Tag Archives: Fabian Coulthard

Bathurst 1000 2016 – Post Race Report

Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans

On the weekend of the 6th – 9th of October 2016 was the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. This is the one race that both Dad and I stay glued to the TV to watch the race, he goes for Craig Lowndes and I go for Jamie Whincup. We become armchair critics through the whole race… Hehe…

At the beginning of the race we had the main drivers in except for these co-drivers, Tony Dalberto, Renee Gracie and Aaron Russell.

Jamie Whincup started on pole position alongside him was Scott McLaughlin for the 161lap race.

On lap 1, Jamie Whincup got the jump and led everybody up Mountain Straight. Scott tried to him catch him at turn 2, Bloodstone bend but wasn’t able to get the move done. Going across the top of the mountain everyone had to stay single file until the cars got onto Conrod straight.

On lap 2, everyone had started to settle down into a race pace. But there were no safety cars for the first couple of hours.

On lap 3, with Jamie Whincup still out in front saying catch me if you can.

On lap 4, Shane Van Gisbergen tried to pass Garth Tander but wasn’t able to get it done unless the other driver left a lot of room.

On lap 5, the crowd did a standing 0oation for the late great Peter Brock. Lee Holdsworth’s car sounded sick.

On lap 6, the Red Bull team was happy to see Jamie Whincup pulling away early on.

On lap 7, the pack settled down Jamie Whincup started his 400th race, Rick Kelly went up the inside of Cameron Waters at turn 1.

On lap 8, Shane Van Gisbergen was in front of the three time Bathurst winner Garth Tander. Russell Ingall made his 25th start at Bathurst on the weekend.

On lap 9, Craig Lowndes was moving up   from 21st to 13th.

On lap 10, Rick Kelly was behind Chris Pither but he made contact with his car at turn 1.

On lap 11, the reason why most of the co drivers were ready just in case there was going to be an early Safety car.

On lap 12 Chris Pither had dropped all the way down to 25th as a result of contact with Rick Kelly.

On lap 13 Craig Lowndes was up to 12th spot after getting passed Tony Dalberto, after that he set his sights onto Will Davison.

On lap 14, the first car to make a pit stop was James Moffatt handing over to the rookie James Golding. The Nissan motorsport crew had to use the pit board due to radio failure.

On lap, Rick Kelly and Dale Wood pitted for a drive change tyre change and fuel. Rick had a 10 second stop and hold penalty at his next stop.

On lap 16, Craig Lowndes was chasing his teammate down for pit priority.

On lap 17, Dean Canto was chasing Jack Perkins.

On lap 18, Steven Richards came in to get fresh air and to not get caught up in traffic.

On lap 20, both Scott Pye and Matt Campbell nearly hit the wall coming out of the cutting and approaching the top of the mountain with the car was stuck in gear. Brad Jones Racing had an oil fire on the right front calliper. I was laughing at Mark Skaife and Neil Crompton when they said its pot of Penguins. Neil’s response ‘was handy if you’re at Phillip Island not so at Mount Panorama’.

On lap 21, then everybody started to file through one car at a time, because teams that have two or three cars have got to have different strategies from those that have only one.

On lap 22, the leaders stayed out on the track, meanwhile the cars further back pitted to not get caught up in traffic.

On lap 24, the leading cars were breaking laps records, Jamie Whincup holds the lap records at Bathurst now.

On lap 25, the next cars to stop were Jack Perkins along with Dean Canto respectively.

On lap 26, Rick Kelly was going off his brain about not having a good race which ultimately cost him any chance of a solid result.

On lap 27, Paul Dumbrell was sitting in the pits watching Jamie Whincup do his stuff in the car.

On lap 28, I couldn’t believe there was no safety car early. Drivers must have been behaving themselves.

on lap 29, the co-drivers were in the cars for their stint.

On lap 30, Paul Dumbrell still had the race lead by over 30 seconds.

On lap 31, Ash Walsh came into to hand car 14 back to Tim Slade in the process the Freightliner Racing doing the brake pad change, there was a fire due to the pistons popping out of the calliper which had put them 2 laps behind.

On lap 33, the leaders were still controlling the race out front Tim Slade was running 2nd behind car Jamie Whincup.

On lap 34, the Team Vortex crew had to put car 888 the defending winners of the great race, into the garage to repair the broken gear linkage.

On lap 35 in the middle of the race the Bathurst 1000 was still under green flag.

The first safety car wasn’t until lap 92, for the crash involving Andrew Jones.

On the restart the two Red Bull cars were in control of the race.

Towards the end of the race there was a safety car to rescue Frosty because he was stuck in the sand trap down at the chase.

With 10 laps to go Jamie Whincup was behind Scott McLaughlin going down the Conrod Straight then he was told to stay behind Scott McLaughlin for the redress due to an small tap previously. This end up causing an incident between Scott McLaughlin and Garth Tander. I’m sure you have heard all about it.

In the end, Will Davison and Jonathon Webb took the Bathurst 1000 victory which is Will’s second win and Jonathon Webb’s first Bathurst win.

Results for the 2016 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

1st – Will Davison & Jonathon Webb – Tekno Autosports.
2nd – Shane Van Gisbergen & Alex Premat – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Nick Percat & Cameron Mcconville – Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.

The Next event is the Castrol Gold Coast 600 on the 21st – 23rd of October 2016.

Now for some fun…

Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – Pre Race Report 2016

Hi to all you V8 Supercar fans around the world.

On the weekend of the 8th – 11th of October 2015 was the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 event 10.

For those of you who missed it, here is what happened.

