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Penrite Oil Sandown 500 2019 Supercars

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Hi to all you Supercars fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 8th to the 10th of November 2019 was the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.

Results for the pre – race sessions were as follows:

  • Garth Tander was fastest in practice 1 for co-drivers
  • David Reynolds was fastest in Practice 2
  • Craig Lowndes was fastest in Practice 3
  • Scott Pye & Warren Luff were fastest in the warm up for the Sandown 500.
  • Scott McLaughlin was fastest in Practice 4 & Armour All Qualifying for Race 28
  • Craig Lowndes won Race 28
  • Jamie Whincup won Race 29

Before the race on Sunday the Supercars community at Sandown paid tribute to the life of Mike Raymond, who passed away a few days earlier at the age of 76. Mike Raymond was most well known as a commentator in the late 80s, early 90s. He gave so much to the sport, our condolences to his family and all that knew him. If anyone has a good memory to share about Mike Raymond please post it on my Supercars Facebook Fan Page. I am sure others would love to hear it. https://www.facebook.com/williamsperfectride/

At the start of the 500 kilometre 161 lap race Craig Lowndes started on pole position, alongside him was Bryce Fullwood from the Dunlop Super 2 Series.

All the co-drivers bar Scott Pye started behind the wheel for the race on Sunday. I guess this is part of the strategy as the co-drivers have to do a minimum of 54 laps and can only do a maximum 107 laps.

Jack Smith was behind the wheel co-driving with Todd Hazelwood in his debut at the Enduro’s.

Both Alex Premat (co-driver for Scott McLaughlin) and Garth Tander (co-driver for Shane Van Gisbergen) started in positions 24th and 25th. These two cars are normally at the front of the grid. Garth Tander’s positioning was caused by Shane Van Gisbergen unable to complete the ‘main driver’ race on Saturday due to to a spin off track from a poorly timed takeover with Anton de Pasquale.

Alex Premat was sentenced to the back of the grid due to officials finding Scott McLaughlin’s engine was over-specced dating back to Bathurst. Quite a drama. If you have a point of view on this please feel free to put it up for discussion on my Supercars Facebook Fan Page.

Without surprise the experienced Craig Lowndes got the jump on Bryce Fullwood off the start line. Further back in the grid 3 cars stalled on the green light causing a fair bit of havoc.

Alex Davison was in one of the cars that stalled and was extremely lucky not to be collected by the cars just behind him.

At the end of the opening lap Tony Dalberto got turned around by Richard Muscat and found himself at the very back of the pack.

Luke Youlden in car # 9 received damage and was missing the rear wing. When he got back to the pits he knew that the day was over. With only 30 laps completed it must have been a big blow for him and his main driver, David Reynolds.

I was actually surprised that Dale Wood and Luke Youlden managed to limp their cars back to the pits. They looked in very poor shape.

Later in the race there was contact between Michael Caruso and Jake Kostecki. This was a really messy situation. It was when Jake Kostecki was merging from the pit lane into the fast lane. It appeared he was unaware that Caruso was coming down the fast lane. Usually the car controller gives the driver warning to yield over the comms when merging back onto the track.

Kostecki was able to continue the race but Michael Caruso’s front left wheel was now at a strange looking angle. With this damage he had to complete a full lap at a slower in order to come back around to the pits.

It merge was deemed as unsafe and the Kostecki Brothers Racing team were issued a drive through penalty.

In the middle of the race the Red Bull Holden Racing Team were running 1st & 2nd. If they could maintain their lead to the end of the race it would also place them at the top of the Team’s Championship ladder. The pressure was on!

But as luck would have it, with only 10 laps to go and in the lead, Shane Van Gisbergen’s car lost a bolt and smoke was coming out of the right rear. He was forced to call into the pits which dropped him from 1st to 17th. Shane Van Gisbergen & co-driver Garth Tander must have been gutted. They had started from the back of the grid in position 24 and worked their way into the lead. That is pretty amazing but it wold have also been Shane Van Gisbergen’s first win at Sandown (and a second win at Sandown for Garth Tander)

It was lucky for the Red Bull Team that Jamie Whincup was just behind Shane Van Gisbergen and able to take the lead for the team. Once he was told that his teammate Shane Van Gisbergen had to pit he knew he had to hold the lead to the end.

This was not difficult for Jamie Whincup and he came across the line first.

It brings Jamie Whincup’s career win total to 117 and Craig Lowndes win total to 110.

However, Shane Van Gisbergen slipping back to 17th meant they only closed the Team Championship points trail from 132 to 116. I’m sure it will be their inspiration to ‘go hard’ in the coming last race of the season, The Newcastle 500.

Results for Race 30

1st Jamie Whincup & Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
2nd Chaz Mostert & James Moffatt – Supercheap Auto Racing Team.
3rd Lee Holdsworth & Thomas Randle – Bottle O Racing Team.
Congratulations to Jack Smith who will be making his full time Virgin Australia Supercars Championship debut in 2020. Read about it in the link: https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/11/13/bjr-confirms-smith-in-expanded-four-car-2020-line-up/

Please feel free to comment on how Sandown went via my Facebook Fanpage.

https://www.facebook.com/williamsperfectride/

 

Post Race Report, Supercars

Vodafone Gold Coast 600 2019 Supercars

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Hi to all you Supercars fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 25th to the 27th of October was the Vodafone Gold Coast 600.

Pre-race sessions:

  • Jamie Whincup was fastest in Practice 1.
  • Garth Tander was fastest in Practice 2 for co-drivers.
  • Cameron Waters was fastest in practice 3 the season was red flagged due to a lot of water on the track.
  • Chaz Mostert was fastest in Armour All Qualifying.
  • Scott McLaughlin was the fastest in the Armour All top ten shootout.

In Race 26 Alex Premat started on pole position alongside him was Craig Lowndes.

At the start of the 102 lap race Craig Lowndes got the jump off the start line. Alex Premat stalled his car losing his number 1 position on the grid which put the championship leading car back into 2nd off the start.

All of the co-driver’s started the race behind the wheel except main game driver. Jack Le Brocq.

During the opening stages it got overcrowded in the S-bends. In order to avoid making contact with other cars eight drivers were forced to short cut the circuit and drove straight over the chicanes. Race Control issued warnings to them about having all four wheels out of track bounds and short cutting the circuit but they didn’t penalise anyone at that stage.

