Tag Archives: Craig Lowndes

Phillip Island Post Race Report 2016

Renee Gracie

Hi to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend of the 15th – 17th of April 2016 was the Phillip Island Supersprint. Last year this event was held in November.

Dad and I headed down to Phillip Island on the 13th April which was a Wednesday, so that we could stop over night at Wangaratta then go to the Cowes Hotel on the Thursday. Upon arriving in Cowes, we went to the hotel. The Pelican Hotel, this place was deserted and Dad kept ringing them, at 5pm we went and found a new hotel to stay in… While we had booked the accessible room at the Pelican Hotel, we had to settle for a room that was not. This made it difficult for me to have a shower each day as the bathroom wasn’t set up for my shower chair. Dad is my hero, he managed to get things done… This problem cost us more money than we had budgeted for… I would also like to thank you to the Tropicana Hotel that looked after us…

Practice 1

Practice 2

Practice 3

In race 6 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position alongside him was Chaz Mostert on the 27 lap race.

Scott McLaughlin got the jump to be the front runner, but Michael Caruso had a shocking start, Will Davison was in behind Lee Holdsworth they were all making contact with each other. Jason Bright and Nick Percat were pushed wide. Michael Caruso was way back in the pack after the drama at the start. Jamie Whincup made a very good move down the inside of Mark Winterbottom at turn 1.

On lap 2 both Craig Lowndes and Shane Van Gisbergen had a wheel locked going into turn 2. Meanwhile James Moffatt just pulled out from the car in front to get some fresh air to make the engine water and oil temperatures didn’t spike too much.

On lap 3 Rick Kelly was behind David Reynolds. Greg Rust was telling Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife that he been to see Barry Rogers at GRM Volvo, they told him that it was a water temperature light but there was no issue with it.

On lap 4 Fabain Coulthard was trying to get the big toe in behind James Courtney going into turn 1. Then James Moffatt a had big lockup on the left hand front corner. Three cars came in for their compulsory pit stop on lap 5 because that was when the pits opened after Shane Van Gisbergen completed his stop he was very racy against Mark Winterbottom.

In the middle of the race Mark Winterbottom had both Shane Van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes right behind him.

Towards the end of the race no one could catch Scott Mclaughlin or Jamie Whincup.

Race 1

Results for 6

1st – Scott McLaughlin – Volvo Polstar racing
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Fabain Coulthard – Dick Johnson racing Team Penske

In race 7 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup of the 45 lap race. Scott McLaughlin got the jump and led the pack down to turn 1. Fabain Coulthard got a horrible start and pulled over to the left hand side of the track. Jamie Whincup tried to go around the outside of Scott McLaughlin, but it did not work. Also on the first lap Chaz Mosert got turned around the turn 4 hairpin by Garth Tander and Will Davison.

On lap 2 Tim Blanchard ran wide coming onto the Wayne Gardner pit straight, then James Moffatt was the first of the Volvos to pit. Mark Winterbottom was in front of Shane Van Gisbergen.

On lap 3 the replay of Chaz Mostert spining showed that both Garth Tander and Will Davison turned Chaz Mostert around.

On lap 4 Shane Van Gisbergen was the first of the 2 Red Bull cars to pit.

On lap 5 Jamie Whincup was closing the gap to the race leader Scott McLaughlin the front runners had not pitted at that time to keep track position, when the leaders did finally pit they still had plenty of gap to the cars back in the pack.

In the middle of the race Scott Pye and Michael Caruso were the first 2 cars to make their final stops. The next 3 cars to pits for the last time were James Moffatt, Lee Holdsworth and Nick Percat.

Towards the end of the race Scott McLaughlin was very hard to catch and also near the end Cameron Waters nearly had big moment, on entry to the pit straight were the right front tyre had delaminated big time and as a result the Safety Car was deployed the first one for the weekend. While the cars were behind the Safety Car Jason Bright had a problem with no power steering. The restart was on lap 39. Jamie Whincup tried to get a good run on Scott McLaughlin to be able to take the lead after the yellow flag was withdrawn. Jamie Whincup was throwing dirt to the other competitors behind him and he had dropped to 4th place.

Results for race 7.

1st – Scott Mclaughlin – Volvo Polstar Racing
2nd – Mark Winterbottom – Rod Nash Racing
3rd – Scott Pye – Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske

 

I was lucky enough to get photos taken with Josh Kean from the Dunlop Series. Lee Holdsworth from the V8 Supercars. Charlie Schwerkolt team owner for Lee Holdsworth, Jonathon Webb team owner for Tekno Autosports, Greg Murphy pit reporter, Renee Gracie from the Dunlop Series. Chelsea Angelo from the Dunlop Series. Jamie Whincup, Shane Van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes at the autograph session on the Friday. and Chris Kean is the father of Josh Kean and also Paul Dumbrell.

The next event is Perth Supersprint May 6th – 8th 2016.

 

 

Phillip Island Pre Race Report 2016

Hi to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

This weekend event 3 of the 2016 V8 Supercars it is also the 500th round in the Australian Touring Car history – V8 supercars championship. The WD 40 Phillip Island Supersprint.

Let’s take a look back at what happened in 2015.

Before the event started both the Pepsi Max Crew had to change the engine of Mark Winterbottom’s car and the Red Bull Racing Australia team had to bleed the brakes on Jamie Whincup’s car to make sure there was no air leaking from the brakes. Welcome back to James Courtney after his terrible accident at Eastern Creek… Meanwhile Paul Dumbrell is generously driving car 222 for Nick Percat…

Jamie Whincup started on pole position alongside him was Scott McLaughlin on lap 1 of 14 Craig Lowndes started from 3rd position and got the jump on everyone else and led the whole race. With his teammate behind him, there were 3 cars out in the weeds Chris Pither, Dale Wood and Rick Kelly. Tim Blanchard and David Wall ran wide on the exit of the last turn.

On lap 2 Shane Van Gisbergen turned around David Reynolds and got a 25 point penalty as a result, which ruined his chances of increasing his total points…

On lap 3 everybody was settling down into a race rhythm, no incidents on this lap.

On lap 4 Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin were just pulling away from the rest of the pack.

On lap 5 Jamie Whincup was helping Craig Lowndes to close the gap on Frosty for 2015 V8 Supercars championship.

