Ambrose family returns to centre stage in Adelaide
By Andrew Clarke
Date posted: 7 August 2025
Marcos Ambrose is set to return to the Adelaide street circuit this December, not behind the wheel, but alongside his daughter Tabitha, as official ‘Fanbassadors’ for the 2025 bp Adelaide Grand Final.
A two-time winner of the Adelaide 500, Ambrose brings his signature intensity to the revamped season finale, while Tabitha, a rising racer herself, adds a new generation of Ambrose energy to a true family affair.
The Grand Final format will decide the Supercars title in a high-stakes Sunday showdown, something Ambrose believes is long overdue.
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“The new format is going to be fantastic,” he told Auto Action.
“The winner will be decided in the last race, last lap, on Sunday at the Adelaide Grand Final. I’m happy to put my name behind it. I think it’s great for the sport.”
Ambrose knows pressure. He won back-to-back Supercars titles before heading to the US, where he competed during NASCAR’s transition to its playoff-style ‘Chase’ format.
“I saw it up close during my time in NASCAR. They’d just moved from the traditional championship system, and I saw how successful the new model was.
“It doesn’t disadvantage someone like Broc Feeney, who’s earned his place in the finals. But once they get there, everyone resets. The pressure just builds until that last Sunday afternoon in Adelaide.”
Marcos Ambrose on his way to the first of two Adelaide 500 clean sweeps in 2004. Photo by Mark Horsburgh/LAT Images
He reckons the new finale will test character just as much as speed.
“It’s a pressure cooker. You’ll see nervous wrecks trying to make the final four, then surviving three races will be something else. Sprint races like Friday are more intense. If I was in the final four, I’d be nervous about getting through the first few corners three times.
“To finish first, you’ve got to finish. It’s survival before you can even think about being champion.”
Ambrose likens it to football’s finals systems, unpredictable, dramatic, and engaging.
“It’s more like the AFL or NRL now, where the minor premiers don’t always win. It keeps the pressure up to the end. That’s why we have Grand Finals in footy, now we’ve got one in motorsport too.”
He even let his guard down for a moment of nostalgia.
“Maybe if we’d had this format back in my day, I could’ve had a third championship… hadn’t thought about that, damn it!”
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