Thomas Randle who was making his debut in the V8-Supercars Championship as co-driver for Lee Holdsworth showed his inexperience and held up Michael Caruso. Eventually the pass was made and he was lucky not to be penalised. Even commentator Mark Skaife said that Thomas Randle should have let Michael Caruso by a lot earlier than he did.

Mark Winterbottom had a problem with his car which made him have to re visit the pit lane to have the problem sorted out.

Fabian Coulthard was watching the opening stages race from the garage while Tony Dalberto was behind the wheel doing his minimum 34 laps required by all co-drivers. I’m sure Fabian Coulthard’s heart must have skipped a beat when Dalberto made contact Jack Perkins. Luckily it wasn’t major and both continued without stopping.

By the middle of the race Jamie Whincup was effectively leading. The cars ahead of him only lead because they had not perform their second pit stop.

Jamie Whincup was not going to blow this opportunity. He maintained his lead all the way to the finish line. Shane Van Gisbergen was on his tail pushing him along. This was a great result for the Triple Eight team and the only time this year to get a 1st & 2nd in a race.

As co-driver to Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes statistics breach 1000 laps of lead for all combined races. A momentous occasion for such a legend.

Results for Race 26

1st Jamie Whincup & Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
|2nd Shane Van Gisbergen & Garth Tander – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
3rd Scott McLaughlin & Alex Premat – Shell V Power Racing Team.

In Qualifying for race 27 Shane Van Gisbergen was fastest and then again in the Armour All top ten shootout.

Scott McLaughlin did not take part in this race at all because he crashed in Qualifying.

As co-driver for Shane Van Gisbergen, Garth Tander started on pole position. Alongside him was Craig Lowndes, co-driver for Jamie Whincup.

As they started the 102 lap race Craig Lowndes got the jump on Garth Tander but then Garth Tander took the lead and held position.

On the opening there was an accident between Ash Walsh, Will Brown, Todd Hazelwood and Dean Canto.

Garth Tander led his opening stint until it was time to pit and hand over to Shane Van Gisbergen.

James Courtney’s driver’s swung open. He tried to close it but at the next turn it swung open again. He faught with the door but it just wouldn’t close. He ended up getting a Mechanical Black Flag meaning he was forced into the pits for the team to tape it shut.

By the middle of the race Shane Van Gisbergen was the effective race leader with cars in front of him yet to complete their 2nd pit stops.

It was looking good again for the Triple Eight Team.

In the closing stages Jamie Whincup had fresh rubber on and grip to his advantage but he just fell short on getting another race win for 2019. It was his teammate Shane Van Gisbergen who crossed the line first.

It was another 1st and 2nd for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team for the weekend.

Results for Race 27

1st Shane Van Gisbergen & Garth Tander – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
2nd Jamie Whincup & Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
|3rd David Reynolds & Luke Youlden – Erebus Motorsport.

The next event is the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on the 8th to the 10th of November 2019.

Please feel free to comment on how the Gold Coast event was.

https://www.facebook.com/williamsperfectride/

 

Post Race Report, Supercars

Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 2019 Supercars

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Hi to all you Supercars fans around the World!

checkout my pre vlog below. Its also available on my youtube channel.

On the weekend of the 10th to the 13th of October, 2019 was the 59th running of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. This is locally known as “The Great Race” and is the most widely viewed motorsport race in Australia and internationally renowned. There is always a hyped up vibe when this endurance   is on and it’s always exciting.

In the Pre-race sessions leading up to big event there we a few surprising results.

In Practice 1 Jamie Whincup was fastest. The session was temporarily stopped (red flagged) when Macauley Jones hit the wall at the cutting. After being towed off the track he was obliged to sit out the rest of the session. That is the penalty for causing a Red Flag in the practice sessions.

Practice 2 was a co-driver session. James Moffatt was fastest. Yet again the red flag was on display, this time for Luke Youlden who hit wall the between Reid Park and McPhillamy Park.

Scott McLaughlin was fastest in Practice 3.

Practice 4 was another co-driver session and Will Brown was fastest.

Scott McLaughlin was fastest in Practice 5 and then in the Armour All Qualifying.

Will Davison was fastest in Practice 6

Chaz Mostert was fastest in Practice 7

In the warm up session on the morning of the race, Fabian Coulthard & Tony Dalberto were fastest.

By 11:30am the race was ready to begin. The cars were all lined up on the starting grid and the tension was building. All of a sudden there was an emergency call out from one of the cars. Brodie Kostecki of Kostecki Brothers Racing was in trouble. The cockpit was filling with carbon monoxide fumes and his helmet’s circulation fan had come loose. He was immediately rushed to medical centre and checked out by the official Supercars doctor, Dr Carl Le. The car was then towed off the grid. They were given dispensation by officials and were able to rejoin the race later.

After this delay the race could finally begin.

Scott McLaughlin was sitting in Pole Position with Chaz Mostert alongside him. This was the second time Scott McLaughlin had earned pole position for the Bathurst 1000. The first time was in 2017.

I was quite surprised that most of the main drivers started and only a couple of co-drivers started the race.

As they took off for the 161 lap 1,000 km race, Scott McLaughlin got the jump into turn 1 and led up mountain straight.

Craig Lowndes did the opening stint for car 888 as part of their strategy. He tried to get up the inside of Will Davison at turn 1 but the pass wasn’t able to be done cleanly and he pulled back. This was OK because he, like all the other drivers knew there was a long way to go.

On that first lap as they got to ‘The Cutting’ Tim Slade was on the outside of Scott Pye. The Cutting is an impossible turn to pass on and Time Slade left the track and hit the wall. The Vodafone Safety Car was deployed to remove the car from the track. It was bad luck for the Brad Jones Racing team. One of their two cars was already out of the race on lap 1. It must have been a massive disappointment for co-driver Ash Walsh to not get a chance to drive in the most coveted event of the year.

After this incident there was no safety car deployed for the next 100 laps.

As the race continued the cars that started further back in the pack came in early to get their first of 7 pit stops out of the way. The leading cars stayed out to make use of the clear track and gain position.