The top 3 cars were just pulling away on lap 6.

In the middle of the race Tim Slade and Todd Kelly were battling for positions 10th and 11th. Rick Kelly locked a brake while battling with Lee Holdsworth approaching MG Corner.

Towards the end of the race Todd Kelly and Tim Slade touched which sent Todd Kelly out into the boonies, but in the end no one could catch the top 3 cars of Craig Lowndes, Jamie Wnincup and Scott Mclaughlin.

Results for race 31
1st – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Scott Mclaughlin – Volvo Polstar Racing

In race 32 Scott Mclaughlin started on pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup on lap 1 of 14. Jamie got the jump meaning he got a better launch and reaction time and his teammate Craig Lowndes had dropped down to 3rd. The 2 Holden Racing team Commodores of Garth Tander and James Courtney were side by side on approach to the Southern Loop turn 2.

Tim Slade was battling with Will Davison further back in the pack, but he was on the wrong side of the track for the hairpin at turn 4. Jason Bright had to get back the Nissan Altama driven by James Moffatt car 99, then Garth Tander passed Fabain Coulthard at turn 5, then he tried to do the same maneuver that Garth did 1 corner before. Towards the end of the first lap he and Cameron Waters made contact coming out of the 2nd last corner.

On lap 2 Todd Kelly, Dale Wood, Tim Blanchard and David Wall along with Paul Dumbrell were battling together near the back of the field James Moffatt gave Fabain Coulthard a little bump, just to remind him that he was there.

On lap 3 Scott Pye was battling with the two Nissans of Micheal Caruso and Rick Kelly, also on that same lap Jamie Whincup’s race start was under investigation.

On lap 4 Foxsports showed a replay of the start of the race and there was no one breach for him so that meant he could press on.
In the middle of the race Scott McLaughlin was chasing David Reynolds.

Towards the end of the race no one could catch the race leaders. That race win for Jamie Whincup took his career tally up to 95.

Results for race 32
1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Scott Mclaughlin – Volvo Polstar racing
3rd – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia

In race 33 Mark Winterbottom started on pole position alongside him was Craig Lowndes on lap 1 of 45 Mark Winterbottom got the jump off the start line from position 1. Scott Mclaughlin got swamped by the two Red Bull cars. Dale Wood and Lee Holdsworth on the exit of turn 2. Rick Kelly ran wide at turn 4, he and Cameron Waters made contact on approach to Lukie height and they both went off as a result. Then when Cameron Waters rejoined he was limping around the track due to the damage that was on his car.

On lap 2 Jamie Whincup was the first of the two Red Bull cars to pit so that Craig did not have to double stack. In the pits,
Jason Bright got a drive thru penalty for an unsafe pit release by the car controller at Brad Jones Racing. Scott Pye also came in as well for his pit stop, along with David Reynolds, James Courtney, Tim Blanchard and also Cameron Waters and David Wall.

On lap 3 Frosty had a lead of 1.3 seconds over Scott Pye. Meanwhile Craig Lowndes was trying to getup close and personal to Scott McLaughlin to be able to pass him. At this time Jamie Whincup was doing a pit stop and his car dropped off the jacks the car controller at Red Bull had hold him so that he didn’t end up being released into oncoming traffic, in the fast lane. Tim Slade and Fabain Coulthard were battling for positions 9th and 10th.

On lap 4 Garth Tander and Shane Van Gisbergen were battling till Shane had to come into the pit lane for the first of his two pit stops that took them into lap 5.

Todd Kelly and Will Davison joined him as well, when he rejoined James Moffatt tried to come up the inside at turn 2 which he did. But then Shane Van Gisbergen tried to go around the outside which didn’t work.

On lap 6 Garth Tander came in for his pit stop along with Paul Dumbrell and Chris Pither. Chris Pither had damage on the front of Superblack racing Ford Falcon car 111.

On lap 7 James Courtney left space for Shane Van Gisbergen to go up the inside at turn 4. Lee Holdsworth was not a very happy chappy about the fact that he was out of race 33.

In the middle of the race Greg Murphy was talking to Mark Dutton about the Red Bull cars tyre lifespan and why Craig Lowndes appeared had good tyre life and how Jamie Whincup didn’t.

Towards the end of the race no one could catch the top 3, Craig Lowndes, Scott Mclaughlin and Jamie Whincup. Tim Edwards was not very happy with the move that Jamie put on Frosty.

Results for race 33
1st – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Scott Mclaughlin – Volvo Polstar racing.
3rd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.

Congratulations to Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Scott Mclaughlin for a fantastic weekend, No one could take these guys out…

The next and final event is the Coates Hire Sydney 500 on the 4th – 6th of December 2015. There is only 71 points now between the Pepsi Max Crew and Red Bull Racing Australia in terms of the teams championship and in terms of the drivers’ championship there is only 179 points between Mark Winterbottom and Craig Lowndes, there are now only 2 drivers left in contention.

Who will win the championship?

Lowndesy is now on 102 career wins. There are just 3 races left this season Red Bull took 60 point out of leader over the Phillip Island race weekend.
The commentators were Greg Rust and Neil Crompton, the pit reporters were Greg Murphy and Riana Crehan. 1 race meeting to go.

Tasmania Post Race report 2016

Hi to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend of 1st – 3rd of April 2016 was Tyrepower Tasmania Supersprint.

Race track Tas

In race 4 Mark Winterbottom was on pole position, alongside him was Craig Lowndes for the 50 lap race.

On lap 1 Mark Winterbottom got the jump and led the race, but Craig Lowndes tried to take it off him. But that didn’t work so he had to sit in behind Mark Winterbottom. Then everybody else settled down into a rhythm and a race pace.

On lap 2 Mark Winterbottom was still the leader while the cars behind were trying to catch him.

On lap 3 everybody was just sorting out their positions on track, because cars further back were trying to improve their positions and move up inside the top 10.

On lap 4 the cars up the front didn’t push too hard too early because otherwise a car would have ended up down in the sand trap down at turn 4 or in-between turns 6 and 7.

On lap 5 the pit stops for four tyres could start, Jamie Whincup was the first car to come in to pit to get the undercut which mean get the tyres on and get out before the team car comes in. When Mark Winterbottom made his stop it was slow because the Rod Nash crew had to move all the gear forward because Mark over shot the box on the entry.

