Holden Racing Te❀am's Todd Kelly flew the red flag in China as the V8 Supercar Championship Series landed firmly in Shanghai to an unexpectedly huge crowd.

Kelly won the unforgettable event where an estimated 70,000 people turned out to watch Australia's ✃premier Motorsport category stage the historic event in China.𓄧 This followed estimated crowds of 10,000 on Friday and 30,000 yesterday.

It was an💫nounced after the event by V8 Supercar Championship Series chairman Tony Cochrane that a driving scholarship would be offered to a Chinese driver in 2007 with an ultimate view to them graduating to the championship.

The partnerships with th♑e Chinese and Australian Governments would also continue to prosper through the event.

"I am sitting here today as a very proud Australian," Mr ♓Cochrane saไid.

"I can truly say this is the world's greatest touring car championship. We competed in front of thousands of Chinese race fans today, and now🎶 we look forward to coming b𝕴ack here for many years."

Kelly 📖won the event ahead of fellow Holden drivers Steven Richards and Paul Radisich to complete a red trifecta for Holden, or General Motors as it is known in China. It wasn't a happy event, however, for his little brother Rick, driving for the locally badged Buick Team.

Ricky Kelly finished with just 34 points for the event when he failed to finish race three. But it was a very different feeling for Todd who became 💮the first V8 Supercar driver to stand on the Shanghai podium.

"It is absolutely awesome, everything has come at once. To win an awesome race like this and to take theඣ Holden Racing Team's 50th round win is amazing," Kelly said.

"There's no secret we had a bit of good luck today because you have rounds where things go wrong and nothing did this weekend. We've been with this same car for a while now, and we should be quick all the tim꧂e from here on."

Richards was again his consistent best to finish second fo💜r the round.

"It has been a great weekend for us, we came here to at least stand on the podium... we always want to win, but a podium was the best result we could hope for with𝐆 the car we had today," Richards said.

"While we always want a round win, I knew where we we꧒re in the Championship in the final race so I only wanted to make sure that I stayed up the front for the podium win."

Radisich gave Team Kiwi Racing its first podium finish in the four-year history of the team. But he was too exhausted and dehydrated from the grueling heꦰar that he had to leave the podium and could not attend the press conference while he sought medical attention.

"It's absolutely a thrill for the whole team," team owner Da꧟vid Joh♐n said.

"We have people in this crew who have been here since day one who never expected that the V8 Supercars would come to China, and now we've cappe༒d it by finishing third overall.

"And we've done it on the biggest stage ever for V8 Supercars here in China. Our All Black Holden has been flying the Kiwi flag to more 💧than 700 million fans on television worldwide and in front of the Chin﷽ese who have supported this event in the tens of thousands this weekend."

The wash-up meant that the gap between leader Marcos Ambrose was narrowed slight🎶ly when his worst round is dropped unde𓆏r the current rules. Ambrose struggled all weekend but still finished fifth for the event.

"I'm very ha𓆏ppy t✤hat we have maintained a healthy lead in the championship," Ambrose said.

"We now go to Darwin and Queensland, places where we have had success in the past. All in all we did very well to ensure that I amဣ still leading the Championship."

The next event will be held at th🐽e Sky Ci🏅ty Challenge in Darwin on July 1-3.