I was surprised how quick Scott McLaughlin and Chaz Mostert was in the opening stages of the race.

In the middle of the race Alex Premat was leading the race in his co-drivers stint. He had a massive lockup on the front right wheel at ‘The Chase’ which caused him go off the track. This allowed Chaz Mostert and Jamie Whincup to move from 2nd and 3rd to 1st and 2nd positions. Although he lost position I couldn’t believe that Alex Premat managed to keep his #17 Mustang straight and not spin.

For the closing stage of the race it’s normal strategy to get main drivers back in the car. For Lowndes and Tander, who were for the first time in their careers acting as co-drivers, it must have been nerve wracking to watch from the sidelines and not be behind the wheel.

When the main drivers jumped back in they needed to conserve fuel to get to the end of the race. Once again the spotlight was on Brodie Kostecki. He hit the wall going up the hill out of The Cutting and the race went to ‘Yellow’ as the Safety Car was deployed and the car was recovered and returned to the pits.

Oil Soak had to be spread on the track to absorb the oil lost from Kostecki’s car. It meant other drivers couldn’t use the racing line coming out of The Cutting at the risk of taking a slide.

At this point of the race, Jamie Whincup was the leading car cruising behind the safety car and saving fuel.

Soon after the race went back to green, at lap 135 the car of Indy drivers Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe left the track and got stuck in the sand. Once again the safety car was deployed and the car was towed out but still able to re-join the race track.

It was during this incident that the biggest controversy in history of the Bathurst 1000 occurred. Jamie Whincup in the lead and Scott McLaughlin in 2nd place were told to press on. 888 instructed Jamie Whincup to head into the pits to take the opportunity to top up on fuel. Fabian Coulthard in third place was instructed to slow down. This held the rest of the cars on the track as they were unable to pass while the race was still under yellow. It was deemed by officials as a purposeful tactic to let his teammate, Scott McLaughlin continue in the lead without any contenders. The unsporting manoeuvre earned Fabian Coulthard a drive through penalty. In the following week this incident blew up into a massive controversy of how the team and Scott McLaughlin as the race winner should be penalised. Many, including Erebus Team Manager, Barry Ryan, have called for Scott McLaughlin to be stripped of his title.

Just one lap short of the race finish, at lap 160 the Safety Car was again deployed. This time it was Andre Heimgartner of Nissan Motorsport. The officials didn’t want to delay the race or have it finish safety car, yellow so they tucked his car in behind barriers till the end of the race.

This gave the leaders a 1 lap dash to the finish line. There just wasn’t opportunity in that last lap for anyone to take the lead of Scott McLaughlin.

The last time the pole sitter won the Bathurst 1000 was Garth Tander and Will Davison back in 2009.

Results for race 25

1st Scott McLaughlin & Alex Premat – Shell V Power Racing Team.
2nd Shane Van Gisbergen & Garth Tander – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
3rd James Courtney & Jack Perkins – Walkinshaw Andretti United (started 18th gaining 15 places to finished 3rd).
4th Jamie Whincup & Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.

The next event is the Vodafone Gold Coast 600 25th to the 27th of October 2019.

Feel free to give me your opinion on how the Bathurst event went via my facebook Fanpage.

https://www.facebook.com/williamsperfectride/

 

 

 

https://www.velocitynews.co.nz/news/confirmed-mclaughlin-keeps-bathurst-1000-win-coulthard-and-djrtp-penalized?fbclid=IwAR1ycPBzMsGabevwrSlNZIRDhVdiMwTnJozSqCi-8Qqsx8Q8iidhjZHZKu0

 

https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/10/18/grm-confirms-supercars-exit/

Post Race Report, Supercars

Vodafone Gold Coast 600 2018 Supercars

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans Around the world!

On the weekend of the 19th to the 21st of October 2018 Was the Vodafone Gold Coast 600 in Queensland, this race track is a Concrete Canyon.

Rick Kelly was fastest in Practice 1, James Golding caused a red flag in the final 30 seconds of practice number 1, meaning that if a car or driver brings out the Red Flag they are not allowed to continue in that session.

Aaren Russell was fastest in practice 2 for the co drivers, while Shane Van Gisbergen was fastest in practice 3 for main drivers and Will Davison caused a red flag, when the front left suspension broke and as a result of that Will Davison went into the wall in-between turns 2 and 3.

In Qualifying Shane Van Gisbergen was fastest but in the Top Ten shootout, both Shane Van Gisbergen and James Courtney had their laps deleted by race control for putting all 4 wheels over the curbs at the Virgin Australia back chicane.

In race 26 Scott Mclaughlin and Alex Premat started on pole position alongside them was Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell.  Most of the co-drivers started the race accept for 1 main driver which was Craig Lowndes.

The minimum laps the co-drivers had to do were 34 before handing back to the main drivers and the maximum was 68 laps.

At the start of the race Alex Premat was leading the opening lap until Paul Dumbrell tried to make a move on car 17 which didn’t end well for Alex Premat. Because he ended up dropping from 1st to 11th. Which wasn’t ideal for Scott Mclaughlin’s championship hopes. But my first thought was I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex Premat had any damage as a result of the whack with the wall in-between turns 11 and 12.

The incident between Alex Premat and Paul happened on lap 2 which race control said no further action meaning there was no penalty to be issued.

Brad Jones Racing got pinged for losing a wheel, and that wasn’t all they also got fined $5,000 and also got docked 30 team’s championship points, which would not make Brad Jones a very happy team boss.

After Will Brown hit the wall heavily and broke the rear wing the Vodafone safety car was deployed, I thought there was no way that Steve Owen could get passed Will in that spot, but he tried it anyway.

While the Safety car was out, everybody took the opportunity to pit, that was when pit lane got busy.

Both Paul Dumbrell and Earl Bamber copped a drive thru penalty for unsafe pit releases after making contact with James Moffatt.

In the middle of the race most of the co drivers had done their 34 laps. Which was a good the only 1 that hadn’t done the 34 laps was Steven Richards because he didn’t start the race, James Courtney was battling with Craig Lowndes for 2nd spot. He finally got by after James Courtney made a mistake and ran wide.