On lap 6 Jamie Whincup had gone from 7th up to the affective race lead. When the rest of the pack pitted and then came back out on the track they were all overshooting the pit exit. (Meaning missing the turn to Re-join the circuit.)

On lap 7 the leader was Shane Van Gisbergen then he did the same thing, he pitted for 4 tyres. In the middle of the race the 2 Red Bull Racing Australia cars were battling for the race lead, Shane Van Gisbergen was putting pressure on Jamie Whincup for the lead. Roland Dane would have been sweating watching Jamie and Shane battle for the lead and the win.

Towards the end of the race no could catch Shane Van Gisbergen. He gave Holden there 500th Australian touring car – V8 Supercars championship win. and 146th win for Triple 8 race Engineering.

Results for race 4

1st – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Will Davison – Tekno Autosports

Shane Van Gisbergen

Before the race started, in qualifying Will Davison got a 2 grid spot penalty from Race Control for holding up James Courtney when he was on a flying lap. So Will went from 1st to 3rd in race 5.

In race 5 Mark Winterbottom again started from pole position alongside him this time was Shane Van Gisbergen for the 84 lap race.

On lap 1 Shane Van Gisbergen got the right amount of bite from the clutch with no wheel spin but then Mark Winterbottom wanted to get back up the inside at turn 2, which he did until Shane Van Gisbergen put enough pressure on him that he made a mistake.

On lap 2 he was still in position 1 with Shane Van Gisbergen doing absolutely everything he could to take the lead off the champ.

On lap 3 the cars were still under green racing conditions (meaning the Safety car had not been deployed at that point), because no cars had gone off the race track.

On lap 4 Shane Van Gisbergen tried to take the race lead off Mark Winterbottom.

There was a safety car on lap 5 due to Chris Pither’s nasty incident on the exit of the turn 4 hairpin. As a result, his Superblack Racing Ford Falcon FGX was a bloody mess and then when it came time for the first round of pit stops Jamie Whincup had to double stack behind Shane Van Gisbergen. the front runners were playing for keeps.

The restart was on lap 10, Fabain Coulthard got up the inside of James Courtney. Jamie Whincup was back in 12th after the double stack.

On lap 11 the cars up the front were just pushing on. Rick Kelly caught up to the top 3 as a result of the front 2 cars battling.

On lap 12, Mark Winterbottom nearly took the race lead off Shane Van Gisbergen and got crossed up at turns 1 and 2.

On lap 13 Mark Winterbottom gave Shane Van Gisbergen a nudge and almost spun him around.

On lap 14 the cars further back were trying to get into the top 10.

On lap 15 Shane Van Gisbergen tried to maintain the lead, but Mark Winterbottom was putting pressure on him.

On lap 16, Shane Van Gisbergen was still leading by point 4 of a second.

On lap 17 the leaders were pulling away up the front and staying there.

On lap 18 the pack were settling down after the restart. On lap 19 Jamie Whincup was moving up through the field.

On lap 20 Scott Pye was sitting in behind Jamie Whincup.

On lap 21 the cars in the mid pack were trying to stay in contact.

On lap 22 Jamie Whincup was trying to knock the rivets off the fence.

On lap 23 Jamie Whincup had a fast car in the opening stages.

In the middle of the race James Courtney rejoined the race in front of Jamie Whincup.

Towards the end of the race there was an oil slick that came out of Cameron Waters car, which meant other cars got caught up on it including the race leader Shane Van Gisbergen, Tim Blanchard, Jamie Whincup and Andre Heimgartner.

Will Davison is now the championship leader but only by 15 points over Craig Lowndes.

The next event is the WD 40 Phillip Island Supersprint. on the 15th to the 17th of April 2016.

Results for race 5

1st – Will Davison – Tekno Autpsports
2nd – Craig Lowndes – Team Vortex
3rd – Mark Winterbottom – Rod Nash racing

Tasmania Pre Race report 2016

Hi to all you v8 supercars fans.

This weekend is the Tyrepower Tasmainia Supersprint.

Event 2 of the 2016 V8 Supercars championship.

Let’s take a look at what happened in 2015.

On the 27th – 29th of March 2015 was the Tasmania Super sprint. In race 4 Craig Lowndes started on pole position, alongside him was Mark Winterbottom.

On lap 1 Craig led them through turn 1 and 2 for the first of 25 laps. Will Davison got spun around by James Courtney at turn 4 and the hairpin. Betty Klimenko, team boss was not happy about it.

On lap 2, Scott Pye was on the inside for turns 1 and 2. Scott jumped to the left immediately, to cover Scott Mclaughlin parked in the Volvo s60 Garage to fix the problems.

On lap 3, Tim Slade, was holding his position from Fabain Coulthard.

In the middle of the race Craig was still leading the race Scott was back in the pack.

Towards the end of race 4 no one could catch the Red Bull Racing Australia Holden Commodore VF Car 888.

Results for race 4

1st – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew – PRA. Racing.
3rd – James Courtney – HRT.

Race 5

In race 5 Craig Lowndes started on pole position alongside him was teammate Jamie Whincup.

On lap 1 JDUB followed his teammate into turns 1 and 2. Garth Tander made a spot on young Andre Heimgardner.

On lap 2 Jamie had a great 2nd sector of race 2 Jason Bright and and Dale Wood are affectively teammates but the paint Scheme’s are different.

On lap 3 Fabain Coulthard was running in 12th spot, but he was moving through the pack.

On lap 4 Andre Heimgardner in the Superblack Racing Ford Falcon FGX and as a result the yellow flag and the Safety car was deployed Dale copped a hard hit and got a flat tyre as a result. The restart was on lap number 8, in the middle of the race Will lost the rear window for 2 races in a row, towards the end of the race no one Could Catch Craig or Jamie.

Results for Race 5

1st – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull racing Australia.
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – David Reynolds – Rod Nash Racing.

Race 6

In race 6 Craig Lowndes started on pole postion alongside him was David Reynolds.

On lap 1 when Craig tagged David he spun around as a result he got a pit lane penalty.

On lap 2 the 888 car was still out in front leading the race. David Wall in had a drama in the Volvo, Will had smoke coming out of the back of Erebus Merc E63 AMG. Both Scott Mclaughlin and Tim Slade went down the inside of Andre Heimgardner at turn 7.