During the qualifying laps on Friday, Chaz Mostert had a spectacular crash and broke his leg and his wrist, took out 7 Marshalls while he was at it. He now needs a new car…

http://www.v8supercars.com.au//news/championship/mostert-out-of-surgery

On the Saturday, Damien Flack of the Aussie Racing Cars Series had a magnificent crash in which he turned his vehicle from a car to a Go Kart in 5 seconds flat rolling the car 6 times. The vehicle also caught fire and Damien had to be dragged out of it. He was very lucky to be alive. He was taken to Orange Base Hospital with 12 broken ribs, a punctured lung and a shattered collarbone. Damien always the optimist, said he would be back in 6 weeks. I don’t like his chances…

All the main drivers started accept for 3, which was Paul Dumbrell, Dean Canto and Tony D’Alberto. They had to complete a minimum of 54 laps, before the main driver could get back in to the car for the rest of the race.

Dean Canto started on pole position alongside him was Scott McLaughlin. The favourites started Jamie Whincup in 8th Craig Lowndes in 15th Mark Winterbottom in 14th and Garth Tander in 22nd, the Harvey Norman Supergirls in car 200 started from the pits, so as not to get caught in any accidents on the very first lap.
On lap 1 of 161 Jason Bright stalled off the start line and dropped down just a few spots, early on Dean Canto led the pack up mountain straight for the time.

Scott McLaughlin had a poor start, meaning he didn’t get off the line very well heading across the mountain the cars felt a bit Lazy, due to the tyres were not up to temperature and pressure. Towards the end of the first lap Craig Lowndes had made up 4 spots from 15th to 11th.

On lap 2 Scott McLaughlin was putting massive pressure on Dean Canto, while at the same time Dean Canto was doing a great job at holding off the cars that were behind him who were trying to make some progress from their starting spots.

The Xbox ford falcon was trying to make a move at turn 2 on James Moffatt, at Blundstone Bend with Scott Pye behind the wheel he went up to 9th as a result of that move, McLaughlin had to stay in front of Lee Holdsworth while trying to pass Dean Canto, but he had to tuck back in behind through the chase then he managed to pass the Bottle O ford Falcon FX at the last corner.
Towards the end of the lap Shane Van Gisbergen picked up a spot at Forest Elbow which put him into 3rd place.

On lap 3 Scott McLaughlin tried to grab the race lead but had to pull back in behind until he got to the final turn.

On lap 4 there was a new race leader with Scott McLaughlin behind the wheel. Paul Dumbrell was trying to stay with Craig Lowndes.

On lap 5 Fabain Coulthard got car 47 at turn 2 which was been driven by Tony D’Alberto. Also on the same lap Will Davison passed Tony D’Alberto at the chase.

On lap 6 Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes were starting to put pressure on Scott Pye. Fabain Coulthard was getting closer to Lee Holdsworth.

On lap 7 Lee Holdsworth got up the inside of Dean Canto, Paul Dumbrell was trying his best to get back in to the top 10. Craig Lowndes and Paul Dumbrell were running 10th and 11th.

On lap 8 Will Davison passed Dean Canto, Tony D’Alberto was following the 2 cars ahead of him. Steve Owen down in 20th. Steve Owen had no shift lights and no data on the steering wheel. Craig Lowndes passed Greg Murphy who was chatting with Mark Winterbottom.

On lap 9 the pack that was trying to get fresh air. So that the brake and oil temperatures didn’t rise too quick.

On lap 10, Paul Dunbrell covered by going all the way to the pit wall. Then Andre Heimgartner had to try and the over and under trick.

On lap 11, Paul Dumbrell was trying to keep the position that he had just gained the first driver to pit was car 23 with Dean Fiore at the wheel changing over to Michael Caruso.

On lap 12 Andre Heimgartner and Renee Gracie were the 2 and Simona de Slivestro were the Debutions.

On lap 13, Fabian Coulthard was injecting a lot of hot air into the front air dam. Paul Dumbrell had managed to pass Scott Pye before pitting. On the exit of the pit Scott stalled his car.
The first safety car was on lap 16 due the Harvey Norman Supergirls hitting the wall at Forest Elbow. The restart was on lap number 18, David Reynolds was trying to pass Lee Holdsworth.

Garth Tander was back in the race after last year’s incident. In the middle of the race the skies were starting to become black as the as the ace of spades.
Oh let’s watch the video…

Craig is now a 6 time Bathurst winner. Steve Richards is now a 4 time Bathurst winner. Craig Lowndes is back up into 2nd place in the Championship with 399 points behind the championship leader, Mark Winterbottom.

There were only 4 Safety cars in the Bathurst 1000, this year. Jamie was told by the team not to pass the Safety car, he thought he saw a green light so he went passed, as a result he got a Drive thru penalty for that which dropped him all the way down to 18th, and it could have been a Red Bull 1 and 2. Roland Dane was not a happy chappie. Greg Murphy had not seen Jamie that Guttered – Disappointed in a very long time.

The commentators on the weekend at Bathurst were Greg Rust, Neil Crompton and Chad Neylon. The pit reporters were Riana Crehan, Greg Murphy along with the Dude Paul Morris.

Results for race 25
1st – Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Mark Winterbottom and Steve Owen – Pepsi Max Crew.
3rd – Garth Tander and Warren Luff – Holden Racing Team.