What happened between the middle and the end? Will Davison tried to get passed Scott Pye while James Courtney was trying to hold back the people’s champion in Craig Lowndes from getting on the podium but wasn’t able to hold him back towards the end of the Race Shane Van Gisbergen had to fighting back because he was down in 15th spot.

 

Towards the end of the Chaz Mostert was battling Craig Lowndes for the race win, but unfortunately Craig didn’t have enough laps or time to catch up to him.  I thought Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards were going to win.

 

Results for race 26

1st Chaz Mostert & James Moffatt – Supercheap Auto Racing.
2nd Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards – Autobarn Lowndes Racing.
3rd James Courtney & Jack Perkins – Mobil 1 Boost Mobile Racing.

 

The only 2 drivers to get a Do Not Finish – DNF or NC – Not Complete were Will Brown and Steve Owen.

In total 24 cars finished race 26.

In Qualifying for race 27, Shane Van Gisbergen was the fastest driver meaning he got the last go in the top 10 Shootout.

The drivers who didn’t set a time were, Jamie Whincup, Scott Mclaughlin and Tim Slade who started 8th 9th and 10th respectively. This means that 3 drivers that started 8th 9th and 10th didn’t complete their laps.

In race 27

David Reynolds and Luke Youlden on pole, alongside them was Chaz Mostert and James Moffatt. What started out as a 102 lap, 300 kilometres race, ended short due to the weather.

Luke Youlden got the jump on and led though the turns 1, 2 and 3. While the start of the race was dry and for the opening, basically all of the co-drivers started accept for Erebus motorsport car 99 which was started with Anton De Pasquale.

After the race got underway the dark clouds started rolling in, I thought oh my god here comes the rain, when the conditions started to get worse everybody was out on the track with dry tyres on.

I thought if the drivers who started the race were out with dry tyres, they could end up hitting the wall if they are not careful.

Steven Richards turned Scott Pye around at turn 4 which normally would mean that Steven Richards would have copped a drive thru penalty.

When Scott Pye and Steven Richards come together Paul Dumbrell was right behind them.  And I thought oh no it looked like Paul Dumbrell was going to be involved in the Incident, but thankfully he missed it early on in that. I wondered why Luke Youden had moved over and it was because he knew there was a long way to go which is a good call because if the other doesn’t see you and turns in you can do a pit penalty, which wouldn’t be helpful, especially for the drivers who are in Championship contention,

Which is Scott McLaughlin and Shane Van Gisbergen, so if any of those drivers made a mistake they have either give the spot back or cop a pit lane penalty.

There were 5 cars in the wall at turn 12 when Neil Crompton first started counting them. Which allowed Paul Dumbrell to push on. The rain arrived and it came bucketing down with thunder and lighting at that point I was, oh no this is dangerous for not only drivers, but the fans and camera crew.

The drivers only did   29 laps under green flag racing, before the Vodafone Safety was deployed due to bad weather.

Both the Brad Jones Racing cars ended up in the wall at turn 12 they were driven by Macauley Jones and Ash Walsh. What does this mean? It mean that when the team got back to their Albury workshop they had to start repairing their damaged cars which Brad Jones wouldn’t have been happy with doing.

Also, David Russell ended hitting the wall at the same place due to having no grip.

Jamie Whincup was on standby waiting for Paul Dumbrell to come into the pit lane so that he could get in for his stint.  But interesting to note because Paul Dumbrell was stuck in tyres at turn 12 he couldn’t drive car 1 back to the pitlane, so, car 1 went back on the back of a tow truck.

While the Red Flag was out, which meant the race was suspended until the track dried out. I don’t think they wanted another incident like Symonds Plains Tasmania.

But the rains didn’t let up.

The funniest part of race 27 was when Mark Skaife asked Neil Crompton “call him crazy” which was funny, but other people may not have seen it that way.

Even Barry Ryan from Erebus Motorsport said that the race should been stopped because the weather was so bad. And that would make it a non-Event. When tried to restart the race, I thought they were mad in doing so because that would’ve meant the teams would have wrecked race cars and knowing that the next race meeting is a fly away event the teams didn’t want to risk it. Which I thought was a good idea.

When the race was suspended again for the 2nd time Tim Schenken made a call to stop the completely.

Mark Skaife said it was the right call.

There were no results for race 27, their are still 14 points between Scott Mclaughlin and Shane Van Gisbergen heading to the ITM Auckland Supersprint on the 2nd to the 4th of November 2018.

 

https://www.facebook.com/williamsperfectride/ if you have any thoughts on the how the weekend went please feel free to let me know via my Facebook Fan page.

Post Race Report, Supercars

Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Supercars

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Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 4th to the 7th of October 2018 was the 2018 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

It was the 58th running of what has now become the most well known race in Australia.

It was also race 25 in the annual championships.

The weather was poor throughout the preliminaries to the race and the rain and wet track gave additional challenges in fine tuning the cars.

The results of the lead up events proved interesting with the following drivers clocking the fastest times:

·        Practice 1 – Will Davison.

·        Practice 2 – Alex Premat (a co drivers only session).

·        Practice 3 – Richie Stanaway.

·        Practice 4 – Luke Youlden.

·        Practice 5 – Michael Caruso.

·        Armour All Qualifying – Jamie Whincup.

·        Practice 6 David Reynolds and Luke Youlden.

·        Top Ten Shootout – David Reynolds.

·        Warm Up – Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat.

When it came time for the big race to start the skies didn’t clear but it did stop raining and the track was looking a lot dryer.

For the start of the 161 lap race David Reynolds and Luke Youlden started on pole position, alongside them was Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell.    

I assume I am not spoiling anything about the results by mentioning Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards started 9th.

Erebus Motorsport were running 1st and 2nd during the opening laps due to Jamie Whincup bogging down off the start line. I thought, “It’s a long way to go and there is plenty of time for a pro like Jamie Whincup to make it up’.

Most of the main drivers started the race. The only co-drivers to start the race were Ash Walsh, Tony Dalberto and James Moffatt.

Cameron Waters was not happy with Chaz Mostert due to an incident at Forest Elbow. Chaz Mostert came into contact with David Russel while he was co-driving for Cameron Waters. The car suffered badly in the contact and got a broken steering arm.

Ash Walsh went off track twice due to out braking himself.

