A BIG, blue number one emblazoned across a yellow sprintcar easily identifies the Australian 360 sprintcar champion as he whizzes around Darwin's Northline Speedway.
And that's the way Chad Ely would like it to stay, with no plans of dropping his title defence or the number one sticker that comes with it, at the Australian Titles tonight. 
"That's what we're here to do and I think we've definitely got a good shot at it," Ely said.
"We're as quick as anybody out there at the moment and we just need a little bit of luck and a few things to fall our way and hopefully we're right there at the end." Night two of the Titles will start at 6pm tonight when a field of 37 cars will battle for the national title.
It will be the fourth time the South Australian has raced at Northline this season, with mixed results, having won the Darwin Title but crashing out in the NT Titles last month.
"That's where the luck comes into it," he said. "You've got to have a bit of luck, and get through and put yourself into a good spot." But despite that, Ely rates the Darwin track as one of the best in the world. The new surface has been criticised by some local drivers since it was laid in   July, but having raced all over Australia and through the USA, Ely's tick of approval bares a lot of weight.
"I'd probably rate it in my top three of places I've ever raced and that's including America ... So I'd say they've got a real good racetrack here at the moment," Ely said.
"I know a lot of the local guys aren't real happy with the way it's gone but they've got a really good, racy track here at the moment and it's the same way every night, night in and night out, so you know what you're going to get." Ely's cars have been in Darwin now for six weeks, with his father and uncles helping him transport them up the middle from Adelaide.
It's an expensive business for the engine builder, who estimates this trip alone has cost close to $15,000.
But the love of the sport is what keeps the 31-year-old going. "My whole life I guess is based around this sport. It's a big part of who I am," he said.Gates will open at Northline Speedway from 4.30pm, with racing starting at 6pm.