Main and co drivers for the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
Car 1 – Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell – Red Bull Racing Australia
Car 888 – Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards – Red Bull Racing Australia
Car 5 – Mark Winterbottom and Steve Owen – Pepsi Max Crew
Car 55 – David Reynolds and Dean Canto – Rod Nash Racing
Car 9 – Will Davison and Alex Davison – Erebus Motorsport V8
Car 4 – Ash Walsh and Jack Le Brocq – Erebus Motorsport V8
Car 111 – Andre Heimgartner and Ant Pederson – Superblack Racing Team.
Car 99 – James Moffatt and Taz Douglas – Nissan Motorsport
Car 23 – Michael Caruso and Dean Fiore. – Nissan Motorsport
Car 22 – Jack Perkins and Russell Ingall – Holden Racing Team
Car 200 – Renee Gracie and Simona De Slivestro. – Harvey Norman Supergirls
Car 34 – David Wall and Chris Pither – Volvo Polestar Racing
Car 62 – Aaren Russell and Drew Russell – Novocastrians
Car 8 – Jason Bright and Andrew Jones – Team BOC
Car 97 – Shane Van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb – Tekno Autosports
Car 17 – Scott Pye and Marcos Ambrose – Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske
Car 18 – Lee Holdsworth and Sebastian Bourdais – Walkinshaw Racing
Car 222 – Nick Percat and Oliver Gavin – Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
Car 3 – Tim Blanchard and Karl Reindler – Team Cool Drive
Car 21 – Dale Wood and MacAuley Jones – Brad Jones Racing Team
Car 47 – Tim Slade and Tony D’Alberto – Supercheap Auto
Car 14 – Fabian Couthard and Luke Yaulden – Freightliner Racing
Car 7 – Todd Kelly and Alex Bunkin – Jack Daniels Racing
Car 15 – Rick Kelly and David Russell – Jack Daniels Racing
Car 2 – Garth Tander and Warren Luff – Holden Racing Team
Car 33 – Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat – Volvo Polestar Racing

The Peter Brock Trophy Winners have been.

Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup 2006.
Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup 2007.
Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup 2008.
Garth Tander and Will Davison 2009.
Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife 2010.
Garth Tander and Nick Percat 2011.
Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell 2012.
Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards 2013.
Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris 2014.
Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards 2015.

Who will win this years trophy?

 

 

Wilson Security Sandown 500 – Post Race Report

Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend of the 16th – 18th of September 2016 was the start of the Endurance season.

Wilson Security Sandown 500.

This is one of my favourite races and Dad and I have been attending for the past 5 years. Dad picked up our car from Freedom Motors on the Wednesday and we left early on the Thursday morning heading for Melbourne (or as my mum says Mexico – you know south of the border). Arriving at the Ibis Hotel at around 4pm and settling in before going to have dinner…

In Melbourne on the Friday at the racetrack I got photos taken with Josh Kean, Lee Holdsworth, Karl Reindler, Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes, Steven Richards, Shane Van Gisbergen and Alex Premat the only 1 I didn’t get a photo with on that day was Paul Dumbrell because he was getting ready for a Dunlop Series Qualifying. I caught up and got a photo with one of the Legends of Australian Motorsport Larry Perkins. Aaron Noonan I got a photo with Paul Dumbrell on the Sunday also got a photo taken with Craig Baird who is the Co-Driver for David Reynolds. Also got a photo with Chris Jewell who is Renee Gracie’s Manager.

Aaron is the V8 Sleuth.  https://www.facebook.com/v8sleuth/?fref=ts http://
www.v8sleuth.com.au/

 

Let’s go retro – that was the theme for this year’s event.

I saw the Red Bull Racing Australia team go Retro with their white Suits. I saw Mark Larkham and Matt White walk passed us because they were busy so I didn’t get a chance to get a photo with them this year. I was shaking my head at the crowd because they were getting in the way of the Triple 8 boys. Going from the truck back to the Garage.

 

The V8 TV Crew talk about going Retro Glenn (Minty) Mintern, Cameron Van Den Dungen, and Becky Lamb all went Retro. I also saw Russell Ingall, Mark Skaife, Allan Moffatt and John Harvey they all went Retro. Teams going Retro Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske used the Shell Helix Livery from back in 2003 the 2nd DJR car also went Retro with the Mighty Mite Livery with the number 66 on that Ford Falcon. Chaz went to Steve Ellery’s Livery from back in 2002.  And Matt Naulty who is a Commentator went Retro as well.

Because this was an endurance race I thought I would include what happened during the practice events. This one is for the Co-drivers.

In race for the grid 1 Steve Owen started on pole position alongside him was Paul Dumbrell for the 20 laps.

On lap 1 Paul Dumbrell got the jump and led the through turns 1, 2, 3 and 4 for the first of 20 laps. Dean Canto spun Tony Dalberto around and Steven Richards went off the track to avoid hitting him. Craig Baird went off the track and onto the grass at turn 4 by himself.

On lap 2 the co-drivers were settling down into a race pace.  The cars up front were pulling away, while the cars up the back were pushing their way through the pack.

On lap 3 Paul Dumbrell was controlling the race with ease. Tim Schenken had announced that Dean Canto was going to get a drive thru penalty for a driving infringement on lap 4 he was leading with handy margin over the cars behind. Matt Campbell was at the back of that pack of cars.

On lap 5 the replay showed that Tony D’Alberto was spun by Dean Canto and Steve Richards only just missed him.

On lap 6 Paul Dumbrell had a 1.3 second lead.

In the middle of the race Warren Luff was putting pressure on Luke Youlden for 3rd spot.

Towards the end of the race Chris Van der Drift went off the track down at turn 9 Dandenong Road.  In the end no one could catch Paul.

Results for race for the grid 1.

1st – Paul Dumbrell – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Steve Owen – Supercheap Auto Racing.
3rd – Warren Luff – Holden Racing Team.

This one is for the main drivers

In race for the grid 2 Jamie Whincup started on pole position alongside him was Chaz Mostert for this 20 lap race.

On lap 1 Jamie Whincup got the jump off the line and to the first turn, Cameron Waters was bogged in the mud down at turn 2. There was a safety car on the opening lap to remove Cam Waters car from the mud. Chaz Mostert had contact with James Moffatt.

On lap 2 everyone slowed down to get in behind the Safety car.

On lap 3 the cars were still behind the safety car the restart was on lap 5, Garth was right in Jamie’s wheel tracks.