On lap 3 Will went into the Garage and got out of the car (this means his day is over).

On lap 4 Dale Wood got up to 13th after starting towards the back of the pack.

On lap 5 Craig Lowndes came through the pitlane for a pit Lane penalty, for a driving infringement.

On lap 6 Craig realized that he wasn’t far enough up to make the move.

On lap 7 the Triple 8 car started move through the field.

On lap 8 Chaz Mostert was chasing the HRT car, of Garth Tander on.

Lap 9 the Erebus Motorsport team were trying to replace Will’s steering rack on the E63. James Courtney was chasing 1 of the Nissan Altimas of James Moffat.

On lap 10 the Superblack Racing Falcon was chasing the Volvo car number 33.

On lap 11 Scott made 1st of 2 compulsory pit stops. Mark Winterbottom made a move down at the hairpin turn 4 on Micheal Caruso, his teammate Chaz Mostert was trying to pass Garth Tander.

In the middle of the race the Red Bull car was charging through the field, after the final round of pit stops, the order of the race was back to normal.

Towards the end of the race no one could catch Jamie for the top step of the podium.

The next event is the Perth Super Sprint. On the 1st – 3rd of May 2015. Red Bull racing Australia dominated in 2014, and 2015.

Results of Race 6

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing
2nd – Chaz Mostert – Pepsi Max
3rd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Techno

Jamie Tasmania 2016

Albert Non-Championship 2016

Hi to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

For those of you who missed the non-championship event at Albert Park in Victoria, here is what happened.
In race 1, Jamie Whincup started on pole position alongside him was Mark Winterbottom. On lap 1 of 12 Frosty got a nudge from the Shane Van Gisbergen before he moved up into 2nd behind Jamie Whincup his teammate. Then Fabain Coulthard spun the champ at turn 11. Then he went to the very back of the pack.

On lap 2 Todd Kelly had an engine failure and had to pull over to the right hand side of the racetrack to the Formula 1 pit exit. Onto the grass. Chaz Mostert and Fabain Coulthard were battling for 3rd there was a safety car on that lap to remove Todd’s car. Jason Bright also pulled over between turn 3 and 4. As a result of the opening lap spin. Brad Jones would not be happy to see that. The restart was on lap 5 in the middle of the race Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen were still running up the front of the field as 1 & 2. Then Jamie Whincup locks a left front on car 88. Which allowed Shane to take the race lead. Towards the end of the race no one could catch Shane Van Gisbergen.

Results for race 1
1st – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Fabain Coulthard – Dick Johnson Racing team Penske

In race 2, Shane Van Gisbergen started on pole position, alongside him was Jamie Whincup, on lap 1 of 12 Garth Tander made a great start he went around Fabain Coulthard. Andre Heimgartner and Tim Blanchard ran wide at turn 1. Lee Holdsworth made contact with Dale Wood around the back of the Albert Park race track.
The battle up the front was for the race lead. Jamie Whincup was right behind his teammate Shane Van Gisbergen on track, in case he made a mistake.

On lap 2 Scott Pye locked a brake on the left front corner. The left front tyre on Scott Pye car would have had a massive flat spot on it or a 50 cent piece.

On lap 3 the race leaders up front were still dicing for the lead of the race. The last 2 laps in a row in that race the fastest car and Driver on the track was Craig Lowndes running in 5th place at the time.

On lap 4 Chaz Mosert was putting pressure onto the back of Jamie Whincup the 6 times V8 Supercars Champion.
On lap 5 the only car out of the front five that was not getting held up was Shane Van Gisbergen.

In the middle of the race the rain shower caught Chaz Mostert out, which meant he had moved from 3rd spot down to 5th place. Towards the end of the race no one could catch the three triple 8 cars.

Results for race 2
1st – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Craig Lowndes – Team Vortex
3rd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia

In race 3 Shane Van Gisbergen started on pole position alongside was Craig Lowndes for the 12 lap race. Garth Tander made another great start but again Shane Van Gisbergen led the field into turn 1. Shane Van Gisbergen had contact with Craig Lowndes (Roland Dane would not have been happy with that at all) but it was a red bull 1 and 2 again at the start of race 3. Shane Van Gisbergen led the opening lap, but then on lap 2 Jamie Whincup took over and then from there was never headed. As a result of the contact Shane Van Gisbergen got a damaged headlight on the right hand side. It was a six way battle for the race lead in race 3 of the V8 Supercars at Albert Park.

On lap 3 the rain started falling but the cars didn’t have to pit for wets.

On lap 4 Chaz Mosert lent on Fabain Coulthard, both the Fords wanted the same position at the final two turns.

On lap 4 the rain was still coming down but the drivers were being extra careful to not run wide or to run off the race track (makes for an exciting race).

On lap 5 Jamie Whincup still had control of the race.

On lap 6 the cars further back in the pack were battling which allowed the front runners to pull away.

In the middle of the race Shane Van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes were battling for 2nd and 3rd, towards the end of race 3 no one could catch Jamie Whincup.

Results for race 3
1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Craig Lowndes – Team Vortex

In race 4 Shane Van Gisbergen started on pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup for the 12 lap race.
Shane Van Gisbergen got the jump, Chris Pither ran wide at turn 1 and 2. Fabain Coulthard was putting pressure on the 3 triple 8 cars.

On lap 2 the three triple 8 cars plus the DJR Team Penske was in the mix as well.

On lap 3 Jamie Whincup was putting pressure on Craig Lowndes. Garth Tander got into the rear quarter of the Supercheap Auto Ford. Jamie Whincup had a DNF in race 4 due to no drive.

On lap 4 Craig Lowndes was putting pressure on Fabain Coulthard and Fabain was putting pressure on Shane Van Gisbergen.
In the middle of the race Shane Van Gisbergen was on target to win the weekend.
(Pity this was not a Championship round as the 888 guys would have been ecstatic.)

Towards the end of Shane Van Gisbergen held on and took the checkered flag.

The commentators were Richard Crail and Jack Perkins. And the pit reporter was Mark Larkham.

