A young Garth Tander fell short to Skaife in 2000, despite ending the year with a Bathurst win. Instead of rebounding in 2001, Tander reeled off championship finishes of 10th, 10th, 12th and 11th, finished sixth in 2005, and threw away a mid-year lead in 2006 to finish fourth. What came next was staggering; Tander won 15 races in 2007 and clinched his first crown in a last round showdown with Jamie Whincup.