On lap 6 Will Davison was following his former teammate Garth Tander, Scott McLaughlin got down the inside of him down at turn 1. At the start of lap 6 Fabain Coulthard was pressuring Will Davison into making a mistake.

On lap 7 Garth Tander was right up in behind Jamie Whincup.

On lap 8 Shane Van Gisbergen got a bit too much exit oversteer.

On lap 9 Will Davison just opened the steering ever so slightly just to make sure there was no contact.

In the middle of the race the drivers were settling down for the run to the finish.

In the end no could catch Jamie Whincup.

Results for race for the grid 2.

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Garth Tander – Holden Racing Team.
3rd – Scott McLaughlin – Volvo Polstar Racing Garry Rogers Motorsport.

The Main Event

The Wilson Security Sandown 500

This event starts with the Co-Drivers in place.

Paul Dumbrell started on pole position alongside him was Warren Luff for the 161 lap race.

On lap 1 Warren got the jump and Paul Dumbrell dropped through the pack. James Golding had a right front tyre go down at the end of the back straight as a result the race had to be red flagged.

The race was restarted on lap 7, there was water on the track between turns 1 and 2. Jack Perkins had a run at Alex Premat, Warren Luff just pulled away, straight away.

On lap 8 David Wall was chasing Warren Luff for the race lead. Steven Richards was under pressure from Aaron Russell. Warren Luff still had the lead of the race over David Wall.

On lap 9 Ash Walsh was being put under pressure by Paul Dumbrell the battle was on for 3rd and 4th.

On lap 10 Steve Owen was chasing down the drivers ahead of him.  He tried to get passed during the opening laps but wasn’t to be.

On lap 11 David Wall was under pressure from Ash Walsh, but wasn’t able to get close enough to make the pass. Cameron Mcconville was putting the pressure on the back of Aaron Russell. Russell Ingall was behind Cameron Waters.

On lap 12 the co-drivers were keeping the cars straight with no damage to hand them back over to the main drivers.

On lap 13 Alex Premat had pressure on him from Jack Perkins.  Paul Dumbrell was making sure that the Freightliner Holden didn’t get too far up the road – meaning get too far away.

On lap 14 Paul Dumbrell got passed Ash Walsh turn 1. The Red Bull Racing Australia Team Manager, Mark Dutton felt like he was getting held up. (That was reported by Greg Rust.) Dean Canto did the new fastest lap of the race in 15th place. The next Target for Paul Dumbrell, to move further forward was David Wall in the Volvo s60.

On lap 15 Steven Richards spun due to the wet and slippery curbs at turn 3. When he got going again the wheels just spun because there was no grip on the wet grass. Ludo came on the radio and said to him nice and smooth. Then richo’s said sorry about that.

On lap 16 the Enforcer (Russell Ingall) backed the Nissan Altama car 15 out of the tyres at turn 4.

On lap 17 Russell Ingall had smoke coming from the left hand side of that car as a result of contact with the tyres.

On lap 18 Rick Kelly was chatting with Greg Murphy and telling if him if Russell Ingall pitted they would go a lap down and it would be very hard to get that lap back.

On lap 19 Matt Campbell was getting crossed up. Dean Fiore and Luke Youlden were battling for positions 8 and 9.

On lap 20 Dean Canto had to follow Luke Youlden after being in front for the first couple of laps.

In the middle of the race Jamie Whincup had to serve a pit lane penalty due to Paul Dumbrell not taking his seat belt off the right way. Then Tim Slade got pinged as well for moving before his belt was clipped in properly.

Towards the end of the race Garth Tander’s left hand side mud guard just nearly came off and the Officials did not give car 2 a Mechanical black flag to come in get fixed.

Due to the weather and being so cold dad and I made an executive decision to return to our hotel and watched the race from the warmth of our room. Dad and I had already been pretty sick with the dreaded lurgy.

Results for the Wilson Security Sandown 500.

1st – Garth Tander and Warren Luff – Holden Racing Team.
2nd – Shane Van Gisbergen and Alex Premat – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Will Davison and Jonathon Webb. – Tekno Auto Sports.

The next event will be the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, 6th – 9th of October 2016 the Bathurst Channel will start on Foxtel 506            Monday the 3rd of October 2016.
 

Sydney Motorsport Park Eastern Creek – Post Race 2016

Grid walk

Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend of the 26th – 28th August 2016 was the Red Rooster Sydney Supersprint.

This weekend started for Dad and I on the Wednesday when Dad picked up an accessible car from Freedom Motors. Then we booked in to the Atura Hotel in Blacktown NSW, where we stayed the weekend.

On the Friday we arrived early to watch all the practice races and meet up with the drivers and their crews to get our photos taken. Eddy Mostert, who has become a friend of ours started stirring me up early about the Ford and Holden competition, then Tim Edwards joined in and this continued all weekend. Lucky they have thick skins… Hahaha…

On the Saturday Dad and I had the fortune of meeting Craig Lowndes new wife Lara and she told me that Craig had spoken fondly of us. Dad and I were impressed that he remembered us, as so many people love and follow Craig. Before the race started Lara gave us the final 2 Grid Walk passes (Thank you Lara), this gave us an opportunity to get more photos with the cars before the race started.

Lara Lowndes

In race 18 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Shane Van Gisbergen of the 31 lap race.

On lap 1 Chaz Mostert got the jump and led through turns 1, 2 and 3 but then he ran wide approaching turn 4 which resulted in him going nearly off the track and on to the grass. Which meant that Shane Van Gisbergen took the race lead. Jamie Whincup had passed Scott Pye at the same corner and then after he had passed him, he then passed Chaz Mostert to move in to 2nd spot. Also Chaz Mostert was under pressure from Scott Pye.