Results for race 4.
1st – Shane van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Fabain Coulthard – Team Penske DJR
3rd – Craig Lowndes – Team Vortex

Clipsal 500 South Australia 2016 Post Race Report

Jamie Whincup Adelaide 2016

HI to all you v8 Supercars fans.

On the weekend 3rd – 6th March 2016 was the Clipsal 500.

In race 1 Scott Pye started on pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup. On lap 1 of 39 Jamie Whincup went straight to the race lead by passing Scott Pye at the centre chicane and from there on in Jamie Whincup was never caught. As the field was settling down into a rhythm with everyone looking for positions on the opening lap.

On lap 2 the cars near the back came in early to put tyres on to avoid double stacking it was Mark Winterbottom’s first weekend running car number 1. When the field came in for their pit stops they either brought their car in the lap before or the lap after.

On lap 3 Scott Pye was running up the pointy end of the pack until his pits stop where his crew dropped the 17 car way too early. They had not done up 1 of wheel nuts on the right rear corner.

On lap 4 Jamie Whincup was still out in front and controlling the race with ease, he stayed out as long as possible until the Red Bull team called him in.

On lap 5 everybody had not only the cars at the back had. To get track position.

On lap 6 the cars that were out front stayed on the track a bit longer.

On lap 7 Craig Lowndes pitted so he didn’t get stuck behind the cars in front of him. It was also his 251st Australian Touring car – V8 Supercars Championship Series start.

Before the race started it was already 64 degrees in the cockpit. In the middle of the race   no one could catch Jamie Whincup.

After Jamie won the opening race it took his career victories tally up to 98 so he is now only 2 finishes off the magic 100 and join Craig Lowndes in the most unique of clubs. Looks like Red Bull Australia are going to be the only ones with drivers in the club…

Race 1

Results for race 1

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – James Courtney – Holden Racing Team
3rd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia

In race 2 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup on lap 1 of 39 Chaz Mostert took the race lead early on through the centre chicane. Jamie Whincup tried to follow him through but James Courtney had to get out of the throttle to insure that there was no contact.

On lap 2 Jamie Whincup tried to do the crisscross at turn 4, but he couldn’t pull it off.

During the opening laps everybody was settling down to a race pace. Then the pit stops started when the pack came into the pits for the stop a few teams had to Double Stack. That is why teams like to have 2 or in our case 3 cars on different strategies.

Craig Lowndes had to try and stay in front of Will Davison so that he didn’t have to double stack behind Will Davison.

On lap 3 the cars back in the pack where trying to keep up with the race leaders.

On lap 4 the leaders stayed out longer the cars down the bottom of the field. Came in.

In the middle of the race James Courtney got track position over Jamie Whincup. As a result of a faster pitstop from the Holden Racing Team.

On lap 5 all the crews where watching from the garage until they needed to go out into the pits.

 Race 2

Results for race 2

1st – James Courtney – Holden Racing Team
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Chaz Mostert – Supercheap Auto Racing

James Courtney Car 22

In race 3 Fabain Coulthard started on pole position alongside him was Chaz Mosert the race started behind the Lexus RCF Safety Car because the track was wet the cars did 6 laps under yellow.

MARK Dutton and the team manager at Nissan Motorsport were complaining that the race had not started on the Sighting lap.

Mark Winterbottom nearly put car 1 in the wall at turn 8. Because he was on Slick Tyres on a wet track.

The restart was on lap 7 Shane Van Gisbergen was 3rd right behind Chaz Mostert.  Early on, he had a massive Tankslapper( means when a car goes into the wall sideways the cars behind have got to be careful not to get caught up with anyone’s Else dramas) James Courtney went down the inside of Cameron Waters in 6. At turn 4 Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen ran wide out of turn 7. Scott McLaughlin went up the inside of Shane Van Gisbergen right into the Spray at turn 8. Then Shane Van Gisbergen made the pass on Scott McLaughlin.

On lap 8 James Moffatt had damage on a steering arm of his car. Garth Tander spun Jamie Whincup around at turn 9. Scott McLaughlin had a problem with damage on the front of the 33 car.

On lap 9 Rick Kelly had grip  and he was using it.

Shane Van Gisbergen took the race lead at turn 4, Fabain Coulthard could not take the race lead back off the wet weather master.

On lap 10 Fabain Coulthard resumed as the leader of the race once Shane Van Gisbergen made a mistake by himself down at turn 9.

There were 2 storm cells the first one wasn’t too bad but the 2nd one was horrendous. Also on that lap Craig Lowndes had the fastest lap of the race and was running 4th.

On lap 11 Fabain Coulthard was under pressure to hold the race lead from Shane Van Gisbergen. Then Shane Van Gisbergen he took the lead back from Fabain Coulthard.

On lap 12 Grant McPherson got on the Radio to inform Shane Van Gisbergen that 11 laps were complete. Chaz Mostert passed Fabain Coulthard to move to position 4.

On lap 13 the drivers were looking for wet racetrack to keep the tyres cool.

On lap 14 Jamie Whincup was battling with the two Lucas Dumbrell cars plus Lee Holdsworth as well.

On lap 15 there was contact between David Reynolds and Jamie Whincup. Back in the pack Rick Kelly Will Davison and Fabain Coulthard were battling for position at turn 9. In the middle of the race Chaz Mostert hit the wall first which put him out of the race. Then James Courtney hit the wall at turn 8 in car 22 which meant he had to go back into the garage, but after the HRT Crew fixed his car he re-joined the race.

Towards the end of the race Nick Percat was leading and managed to hold on to get his first solo win on home soil.

The commentators Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife, and the pit reporters were Greg Rust, Greg Murphy and Riana Crehan.

The next event is the non-championship event at Albert Park in Victoria.

The next championship event is the Tyrepower Tasmainia Supersprint on the 1st – 3rd of April 2016.

Race 3

 

Results for race 3

1st – Nick Percat – Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
2nd – Michael Caruso – Nissan Motorsport
3rd – Garth Tander – Holden Racing Team

 

Clipsal 500 South Australia – Pre race Report

clipsal 2016 checked flag

Hi to all you V8 Supercar fans around the world, are you ready for a brand new year?

2015 Clipsal intro

Let’s take a look back at what happened 12 months ago.
At Clipsal in race 1 Jamie Whincup started on pole position, alongside him was Fabain Coulthard.