James Courtney had an engine failure while his co-driver Jack Perkins was at the wheel. It couldn’t be repaired and they received no point and DNF.

In the first stint David Reynolds went to 23 laps before pitting and handing over to his co-driver Luke Youlden. Luke Youlden ran wide at turn 1 and I thought that the Red Bull cars were going to run 1st and 2nd after but that wasn’t the case. Youlden managed to keep the lead.

The first Vodafone Safety Car was deployed due Dean Fiore slowing down due to hitting the wall at turn 1.

On lap 40 of 161, The Red Bull Holden Racing Team car number 1 driven by Paul Dumbrell was in second place to Luke Youlden. Coming down the main straight he lost a front right wheel, which also took the hub along with it. Paul Dumbrell had a lot of speed but amazingly managed to control the car back to the pits with just 3 wheels!!!! It wasn’t that controlled because at one stage he looked as if he was going to run into the back of Tim Slade. My first thought was, ‘OMG – slow down! Don’t do too much damage’. The end result was going a lap down which to be honest is not a bad effort considering the repairs needed.

They were well into the race when the rain started to come down and most drivers pitted for the correct rubber.  Some teams choose to stay on dry tyres which I thought was a bit risky. I guess it wasn’t that heavy and if it just spits then it is ok to stay on slicks.

In the middle Alex Premat nearly had a massive crash when he was re-joining the race after going off track at the ‘Bottle O Chase’ at high speed. Im sure it wouldn’t have impressed Scott McLaughlin one bit.

Chris Pither avoided an accident which I didn’t think he would pull-off because he was so close to the car in front of him.

Towards the end of the race David Reynolds was still leading with Craig Lowndes following close behind in 2nd place.

Prior to the race David Reynolds stated that he hadn’t been sleeping well and feeling pretty aweful (probably nerves about the big race). As the race moved on past half way David Reynolds told engineers he was cramping and fatigued but still chose to drive on. The team repeatedly asked him if he was OK and he should come in and handover to his co-driver Luke Youlden.  

David Reynolds soon stated he had blurry vision but was still determined to carry on. He was called into pits and given fluids with electrolytes and a few other things.

When he was just about to leave the pits he had another cramp and spun his wheels while still jacked up. He was given a drive through penalty which he had to serve and it just broke his lead that he had maintained all through the race. He even had set a lap record earlier but now it was clear he had to come back in for an unscheduled pit stop to hand over to Luke Youlden. The lost time was too much and they finished up crossing the line luck 13th. It was a sad moment for the Erebus team.

If there was anyone that you would wish was going to be in a position to take advantage, it would be Craig Lowndes. He recently announced his retirement from full-time racing and is considered by many as a great driver plus a hell-of-a-guy! I even wished this win for him as a perfect way to close his last year of full time driving.

It was lap 133 when Craig Lowndes took the race lead and was never headed, meaning no one could catch him. It was a big lead too that no one was closing. He finished an incredible 6.2919 seconds ahead of Scott Pye. The crowd just went wild!

Results for race 25

1st Craig Lowndes & Steven Richards – Autobarn Lowndes Racing.
2nd Scott Pye & Warren Luff – Mobil 1 Boost Mobile Racing.
3rd Scott McLaughlin & Alex Premat – Shell V Power Racing Team.

 

 

The next event is the Vodafone Gold Coast 600 19th to the 21st of October 2018.

 

Can Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards win the 2018 Pirtek Enduro cup?

The 2 races at the Gold coast will be races 26 and 27.

if you have any Questions or Opinions on how the race panned out please feel to let me know via.

https://www.facebook.com/williamsperfectride/

Post Race Report, Supercars

Rabble Club Sandown 500 2018 Supercars

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Hi to all you Supercars fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 14th to the 16th of September, 2018 was the Rabble Club Sandown 500.

The preliminaries to the race were almost as exciting as the main event.

In the co-drivers only session which was Practice 1, Paul Dumbrell clocked the fastest time.

Jamie Whincup was fastest in Practice 2.

Chaz Mostert had some really bad luck in Practice 2. He spun off track in his 55 Supercheap Auto Ford Falcon smashing the rear end into the fence.

James Courtney and Jack Perkins started at the back of the grid due to James Courtney having a huge crash on lap 3 of Race For the Grid 2 (Qualifying).

Erebus owner, Betty Klimenko wasn’t at Sandown on the weekend because she was sick with the flu. David Reynolds claiming pole position must have made her feel at least a little bit better as she watched the race from home.

During the 20 minute warm up, the teams were practicing brake rotor change which will be compulsory at Bathurst in 3 weeks’ time. This new requirement for the Bathurst race is being introduced to improve safety. Yes, I know brakes are important but could it introduce other risks to the race. I am still in two minds about it.

Finally at 1:20pm on Sunday The Sandown 500 started.

David Reynolds and Luke Youlden (Erebus) started on pole position. Alongside them were Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell (Triple 8).

As usual most of the co-drivers took the driver’s seat at the start of the race, except James Courtney because of their poor qualifying position. This is the norm in team strategies allowing the seasoned pros to later make up for any mishaps.

The co-drivers have to do a minimum of 54 laps before the main driver can get into the cars.

When the lights turned green to start the 161-lap race Luke Youlden bogged it down, which allowed Paul Dumbrell to take the race lead.

Chris Pither, co-driver with Garth Tander started in car 33 at 9th position on the grid but on lap 1 he was in the fence which put him at the back of the pack. (They eventually recovered finishing 9th which isn’t a bad effort at all)

Dean Canto Co-driver for Mark Winterbottom in the Tickford Racing team made contact with Luke Youlden. I thought there going steering damage as a result but remarkably somehow there wasn’t.

The first Vodafone Safety Car was deployed for Dean Fiore after he contacted the barrier on the exit of turn 4.  Then with the right front wheel wobbling all over the place he limped the Nissan Altama back to the pits

The 3 Triple 8 cars were running 1st, 2nd and 3rd for most of the race, all bar pit stops.

In the middle of race Jason Bright caused the second incident for the Vodafone Safety Car to be deployed because he bogged his car in the sand trap at turn 9 in a really dangerous spot.

Towards the end of the race I thought Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards were going to finish 2nd behind Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell in car 1.

