-side, the ingredients are there to build on a promising debut year.