On lap 1 of 38 Jamie Whincup led the field through the first Chicane turns 1, 2 and 3. Fabian Coulthard tried to pass Jamie Whincup but was not able to get it done.

On lap 2 everybody was just settling down into a race groove, while the cars behind were trying to catch the race leading pair of Whincup and Coulthard. During the early Stages Chaz Mostert was running 3rd. James Moffatt hit the wall at turn 8 which meant he had to take it easy for the next couple of corners.

On lap 3 no one was able to stay with Jamie Whincup because he was just pulling away from the rest of the pack. Whincup pitted early so that Craig Lowndes did not have to double stack. Because if he did double stack he would have lost time in the pits.
In the end no could catch the 6 time and defending Champion.
Who will win the 2016 Clipsal 500?

The Clipsal 500 will be run from the 3rd – 6th of March 2016.

2015 Race 1

Results for race 1
1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Chaz Mostert – Pepsi Max Crew
3rd – Fabain Coulthard – Brad Jones Racing

Jamie Whincup Clipsal car 88

In race 2 Jamie Whincup started on pole position (his favourite place) alongside him was Scott McLaughlin.
On lap 1 of 39 Scott McLaughlin got the jump off the grid. But it seems that Scott McLaughlin got investigated for a jump start. The rest of the pack tried to stay with Scott McLaughlin. The drivers at the front stayed with him but the drivers in the mid field couldn’t.
On lap 2, Channel Ten showed a replay of Scott jumping the start. Greg Rust and Neil Crompton said it was borderline.
On lap 3 Scott McLaughlin was out in front controlling the race well.
On lap 4 Scott McLaughlin lost a bit of ground to Jamie in 2nd spot.

On lap 5 James Courtney and Craig Lowndes try and gain track positions. When the pits was clear everybody else on different laps. Chaz had a “Did Not Finish” result in race 2.
In the end no one could catch Fabain Coulthard.

2015 Race 2

Results for race 2
1st – Fabain Coulthard – Brad Jones Racing
2nd – James Courtney – Holden Racing Team
3rd – Scott McLaughlin – Volvo Polstar Racing

In race 3 James Courtney started on pole position alongside him was Fabain Coulthard.

On lap 1 of 78 James Courtney got the jump from pole position and led the field into turns 1 and 2, Shane Van Gisbergen ran wide on the exit of turn 6 which had allowed James Moffatt to pass him at turn 7. Towards the end of the opening the leaders were starting to settle down.

On lap 2 Mark Winterbottom was the first car to pit along with Andre Heimgartner. Jamie Whincup was putting the pressure on James Courtney. Marcos Ambrose was in the top 10 during the opening laps.

On lap 3 Craig Lowndes was behind Marcos Ambrose in position number 10.

On lap 4 Lee Holdsworth pitted for tyres and fuel.

On lap 5 Marcos Ambrose had to get his groove back for driving a V8 Supercar again in 2015 because the last time he drove a V8 was Phillip Island back in 2005. Garth Tander made a mistake exiting turn 7 which allowed Shane Van Gisbergen to get up the inside at turn 8.
Towards the end of the race no one could catch James Courtney.

2015 Race 3

Results for race 3
1st – James Courtney – Holden Racing Team
2nd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Tekno Autoaports
3rd – Garth Tander – Holden Racing Team

Drivers moments

Sydney Coates Hire 500 2015 – Post Race Report

William and Chris Brady
HI to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend of the 4th – 6th December 2015 was the Coates Hire Sydney 500

This year dad and I stayed at the Novotel again, it’s one of our favourite hotels… They look after us very well, this year they tried to put us on the 14th floor, but the bathroom was too small for my wheelchair, so they went out of their way to find a room that was wheelchair friendly. We ended up on the 7th floor and had a great view of the track.

In race 34 Mark Winterbottom started on pole position alongside him was Shane Van Gisbergen, as Craig Lowndes was after the championship, but due to hitting the wall in qualifying, he has to start at the back of the pack. On lap 1 of 37 Mark Winterbottom got the jump into turn 1. James Moffatt had right front steering damage as a result of contact with Jason Bright. Rick Kelly got squeezed by Tim Slade and Garth Tander.

On lap 4 Frosty still had the lead, meanwhile Craig Lowndes was still coming through the pack. Then Shane Van Gisbergen took the race lead.

On lap 5 when Shane Van Gisbergen pulled off into the pits Mark Winterbottom took over the race lead again, then James Courtney took over the when Frosty had pulled off into the pits the race lead had changed again James Courtney took the lead. On departure Jamie Whincup got out in front of Shane Van Gisbergen.

On lap 6 Rick Kelly was chasing Garth Tander on lap 7 both James Courtney and Jason Bright made there pit stop.
In the middle of the race Steve Owen was holding Craig Lowndes behind.

Riana Crehan and Greg Murphy were chatting with Tim Edwards and Mark Dutton about their chances at winning the championship. Towards the end of the race Jamie Whincup was out in front. And running away with opening race. That first race win for Jamie Whincup took his career tally up to 95.

Results for race 34

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Shane Van GISBERGEN – Tekno Autosporrts
3rd – Jason Bright – Team BOC

In race 35 Jamie Whincup started from the pole position alongside him was David Reynolds. On lap 1 of 37 Jamie Whincup led the field down to turn 1 for the first of 37 laps. There was contact between Fabain Coulthard and Todd Kelly.

On lap 2 Craig Lowndes was back in the pack trying to move forward passing Scott Pye, but he couldn’t get the move done at turns 2, 3 and 4. But Craig Lowndes managed to pass him at turn 5; his next car to pass was Lee Holdsworth.

On lap 3 Shane Van Gisbergen got swamped as he was chasing James Courtney in.

On lap 4 Lee Holdsworth was being chased by Scott Pye.

In the middle of the race all the pit stops had been completed towards the end of the race Jamie Whincup was again in the right position to make it 2 from 2.

Results for race 35

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – David Reynolds – Rod Nash Racing
3rd – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew

Today my mate Jesse Ellis and his dad joined us to watch the race… It was so nice to have a like-minded friend to share the experience with.