Regardless, no one could catch or upset the 1, 2, 3 of the 3 Triple 8 cars lead. ‘Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner’ as quoted by Jeromy Moore in a race a few years back.

The funniest parts of the weekend was when commentator Chad Neylon was betting on who was going to win the Sandown 500 by using a horse racing tote. My first thought was, Chad this is not Horse Racing. At that point Scott Mclaughlin with Alex Premat were the Favourites to win.

Then on Supercars Trackside, Mark Larkham was trying to explain what the teams will have to do at Bathurst for the brake rotor change. By mishap the burning hot rotor fell off the car onto his foot. Mark Larkham exclaimed on national TV ‘Oh Shit!’. Too funny but glad he wasn’t hurt.

Result for 2018 Rabble Club Sandown 500

1st car 1 Jamie Whincup & Paul Dumbrell – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
2nd car 97 Shane Van Gisbergen & Earl Bamber – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
3rd car 888 Craig Lowndes & Steven Richards- Autobarn Lowndes Racing.

Now that Sandown has been run there are only 4 events left in the 2018 Supercars Championship.

Up next is the biggest event of the year, The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on the 4th to the 7th of October 2018.

To keep us all up to date on the event the Bathurst Channel launches on Monday the 1st of October 2018 and finishes on 7th of October 2018.  It should be a lot of fun.

Will Triple 8 Dominate at Bathurst like they did at Sandown with a 1, 2, 3 finish?

If you have any thoughts or opinion on how the weekend and the race panned out please feel free to let me know via my Facebook Fan page.

https://www.facebook.com/williamsperfectride/?ref=bookmarks

Post Race Report, Supercars

Coates Hire Ipswich Supersprint 2018 Supercars

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Hi to all you Supercars fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 20th to the 22nd of July 2018 was the Coates Hire Ipswich Supersprint.

This was a weekend of some unusual events and some big fines for drivers and teams with Chaz Mostert losing a front position on the grid. Also, Jamie Whincup and the Erebus Team received fines for some strange behaviour.

This weekend Russell Ingall was out on track in Shane Van Gisbergen’s car for the additional co-driver session. He was sitting in for Earl Bamber who is still overseas racing on other events.

Russel Ingall is like the ‘go-to man’ when someone needs an extra driver. He is always happy to get there.

Jamie Whincup did a practice start in the wrong spot. It was a poor decision and received $1,000 fine with $500 suspended to the end of the year.

The Erebus team was also fined but much more severely, $10,000 with $5,000 suspended to the end of the 2019 season. This was for an infringement during Anton De Pasquale’s pit stop. The car was dropped while an Erebus crew member was still working on the front left wheel. The mechanic was knocked to the ground but apparently not injured. I guess it’s one of those things where the person at the wheel (on the right side of the car) has no way of knowing what is going on below at the front left. It is one hell of a fine. Fair or unfair? What do you think? If you have a point of view post it on https://www.facebook.com/williamsperfectride/

Will Davison revealed the new sponsor signage on his car from Milwaukee. The change also meant he was issued with a new car number, 120 (from his old number 230).

In race 19 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position.

Chaz Mostert was supposed to be alongside pole but was penalised for blocking Shane Van Gisbergen in Qualifying, so his start position was shuffled from 2nd to 5th. As a result Fabian Coulthard joined his teammate on the grid front row.

At the start of the 39-lap race Scott McLaughlin didn’t get the ideal start and I was sure Fabian Coulthard would take the lead. However, even with a bad start Scott McLaughlin still has the speed and skill that is hard to contend with and he managed to hold his number 1 position.

Fabian Coulthard was cheered on by his partner, Becky Lamb and their kids who attended the races over the weekend.

I couldn’t believe the amazing start that Shane Van Gisbergen got. After qualifying 8th on the grid, he was in the 3rd spot by turn 2. I thought it was an amazing piece of driving. Well done Shane Van Gisbergen.

David Reynolds was pulling out all stops to try and stay in championship contention. If he wants this to happen he will have to prove himself all the way to the end of the season. As commentator Mark Skaife said, that it is pretty questionable because he is too far behind in terms of points.

Garth Tander and Rick Kelly spent some quality time up close and personal as they battled for position 5 and 6.

In the middle of the race Craig Lowndes was on the charge to get to the front of the field from his qualifying position of 10th. It worked out well and he did finish 3rd. It seems Queensland Raceway is his cup of tea. This is his 23rd podium finish on this track.

During the telecast, commentator Mark Larkham talked about the introduction of Ford Mustang for the 2019 season. That ought to shake things up a bit. They will not come into the game without the intention of winning so the competition will be tough.

Scott McLaughlin once again showed his stuff and was the race winner earning 150 points to his season tally. As a result this extends his championship lead from what was 131 points to 143 points. Scott McLaughlin! You missed out on the championship last year by bad luck. Will 2018 be your year?

Results for race 19

1st Scott McLaughlin – Shell V Power Racing Team.
2nd Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
3rd Craig Lowndes – Autobarn Lowndes Racing.

In race 20 once again, Scott McLaughlin started on pole position. Alongside him was Shane Van Gisbergen.

At the start of the 65 lap race James Courtney, Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom all made contact which resulted in a lot of damage. All three were forced to return to the pits for repairs.

Shane Van Gisbergen led the entire way. I was happy to finally see a Triple 8 car up front instead of Scott McLaughlin.

Craig Lowndes came in to get his first pit stop out of the so he wouldn’t have double stack with Jack Le Brocq. I think was a good strategy that he must keep in mind because if the Vodafone safety car was deployed then Craig Lowndes would have to double stack behind Jack Le Brocq which can cause serious loss in track time.

Soon after the start Nick Percat went off the race track at turn 1 due to a flat left front tyre.

Fabian Coulthard took the opportunity to come into the pits while teammate Scott McLaughlin was running 2nd and staying out to maintain track position.

Chaz Mostert also stayed out early on for the same reason because he was racing near the front.

After the incident at the start causing Mark Winterbottom to spend repair time in the pits, he was able to rejoice on return to the track even though a couple of laps behind race leader Shane Van Gisbergen. I personally was quite surprised that Mark Winterbottom was able to get back out there.

James Courtney on the other hand did not re-join the race because he had too much damage to continue.