In the middle of the race Jamie Whincup made his pit stop and he re-joined behind his teammate Craig Lowndes then Scott McLaughlin got passed by Jamie Whincup at turn 6.

Towards the end of the race the 2 Red Bull cars battling for the race lead and the race win, coming up in fifth place was Craig Lowndes.

Results for race 18.

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

In race 19 we are looking for Jamie Whincup to finally get his 100th chamionshop win.

Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Shane Van Gisbergen for the 51 lap race. On lap 1 Craig Lowndes went from 4th to 1st by turn 1, Mark Winterbottom locked up his front right tyre. Scott McLaughlin nearly ran right off the track on the exit of turn 1.

In the middle of the race Jamie Whincup nearly hit the back of Craig Lowndes entering the pit lane.

Towards the end of the race Jamie got a bad sportsmanship flag for all 4 wheels over the yellow line on the exit of turn 5, but managed to hold on to take the race win and become the 2nd driver to join the 100 club. Congratulations Jamie.

Results for race 19

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red bull racing Australia.
2nd – Craig Lowndes – Team Vortex.
3rd – Chaz Mostert – Supercheap Auto Racing.

The next event is the Wilson Security Sandown 500 in 3 weeks’ time September 16th – 18th September 2016.

I had my photo taken with Glenn Seton, Tim Edwards, Neil Crompton, John Bowe, Karl Reindler, Lee Holdsworth, Grant Denyer, Cameron Mcconville, David Reynolds, Fabain Coulthard, Cameron Van Den Dungen, Chad Neylon, Kyle Bullock, Garth Tander, Lara Lowndes, Mark Dutton, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

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

Sydney Motorsport Park Eastern Creek – Pre race 2016

Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans

Let’s review last year’s races.

On the weekend of the 21st – 23rd August 2015, was the Sydney Motorsport Park Supersprint – Eastern Creek.

William and Dad

Last year Dad and I were at Eastern Creek for the Sydney Motorsports event, we were there when James Courtney had the unfortunate incident with the Navy helicopter. Thank goodness James has recovered enough to return to V8 Supercars. Look forward to seeing how he does in this race.

Race 21

In race 21 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Mark Winterbottom, and on lap 1, Chaz Mostert got the jump for the first of 16 Laps. Chaz Mostert tried to make a pass on his teammate Mark Winterbottom, but he had drop back in behind Tim Slade and he passed Will Davison. Towards the end of the opening lap Garth Tander passed Ash Walsh.

On lap 2 the 2 Pepsi Max Crew Fords were leading the race, David Reynolds was trying to pass Jamie Whincup to make it a Ford 1, 2 and 3 but could not be done. Craig Lowndes did his best to try and pass David Reynolds, in the middle of the race and no one could catch Chaz Mostert. In the end it was Ford finished 1 and 2.

Before the race I was able to get photos with Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes, Mark Dutton, Jamies engineer Roland Dane, head of Red Bull Racing, James Warburton, CEO of V8 Supercars Fabain Coulthard and Brad Jones. I was also invited to get photos of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup’s 2 Red Bull cars, we got a grid walk before race 1 and I also got photos with Dean Canto, Grant McPherson Craig’s Race Engineer, Barry Hay from Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport. Garry Rogers from Wilson Security racing GRM, Chad Neylon commentator for V8 radio station.

Results for race 21

1st – Chaz Mostert – Pepsi Max Crew.
2nd – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew.
3rd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.

Chaz Mostert Eastern Creek

Race 22

In race 22 Chaz Mostert started from pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup. Jamie Whincup led into turn 1 for the first time, Fabain Coulthard was 2nd at turn 1. Scott Pye and James Moffat Fabain was right behind Whincup towards the end of the first lap Rick Kelly and Jason Bright both ran wide on the exit of turn 8.

On lap 2 David Reynolds was chasing down Shane Van Gisbergen. Inbetween turns 2 and 3, Todd Kelly had to go into the garage to fix the Nissan Altama car 7.

In the middle of the race Jamie had a broken exhaust pipe, in the end Jamie Whincup was able to hold on to the race lead. Jamie

Whincup has now moved his career tally onto 92 wins, 8 behind his teammate Craig Lowndes.

Results for race 22

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

Jamie Whincup Eastern Creek

Race 23

Race 23 is the big race of the weekend and Scott McLaughlin started on pole position alongside him was David Reynolds on lap 1 of 52 David made a great start, bur Scotty managed to hold the spot. Rick Kelly and Andre Heimgartner made contact on the exit of turn 1, towards the end of the opening lap Todd Kelly got spun by Garth Tander. Todd Kelly had to drive back to the pits with a left rear tyre that wasnt pointing in the right direction and he was pretty cranky about it.

On lap 2, the safety car came Ash Walsh and Jack Perkins made their first stop under yellow, with a number of other cars. A lot of the drivers were slowing up in the pits before the 40 Kilometres per hour sign so that they would not have to double stack for too long. The restart was in between laps 4 and 5. Lee Holdsworth was behind Jamie Whicup at the restart, but he tried to go around him on the outside. In the middle of the race it started to rain and the 2 Red Bull cars had to double stack in the pits, to change from slick tyres to wet tyres.

Towards the end of the race it was a time certain finish due to the Safety cars by just 2 laps.

The commentators Greg Rust, Neil Crompton and Chad Neylon, the pit reporters were Greg Murphy along with Riana Crehan.

Results for race 23

1st – Chaz Mostert – Pepsi Max Crew.
2nd – Fabain Coulthard – Frieightliner Racing.
3rd – Jason Bright – BOC.

Chaz Mostert Eastern Creek 1

 

Coates Hire Ipswich 400 Post race 2016

HI to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend. 22nd – 24th July 2016 was the Ipswich Supersprint.