In race 36 James Courtney started on pole Position alongside him was Shane Van Gisbergen. On 1 of 74 James Courtney led at the start of the 36th and final race of 2015, Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom started on the 2nd row of the grid. Towards the end of the opening lap Shane Van Gisbergen was trying to pass James Courtney, but that didn’t work. At the final turn James Courtney got tagged by Shane Van Gisbergen in the left rear quarter panel.

On lap 2 James Courntey was still the race leader and Frosty was running 3rd. Jason Bright was the first of the Brad Jones Racing Cars to make a pitstop. David Reynolds passed Rick Kelly in between turns 9 and 10. Tim Slade was sitting behind them just in case one of the cars ahead of him made a mistake.

On lap 3 Shane Van Gisbergen was trying take control of the race but he couldn’t until James Courtney let him pass.

On lap 4 Shane Van Gisbergen was still putting pressure on the Holden Racing Team car, and then Shane Van Gisbergen spun James Courtney around in between turns 9 and 10. As a result he didn’t get a drive thru for that incident. Then James Courtney had smoke coming out of the right rear guard.

On lap 5 Scott McLaughlin was right behind the outgoing champ in Jamie Whincup, at turns 9 and 10. Jamie Whincup just pulled straight away.

On lap 6 Scott Pye saw the damage on the back of the 22 car. McLaughlin made a move at turn 1, which would give him the racing line for turns 2, 3 and 4. David Reynolds was following the HRT car. Craig Lowndes was following Fabain Coulthard, Tim Slade hit the wall on approach to the final turn which triggered a safety car and a flurry of activity in the pits while the Safety car was out, Nissan Motorsport had to put the pit boom back in place.

The restart was on lap 15. In the middle of the race Shane Van Gisbergen was still leading with Jamie Whincup hunting him down.
Towards the end of the race Jamie Whincup couldn’t pass Shane Van Gisbergen.

Results for race 36

1st – Shane Van Gisbergen – Tekno Autosports
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Rick Kelly – Jack Daniels Racing

Well done to everybody on a great 2015 V8 Supercars championship season. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year, see you in 2016.

Will Grant McPherson be the race engineer for on car 888 in 2016 For Team Vortek?

Jamie Whincup will go back to the car No. 88 which he has not had since 2011.

Shane Van Gisbergen will have 97 under the Red Bull banner and next year will be the first time that Craig Lowndes will have his own car. But he will be sharing a pit Boom with Tekno. Because Triple 8 race engineering are going to be going to 3 cars.

Phillip Island 2015 Post Race Report

Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world.

Before the event started both the Pepsi Max Crew had to change the engine of Mark Winterbottom’s car and the Red Bull Racing Australia team had to bleed the brakes on Jamie Whincup’s car to make sure there was no air leaking from the brakes. Welcome back to James Courtney after his terrible accident at Eastern Creek… Meanwhile Paul Dumbrell is generously driving car 222 for Nick Percat…

Paul Dumbrell PI 2015
Jamie Whincup started on pole position alongside him was Scott McLaughlin on lap 1 of 14 Craig Lowndes started from 3rd position and got the jump on everyone else and led the whole race. With his teammate behind him, there were 3 cars out in the weeds Chris Pither, Dale Wood and Rick Kelly. Tim Blanchard and David Wall ran wide on the exit of the last turn.

On lap 2 Shane Van Gisbergen turned around David Reynolds and got a 25 point penalty as a result, which ruined his chances of increasing his total points…

On lap 3 everybody was settling down into a race rhythm, no incidents on this lap.

On lap 4 Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin were just pulling away from the rest of the pack.

On lap 5 Jamie Whincup was helping Craig Lowndes to close the gap on Frosty for 2015 V8 Supercars championship.

The top 3 cars were just pulling away on lap 6.

In the middle of the race Tim Slade and Todd Kelly were battling for positions 10th and 11th. Rick Kelly locked a brake while battling with Lee Holdsworth approaching MG Corner.

Towards the end of the race Todd Kelly and Tim Slade touched which sent Todd Kelly out into the boonies, but in the end no one could catch the top 3 cars of Craig Lowndes, Jamie Wnincup and Scott Mclaughlin.

Results for race 31
1st – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Scott Mclaughlin – Volvo Polstar Racing

In race 32 Scott Mclaughlin started on pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup on lap 1 of 14. Jamie got the jump meaning he got a better launch and reaction time and his teammate Craig Lowndes had dropped down to 3rd. The 2 Holden Racing team Commodores of Garth Tander and James Courtney were side by side on approach to the Southern Loop turn 2.

Tim Slade was battling with Will Davison further back in the pack, but he was on the wrong side of the track for the hairpin at turn 4. Jason Bright had to get back the Nissan Altama driven by James Moffatt car 99, then Garth Tander passed Fabain Coulthard at turn 5, then he tried to do the same maneuver that Garth did 1 corner before. Towards the end of the first lap he and Cameron Waters made contact coming out of the 2nd last corner.

On lap 2 Todd Kelly, Dale Wood, Tim Blanchard and David Wall along with Paul Dumbrell were battling together near the back of the field James Moffatt gave Fabain Coulthard a little bump, just to remind him that he was there.

On lap 3 Scott Pye was battling with the two Nissans of Micheal Caruso and Rick Kelly, also on that same lap Jamie Whincup’s race start was under investigation.

On lap 4 Foxsports showed a replay of the start of the race and there was no one breach for him so that meant he could press on.
In the middle of the race Scott McLaughlin was chasing David Reynolds.

Towards the end of the race no one could catch the race leaders. That race win for Jamie Whincup took his career tally up to 95.

Results for race 32
1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Scott Mclaughlin – Volvo Polstar racing
3rd – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia

In race 33 Mark Winterbottom started on pole position alongside him was Craig Lowndes on lap 1 of 45 Mark Winterbottom got the jump off the start line from position 1. Scott Mclaughlin got swamped by the two Red Bull cars. Dale Wood and Lee Holdsworth on the exit of turn 2. Rick Kelly ran wide at turn 4, he and Cameron Waters made contact on approach to Lukie height and they both went off as a result. Then when Cameron Waters rejoined he was limping around the track due to the damage that was on his car.

On lap 2 Jamie Whincup was the first of the two Red Bull cars to pit so that Craig did not have to double stack. In the pits,
Jason Bright got a drive thru penalty for an unsafe pit release by the car controller at Brad Jones Racing. Scott Pye also came in as well for his pit stop, along with David Reynolds, James Courtney, Tim Blanchard and also Cameron Waters and David Wall.