Garth Tander and Rick Kelly were once again battling it out this weekend. In race 19 it was for 5th and 6th, this time it was for positions 9th and 10th.

In the middle of the race Scott McLaughlin was trying to catch Shane Van Gisbergen. Scott McLaughlin might have the speed to earn him all his pole positions but out on the track Shane Van Gisbergen is a hard man to beat.

As the race came to its end Chaz Mostert was running 3rd under heavy pressure from Jamie Whincup who is never happy without a podium finish. Chaz Mostert kept him at bay and kept his position to the end.

Shane Van Gisbergen who led the entire race came across the line triumphantly more than 2 seconds ahead of Scott McLaughlin.

Results for Race 20

1st Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Holden Racing
2nd Scott McLaughlin – Shell V Power Racing Team
3rd Chaz Mostert – Tickford Racing.
4th Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.

The next event is the Red Rooster Sydney SuperNight 300 on the 3rd and 4th of August 2018.

The funniest moment of weekend was after Neil Crompton had finished interviewing Craig Lowndes. Craig Lowndes (having grown up as a fan of Greg Murphy) went to the port-a-loo yelling ‘5 minutes’ whilst acting out a tantrum in jest of a Greg Murphy incident at Bathurst back in 2002. Crompton immediately got the joke and had a good laugh.

 

Drivers

James Moffat

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Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world!

At the end of the 2017 season James Moffat announced that he will not be driving full time in 2018.

As it turns out he looks to be hot property and going to have a busy 2018 anyway.

Stepping out from full time driving is for many reasons, one of which is to let young James Golding step up to the main game this year.

He will be driving in the Pirtek Enduro cup with Tickford Racing in 2018.

Out of respect for his contribution to the V8 Supercars racing industry I thought it would be a good idea to look back over his career to date.

James Moffatt was born on the 18th of June 1984.

As the son of Allan Moffatt (a legend in the world of touring cars) it was inevitable that his path would lead him into the motor sport industry.

James Moffatt made his V8 Supercars Championship Series Debut in 2011 with Dick Johnson Racing.

He drove with Steven Richards in the Enduros in 2010 in the Dunlop Super Dealers Ford Falcon car number 6.

He has been a fulltime V8 Supercars driver since 2011.

This year will be first time he will not have a fulltime drive.

His professional driving history is as follows:

·       2004 Australian Lotus Trophy
·       2005 Australian V8 Utes Series
·       2007 Australian Formula Ford Championship
·       2008 Australian Carrera Cup Championship

·       2009 Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series
·       2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series
·       2011 V8 Supercars Championship Debut

·       2012 V8 Supercars Championship
·       2013 V8 Supercars championship
·       2014 V8 Supercars championship
·       2015 V8 Supercars Championship
·       2016 V8 Supercars championship
·       2017 V8 Supercars Championship

Some of his career stats are:

·       222 Races
·       1 win
·       2 podium finishes
·       1 Pole position

Bathurst Career Results:

·       2010 Ford Performance Racing FG Falcon finished 11th lap 161
·       2011 Dick Johnson Racing finished 25th got to lap 146.
·       2012 Dick Johnson Racing finished 10th lap 161
·       2013 Nissan Motorsport finished 18th lap 161
·       2014 Nissan Motorsport finished 2nd lap 161
·       2015 Nissan Motorsport finished 10th lap 161
·       2016 Garry Rogers Motorsport DNF Lap 108
·       2017 Garry Rogers Motorsport DNF Lap 141

I am sorry to see James Moffat leaving his full-time driving position but I am sure we haven’t heard the last from him.

Post Race Report, V8 Supercars

TYREPOWER TASMANIA SUPERSPRINT SYMMONS PLAINS 2017

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Hi to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend of the 7th to the 9th of April 2017 was the Tyrepower Tasmaina Supersprint.

Race 3 was meant to be 50 laps, a total of 120 Kilometres. As you will read below, things don’t always go to plan.

Although humorous in some ways but also a possible omen for what was to come, when Russell Ingall took Lee Holdsworth’s car out for a hot lap he hit the wrong button and set off the fire extinguisher. He exclaimed over the comms ‘Oops!!! what did I press?’

The wet weather at the Symmons Plains track seemed manageable enough and the drivers took their places.

Scott McLaughlin started on pole position and alongside him was Chaz Mostert.

On lap 1 Chaz Mostert got the jump on Scott McLaughlin and led the race on the opening lap. Shane Van Gisbergen was following not far behind.

On lap 2 the wet weather appeared to be affecting drivers as they headed down the straight. It looked as though Rick Kelly and Fabian Coulthard made contact. Cam Waters then hit Garth Tander spinning him around. Mayhem ensued and cars just kept piling up into an incredible expensive mess!! The 12 car pileup involved Rick Kelly, Garth Tander, James Moffatt, James Courtney, Scott Pye, Nick Percat, Tim Slade, Tim Blanchard, Simona De Silvestro, Alex Rullo, Taz Douglas and Will Davison. When Will Davison crashed his ice box opened letting the ice out, which was not pleasant but lucky compared to others.

Will Davison ended up in hospital overnight and couldn’t race on Sunday.

The red flag came out and all the remaining drivers were told to go back to the grid and get in to their starting positions.

Meanwhile Scott McLaughlin went into the pit lane due to a break down in radio communication.

The officials tried to get race 3 back underway. Garry Rogers advice to call off the race on the basis of it starting to get dark went unheeded. Mark Skaife Suggested that they don’t restart and re run it on Sunday. The problem with that was the Support categories would have to be cancelled to allow race 3 to be re-run on the Sunday. An option deemed unacceptable.

When the cars did get going again they only completed 4 laps before the race was called off.

Most teams would have been burning the mid night oil trying to repair their damaged race cars in time for the race on the next day. Some just couldn’t be repaired in time and as a result four cars did not take part in Sunday’s race; Will Davison, James Courtney, Taz Douglas and Alex Rullo.

Race 3 was declared a ‘no race’ and no points were awarded. However, triple 8 still were listed with 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions at the finish.

Results for race 3

1st Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
2nd Jamie Whincup – Red bull Holden racing team.
3rd Craig Lowndes – Team Vortex.

 

In race 4 Jamie Whincup started on pole position and alongside him was Scott McLaughlin.