 

In race 16 Chris Pither started on pole position alongside him was Chaz Mostert for the 38 lap race. Chris Pither and Chaz Mostert both ran wide out of turn 2 which allowed Jamie Whincup to take the race lead.

On lap 2 Cameron Waters was in the garage getting his engine dramas sorted out.

On lap 3 the Triple 8 was pulling away and looking good to get a great result early on.

On lap 4 Michael Caruso got two bumps which put him onto the grass.

On lap 5 Michael Caruso backed off the throttle to re dress and let Fabain Coulthard back through.

On lap 6 the three Triple 8 cars were just on the charge leading the race.

In the middle of the race Mark Winterbottom had the speed but didn’t have enough pace to stay with the front runners. Shane Van Gisbergen at one stage was 6 seconds behind and hunted down the race leaders, passed Jamie Whincup and took the race win from his teammate.

Shane Van Gisbergen has now won his first race at Queensland raceway. Roland Dane, Mark Dutton Grant McPherson and David Cauchi were watching and hoping the 3 drivers did NOT make contact.

 

Results for race 16

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

Shane Van Gisbergen Ipswich 2016

In race 17 Jamie Whincup started on pole position (and scored his 69th V8 Supercars pole position in his V8 career), alongside him was his teammate Craig Lowndes for the 200 Klm, 65 lap race.

On lap 1 Craig Lowndes got the revs correct at just the right moment. Scott Pye turned around James Courtney and then Chris Pither hit the back of the Holden Racing Team car as well.

On lap 2 Rick Kelly and Tim Slade were the first to to make their pit stops. To not get held up in traffic.  And get some clear air for the Engine.

On lap 3 the leaders stayed out to keep track position early on.

On lap 4 the cars further back pushed their way up through the field. Which was handy for the car in front not behind.

On lap 5 Craig Lowndes was still out in front with full control of the race.

On lap 6 Shane Van Gisbergen was struggling in the opening stages of the race.

On lap 7 Jamie Whincup was right behind his teammate.

In the middle of the race Shane Van Gisbergen had to double stack, because the red bull racing Australia team thought there was going to be, but there wasn’t the double stack cost Shane a lot of time. When he re-joined the track he much further back than expected.

Towards the end of the race Mark Winterbottom was being held up by Jamie Whincup.

In the end no one could catch Craig Lowndes.

 

Results for race 17.

1st – Craig Lowndes – Team Vortex
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Chaz Mostert – Supercheap Auto Racing

Craig Lownds Ipswich 2016

Will this year be Craig Lownde’s year to win the Championship.?

The next event is the Red Rooster Sydney Supersprint. On the 26th – 28th August 2016.

 

Coates Hire Ipswich 400 Pre race 2016

Hi to all you v8 Supercars fans.

Here’s a review of last year’s races…

 

On the weekend of the 31st July – 2nd August 2015, was the Coates Hire Ipswich Super sprint. Event 7.

In race 18 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Mark Winterbottom (Frosty), on lap 1 Frosty got the jump on his teammate, into turn 1 for the first of 20 laps. Scott McLaughlin got up into 2nd spot by turn 2. Todd Kelly and Jason Bright made contact on the exit of turn 1, towards the end of the opening lap, Frosty had a good gap.

Shane Van Gisbergen made contact with the back of Chaz Mosterts Ford. At turn 6. On lap 2 Andre Heimgartner was behind both Shane and Chaz, then Chaz got passed Shane down at turn 3.

Craig Lowndes got all crossed up, James Courtney and David Reynolds were behind those cars in front of him. Chaz ran wide on the exit of turn 3. In the process he ran over one of the polystyrene signs which covered up the left hand side of his car. Towards the end of lap 2, Jamie Whincup, Fabain Coulthard were back in the pack.

On lap 3 Andre Heimgartner ran wide inbetween turns 1 and 2. Tim Slade was behind Jamie, Garth Tander got passed by the Andre Heimgartner, Tim Slade got passed Fabain Coulthard in-between turns 4 and 5. Lee Holdsworth tried to pass Andre Heimgartner around the outside, Rick Kelly passed Lee at turn 5. As well. In the middle of the race Craig Lowndes was chasing Chaz Mosert and Shane Van Gisbergen. Towards the end of the race no one could catch Frosty or Scotty.

Results for race 18.

1st – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew.
2nd – Scott McLaughlin – Volvo Polstar Racing Garry Rogers Motorsport.
3rd – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia.

In race 19 Craig Lowndes started on pole position alongside him was Mark Winterbottom, on lap 1 of 20, Craig Lowndes got the lead, but then Frosty took over by turn 2, Scott McLaughlin ran wide the exit of turn 2, also on the opening lap, Shane Van Gisbergen was parked on the grass due to him having a broken gear box. The Safety car was deployed to remove Shane’s car from the track. At turn 6, Nick Percat had the door on the right rear open due to contact with David Wall.

The restart was on lap 3, David Reynolds signalled to Craig Lowndes that if he made a mistake he would be there to pounce and overtake him.

On lap 4 Fox sports had a replay of the start which showed that Craig Lowndes ran a bit too hot into the first corner. In the middle of the race Ash Walsh was slowing approaching turn 6. Towards the end of the race Craig Lowndes tried to get passed Frosty but he couldn’t find a way passed him.

Results for race 19.

1st – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew.
2nd – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Chaz Mostert – Pepsi Max Crew.

Mark Winterbottom Ipswich win

 

In race 20 Chaz Mostert started on pole Position alongside him was Mark Winterbottom, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup qualified 3rd and 4th, respectively. On lap 1 of 65 Craig and Jamie looked very fast at turns 1 and 2 but they couldn’t go around the outside at turn 2. On lap 2 Scott McLaughlin got passed the cars that were in front of him. David Wall was back in the pack, due to not having qualified as well as he wanted too.