On lap 3 Frosty had a lead of 1.3 seconds over Scott Pye. Meanwhile Craig Lowndes was trying to getup close and personal to Scott McLaughlin to be able to pass him. At this time Jamie Whincup was doing a pit stop and his car dropped off the jacks the car controller at Red Bull had hold him so that he didn’t end up being released into oncoming traffic, in the fast lane. Tim Slade and Fabain Coulthard were battling for positions 9th and 10th.

On lap 4 Garth Tander and Shane Van Gisbergen were battling till Shane had to come into the pit lane for the first of his two pit stops that took them into lap 5.

Todd Kelly and Will Davison joined him as well, when he rejoined James Moffatt tried to come up the inside at turn 2 which he did. But then Shane Van Gisbergen tried to go around the outside which didn’t work.

On lap 6 Garth Tander came in for his pit stop along with Paul Dumbrell and Chris Pither. Chris Pither had damage on the front of Superblack racing Ford Falcon car 111.

On lap 7 James Courtney left space for Shane Van Gisbergen to go up the inside at turn 4. Lee Holdsworth was not a very happy chappy about the fact that he was out of race 33.

In the middle of the race Greg Murphy was talking to Mark Dutton about the Red Bull cars tyre lifespan and why Craig Lowndes appeared had good tyre life and how Jamie Whincup didn’t.

Towards the end of the race no one could catch the top 3, Craig Lowndes, Scott Mclaughlin and Jamie Whincup. Tim Edwards was not very happy with the move that Jamie put on Frosty.

Results for race 33
1st – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Scott Mclaughlin – Volvo Polstar racing.
3rd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.

Congratulations to Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Scott Mclaughlin for a fantastic weekend, No one could take these guys out…

The next and final event is the Coates Hire Sydney 500 on the 4th – 6th of December 2015. There is only 71 points now between the Pepsi Max Crew and Red Bull Racing Australia in terms of the teams championship and in terms of the drivers’ championship there is only 179 points between Mark Winterbottom and Craig Lowndes, there are now only 2 drivers left in contention.

Who will win the championship?

Lowndesy is now on 102 career wins. There are just 3 races left this season Red Bull took 60 point out of leader over the Phillip Island race weekend.
The commentators were Greg Rust and Neil Crompton, the pit reporters were Greg Murphy and Riana Crehan. 1 race meeting to go.

Pukeohe New Zealand 2015 Post Race Report

Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world.
On the weekend of the 6th – 8th of November 2015 was the ITM 500 Auckland Race

In race 28 Jamie Whincup started on pole position next to him was David Reynolds. On lap 1 of 21 Jamie Whincup got the jump on the field through turns 1, 2 and 3. During the opening lap Tim Slade, Will Davison, Fabain Coulthard and James Moffat all came together on the exit of turn 6.

Also On lap 2 Will Davison had to park car 9 in the garage as a result of the damage that it suffered. Scott Pye was in front of Craig Lowndes, he was complaining that he was getting held up by Scott Pye.

On lap 3 Fox sports showed a replay of start.

On lap 4 the field was settleing down into their own pace.

On lap 5 there was a safety car for debris on the race track. The restart was on lap 8.

In the middle of the race Jamie Whincup was still in control of the race.

Towards the end of the race no one could catch Jamie Whincup. Team BOC’S Jason Bright had a DNF.

Let’s just watch the race:-

Results for race 28
1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Tekno Autosports
3rd – David Reynolds – Rod Nash Racing.

In race 29 David Reynolds started on pole position alongside him was Craig Lowndes. On lap 1 of 21 Craig managed to stay in front of David Reynolds. During the opening laps Craig Lowndes was dominating the start.

On lap 2 David Reynolds was trying to pass but, Craig Lowndes would not let him.

On lap 3 the order was still the same for the front runners.
In middle of the race Craig Lowndes left rear tyre just completely exploded which caused a safety car the restart was on lap 16.

Towards the end of the race Jamie Whincup was putting the pressure on David Reynolds for the race lead.

Results for race 29.
1st – David Reynolds – Rod Nash Racing.
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Scott McLaughlin – Volvo Polstar Racing.

In race 30 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup.

On lap 1 of 69 Jamie Whincup got the jump into turns 1, 2 and 3. Then the pack started to settle down to a race pace.

On lap 2 Mark Winterbottom got turned around down at the hairpin turn by Jason Bright as a result there was a concertina effect.

On lap 3 Jamie Whincup was out in front leading the race the only times the lead changed was when the pit stops started, Craig Lowndes had to double stack behind Jamie Whincup but not for too long. The pit was congested big time due to the safety car being deployed the restart was on lap 5.

When the safety car peeled off into the pit lane Jamie Whincup got on the loud pedal straight away and pulled away immediately.

On lap 6 Craig Lowndes was in front of James Moffat there was a regulation change due to Craig Lowndes tyre exploding on Saturday in the 2nd race. Everyone had to start on soft tyres.

On lap 7 everyone had change from the soft tyre back to the regular Dunlop hard tyre at the first pit stop.

On lap 8 Scott Pye was moving up through the pack after having to double stack with Shane Van Gisbergen and then when it came time to exit their respective pit garages, the fast lane very busy.

On lap 9 everyone was trying to get there new tyres up to temperature and pressure because in V8 Supercars these days, the teams are not allowed to have tyre warmers to keep the temperature into the tyres.

On lap 10 the leader was back to being Jamie Whincup driving.
In the middle of the race everybody came in for there 2nd and final pit stop but in the process the cars were locking up due to the oil that was left on the entry to pit lane by Will Davison’s Erebus Motorsport Merades E63 AMG the previous day.

Towards the end of the race the two Red Bull cars were running 1 and 2 and that was how it finished.

Results for race 30
1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Scott Pye – Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske.

There are now just 2 events remaining, the next event is the WD 40 Phillip Island Super sprint on the 20th – 22nd November 2015.
The Commentators were Greg Rust and Neil Crompton. The pit reporters were Greg Murphy and Riana Crehan.

Well done to the Red Bull team on repairing Craig’s car for the Sunday Race.

NZ Craig Lowndes Oh No pic