James Courtney rattled on the back Scott McLaughlin’s car, James had to be careful of a bump and run.

Race control can give the drivers a warning and then a pit lane drive thru penalty. On lap 3 Scott Pye and Todd Kelly were battling for positions down the pit straight. On lap 4, Ash Walsh got up the inside of Andre Heimgartner at turn 3. On lap 5 Craig Lowndes was putting the pressure on Jamie Whincup at the exit of turn 1 and on the run up to turn 2.

Greg Murphy was interviewing Roland Dane about how they were going have a better strategy than everybody else.

Frosty blinked first in terms of pit stops along with Shane Van Gisbergen and Tim Slade. In the middle of the race both the Red Bull team mates had rattle gun issues, so the team had to change guns to get the tyres off the cars. Towards the end of the race Chaz Mostert was leading but Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup were trying to catch them, but they weren’t able to do it.

Every time anyone finish behind Mark Winterbottom, the championship lead will extend, every time we finish in front of Frosty the lead will decrease meaning come down.

Results for race 20

1st – Chaz Mostert – Pepsi Max Crew.
2nd – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew.

Ipswich-Super-Sprint 2015

Who will dominate this weekend?

 

 

Castrol Edge Townsville 400 Post race 2016

Hi to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend of the 8th – 10th of July 2016, was the Castrol Edge Townsville 400.

 

In race 14 Jamie Whincup started on pole position alongside him was his teammate Shane Van Gisbergen on the 70 lap race.

On lap 1 Jamie Whincup got the jump on his teammate off the start line, everybody was trying to get track position early, Scott McLaughlin made contact with Dale Wood on the run up to turn 3, Nick Percat nearly made contact with the Nissan Altama car 96. Rick Kelly made contact with Tim Slade at turn 10. James Courtney and Shane Van Gisbergen pitted at the same time, due to the Safety car being Deployed.   Andre Heimgartner was lucky not run up the back Will Davison. While the leaders out front were just pulling away. The cars further back wanted to get into the top ten.

On lap 2 it was still a Red Bull 1 and 2, the cars were trying to catch the leaders up front of the race.

On lap 3 the cars further back pitted so they didn’t have to double stack behind the car in front when they re-joined the cars approaching turn 1 had to be careful to run up the back of the cars ahead.

On lap 4 the leaders were just cruising out front.

On lap 5 the teams were trying to stay out for as long as possible.

In the middle of the race Chaz Mostert was battling away with Shane Van Gisbergen. Also at the halfway mark the Team Vortex pit crew had put the wrong on tyres on the back of Craig Lownde’s car.

I was laughing at Neil Crompton when he told The Gear that Michael Caruso had selected to get in their gear. That was very funny.

Towards the end of the race there was a yellow flag – Safety car as a result of Nick Percat stopping on the track. The tow truck had to pull his car off to the side so that the cars could spend minimal amount of time under the Yellow Flag.

On the restart Jamie Whincup just put his foot down and took off, Mark Winterbottom was unable to catch him. By the end of the first race he had extended his championship lead to 83 points. That now takes Jamie’s career V8 wins to 99; 1 off 100. When will he reach 100 wins?

 

Results for race 14

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Mark Winterbottom – Rod Nash Racing

Townsville 2016

In race 15 Mark Winterbottom started on pole position alongside him was Craig Lowndes for the second 70 lap race of the weekend.

On lap 1 Craig bogged it down from the front row of the grid meaning he did not get away well. Which had allowed Frosty to take the race lead. Further back in the pack Tim Slade, Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly nearly came together just after the start of the race David Reynolds passed Jamie Whincup at turn 2 and tucked in behind Frosty, then he tried to take the lead, but that wasn’t able to be done. Scott McLaughlin tried to go around the outside of Shane Van Gisbergen, Chaz Mostert got a hit up the behind from James Courtney, and then Dale Wood nearly got spun by Chaz Mostert.

On lap 2 the leaders were getting away from the cars behind. The Red Bull team decided to change their strategy meaning the team brought in Shane Van Gisbergen first because Jamie Whincup was leading the race. Jamie Whincup stayed out for as long as he could to avoid the double stack. The Holden Racing team got a big slap on the wrist for letting a wheel nut travel out into the fast lane from car 2’s pit stop for Garth Tander, the team received a 30-point penalty for not taking care of their equipment in pit lane, plus they also received a fine on top of that as well.

On lap 3 Jamie was the man to beat early on.

On lap 4 the pack was settling down to a good race pace with the stops starting to take place.

On lap 5 everyone was in position to try and get track as quick as possible.

On lap 6 the race was still under green.

In the middle of the race the youngest ever V8 Supercars driver Kurt Kostecki was replacing Lee Holdsworth while he recovers. Hit the wall. Due to a Broken Steering arm. In car 18. Towards the end of the Race Van Gisbergen was still in control.

Results for race 15

1st – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia
2nd – James Courtney – Holden Racing Team
3rd – Mark Winterbottom – Rod Nash Racing

Shane Van Gisbergen Townsville 2016

The next event is the Coates Hire Ipswich Supersprint. July 22nd – 24th 2016.

Castrol Edge Townsville 400 Pre race 2016

Townsville 2015

Hi to all V8 Supercar Fans

On the weekend of the 10th – 12th of July 2015 was the Townsville 400.

In race 16 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Mark Winterbottom. Shane Van Gisbergen started from the back of the pack due to using warm up tyres in qualifying.

On lap 1, Frosty got the jump on his Pepsi MAX Crew teammate in Chaz Mostert and led the field through turns 1 and 2 for the first of 70 laps. There was contact between Todd Kelly and Andre Heimgartner, Andre came off the worse for wear. Towards the end of the opening lap Scott McLaughlin was trying to fend off Jamie Whincup.

On lap 2 Jamie went from 6th to 4th also on lap 2 Tim Blanchard was the first to pit. In car 3, Scott McLaughlin couldn’t get too adventurous because Scott Pye was right behind him. The Super Black Racing Ford Falcon FGX had damage on the front left hand side on car 111. Towards the end of lap 2 Jamie was flying through the field.

On lap 3 the 2 Scott’s were battling down the main straight for track Position. James Courtney had jumped to the other to avoid contact with Scott Pye and Fabain Coulthard. Craig Lowndes had moved from 13th down 1 spot to 14th. David Reynolds was following his teammates in cars 5 and 6. In the middle of the race Jason Bright was putting the pressure on car 888. Towards the end of the race no one could catch Mark Winterbottom and David Reynolds.

Mark Winterbottom Townsville 2015 1

Results for race 16

1st – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew
2nd – David Reynolds – Bottle ‘O’
3rd – Fabain Coulthard – Brad Jones Racing.

Race 17

In race 17 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position alongside him was Chaz Mostert.

On lap 1 Scott led through turns 1 and 2. Shane Van Gisbergen tried to get up the inside of Chaz at turn 2, Garth Tander was putting the pressure on Todd Kelly.

On lap 2 Craig Lowndes was still in 23rd

On lap 3 Scott Mclaughlin was still leading the race.

On lap 4 Fabain Coulthard got passed Garth Tander.

On lap 5 Garth Tander was very quick.

On lap 6 David Reynolds took over the race lead. Chaz wanted to follow David through to 2nd spot, but that wasn’t able to be done.

On lap 7 Scott McLaughlin had dropped back to 3rd, Mark Winterbottom tried to sneak down the inside in the process he gave the Volvo a slight bump on the rear bumper.

On lap 8 the David Reynolds was still out in front, Shane Van Gisbergen was chasing down Chaz Mostert.

On lap 9 Nissan Motorsport had a pit board due a radio malfunction for Michael Caruso, in the middle of the race David Reynolds was leading at the halfway mark, towards the end of the race no one could catch Frosty, he was too good.

Mark Dutton will be Jamie’s race engineer for the rest of the year, due to David Cauchi being under too much pressure, as a result of where Jamie was positioned on the ladder.

The next race meeting is the Ipswich 400, on the 31st July to the 2nd August 2015. Craig is back in 2nd 248 points off the championship lead. Jamie Whincup is 391 points behind. Triple 8 are 317 points behind in the team championship leader board.

A supplied image of Chaz Mostert of Prodrive Racing Australia during the Castrol EDGE Townsville 400, Event 06 of the 2015 Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series at the Townsville Street Circuitin  Townsville, Queensland, obtained Friday, July 10, 2015, Sydney. (AAP Image/ Mark Horsburgh)
A supplied image of Chaz Mostert of Prodrive Racing Australia during the Castrol EDGE Townsville 400, Event 06 of the 2015 Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series at the Townsville Street Circuitin Townsville, Queensland, obtained Friday, July 10, 2015, Sydney. (AAP Image/ Mark Horsburgh)

Results for race 17

1st – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew
2nd – James Courtney – Holden Racing Team,
3rd – David Reynolds – Bottle ‘O’ Racing Team

 

Darwin Post Race Report 2016

Craig in Darwin

Hi to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

For those of you that missed the Darwin event here is what happened on the weekend of the 17th -19th June 2016 was the Crown Bet Darwin Triple Crown.

In race 12. Shane Van Gisbergen started on pole position alongside was Michael Caruso for the 42 lap race.

On lap 1 Michael Caruso got the jump and led the pack through turn 1. Craig Lowndes got spun around by Rick Kelly that was started by Tim Slade. When Craig Lowndes spun back around to get going again he re-joined at the very back of the field. Rick Kelly was the one who hit him, with help from Tim Slade. James Moffatt ran up the back of David Reynolds.

On lap 2 the pack was starting settle into a pace. Also on that lap the cars were still running around on the racetrack until the race leader had commenced the 5th lap of the race – Meaning the cars could not start peeling off into pit lane until the start of that lap.

On lap 3 the race leader was still Michael Caruso but when the safety car was deployed he decided to stay out on the track.

On lap 4 the cars further back in the pack were trying to keep out of trouble. On the restart Shane Van Gisbergen passed Michael Caruso before the control line which meant that race control gave him a pit lane drive thru penalty, also on the restart Jamie Whincup and Scott Pye came together heading down towards turn 1.

In the middle of the race no one was able to catch Michael Caruso.

Results for race 12.

1st – Michael Caruso – Nissan motorsport
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia
3rd – Chaz Mostert – Supercheap Auto Racing Team

 

In race 13 Shane Van Gisbergen started on pole position alongside him was Todd Kelly for the 70 lap race. The start of the was nuts on lap 1 Scott Pye, Fabain Coulthard, Lee Holdsworth and Chaz Mostert all ended up in the accident on the opening lap. There was a safety car which meant everybody came in for the first of 2 stops the pit lane was a mess, Shane Van Gisbergen gave Will Davison a bump forward so that he could get into the Red Bull pit bay.

On lap 2 the cars that were in the wall got removed and the race went back to green. But Scott Pye, Fabain Coulthard and Lee Holdsworth were not able to continue because of too much damage. But Chaz Mostert was able to keep going.

On the restart Craig Lowndes was leading and made a mistake so that meant that Shane Van Gisbergen took the lead of the race.

In the middle of the race Mark Winterbottom got 2 drive thru penalties, 1st was for hitting Todd Kelly up the back side, and the 2nd one was for speeding in the pit lane. Meanwhile no one could catch Shane Van Gisbergen.

The next Event is the Castrol Edge Townsville 400. On July 8th – 10th 2016.