On lap 1 of 84 Jamie Whincup got the jump off the starting grid. Everyone settled into an even race pace and there was not much of a spread as the cars further back in the pack made ground on the leaders. Scott McLaughlin tried to pass Jamie Whincup at the turn 4 hairpin but didn’t get the acceleration out of the corner needed to take the lead. Chaz Mostert was running 3rd..

On lap 2 Mark Winterbottom was running along well before he had to pit so that Cameron Waters didn’t have to have double stack.

On lap 3 Jason Bright was screaming down the back straight until he spun near the pit entry which damaged the bonnet. The safety car had to be deployed to assist his removal from the pit lane entry.

On Lap 4 the cars further back were coming into pits early to get clear track and avoid having to double stack. Craig Lowndes didn’t have to worry about double stacking with teammate, Will Davison because he wasn’t in Sunday’s race due to the previous day’s  multi car pileup.

On lap 5 Chaz Mostert was still running 3rd. Mark Winterbottom was trying to get passed his teammate Cameron Waters so he could take first option on the pits. Meanwhile Jamie Whincup was battling with Scott McLaughlin for the lead.

On lap 7 the safety car left the track and the race continued at full throttle. The wet weather got worse and at this stage the rain was pouring down. The Shell V Power Racing team called in both their cars, driven by Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard to change from slick tyres to wet tyres. Then all the other cars came into pits and changed to wet tyres. The 12 car pileup in the previous days’ race was strong in in everyone’s mind.

On lap 8 Tim Blanchard was trying his best to stay in front of Tim Slade so he wouldn’t have to double stack and gain pit priority.  .

On lap 9 Simona De Silvestro was going to pit before Todd Kelly but he was leading so got pit priority.

The race was truly now underway. It was a great effort by the teams that were able to get their cars back on the race track for Sunday’s race.

On lap 13 Alex Rullo’s luck changed. He had been doing well after what happened the previous day, but an engine problem caused him to stop just outside the Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Garage.

On lap 17 when Chaz Mostert took the race lead. Although he was doing well, he was really under pressure from Cameron Waters running in 2nd.

On lap 20 all the drivers were getting ready for their 2nd round of pit stops.  The cars back in the field made their 2nd pit stops first while the front runners stayed out Longer.

On lap 21 the leaders pitted to not get in the way of the drivers that were a lap down.

In the middle of the race Chaz Mostert ran wide and ran off track losing 3 positions. At that point on the event TV coverage switch their view across to Tim Edwards, Chaz’s team owner showing his disappointment shaking his head in disbelief at the mistake Chaz made.

As the race continued it was the final laps were the tension really built up. The Dick Johnson Racing Team Cars were very fast and running first and second. Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes tried their best to catch them but just couldn’t. Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard were just too fast and finished in first and second place.

The next event is the WD 40 Phillip Island Supersprint on the 21st to the 23rd of April 2017.

Results for race 4.

1st Fabain Coulthard – Dick Johnson Racing – Shell V Power racing team.
2nd Scott McLaughlin – Dick Johnson Racing – Shell V Power Racing team.
3rd Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
4th Craig Lowndes – Team Vortex

 

 

Post Race Report, V8 Supercars

New Zealand 2016 – Post Race Report

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Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world!

The ITM Auckland Super Sprint 2016 was run on the 4th, 5th and 6th of November 2016.

Race 24 started with Shane Van Gisbergen in pole position and Jamie Whincup alongside him for this 35-lap race.

Jamie got the jump on his teammate Shane Van Gisbergen. Scott McLaughlin and Mark Winterbottom made contact going in-between turns 3 and 4.

As a fly away event the teams are usually limited on spares so the drivers in the pack were going to be doing their best to avoid any risks that could cause damage.

On lap 2 Shane Van Gisbergen was trying to keep up with his teammate, but once Jamie Whincup took the lead he was never headed.  Lap 3 saw the red flag go up as a result of Jason Bright having contact with Chris Pither.

When the race was restarted, it was a rolling start and Jamie Whincup immediately pulled away from the pack. The race went back to ‘green’ on lap 4 and the race was back on. Chaz Mostert nearly bogged his car 55 in the sand trap down at turn 8. On lap 5 James Moffatt and Dale Wood made contact on approach to turn 5.

With all this commotion Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen were way up front by lap 6 and it looked as if no one was going to catch them. Shortly after Garth Tander, wanting to have a clean race weekend and not be in headlines for all the wrong reasons eased off driving aggressively.

Lap 8 Todd Kelly was in front of Dale Wood. Dale Wood was trying to get down the inside of his boss at turn 8, but instead he made contact and copped a lot of damage. Dale Wood was not happy about it at all.

By lap 9 Jamie Whincup had a good lead which meant he could push on safely without having to watch his mirrors all the time.

On lap 10 Craig Lowndes passed Lee Holdsworth in between turns 9 and 10 which I thought was not going to work. Amazingly he made it safely? Mark Winterbottom tried the same thing with Garth Tander on the next lap but couldn’t make it. He tried again and his persistence paid off. Garth Tander wanted his position back and chased hard to catch Mark Winterbottom but just wasn’t able to pass him. On lap 13 James Courtney also got the better of Garth Tander and passed him to gain the 5th spot.

On lap 14 Jason Bright was watching the rest of the race from the garage after hitting the wall at the pit lane entry blocking access. This resulted in red flag going up.

Once the race restarted, the Red Bull cars still maintained their strong lead with Jamie Whincup up front. It still looked like no one could catch them.

In the middle of the race Jamie Whincup wanted to start getting the gap down in the hunt for his 7th Championship.

The last laps saw the Red Bull Teammates as unstoppable with Jamie Whincup taking 1st and Shane Van Gisbergen 2nd place at the finish line.

Results for race 24

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Scott McLaughlin – Volvo Polstar racing.

In race 25 Shane Van Gisbergen started on pole position with Jamie Whincup alongside him.

On the first of the 35-lap race Shane Van Gisbergen took the lead due to Jamie Whincup’s uncontrolled wheel spin start. Jamie Whincup caught up quickly and tried to pass him at the turn 8 hairpin.

While the Red Bull teammates were battling with each other they were gifting metres to Chaz Mostert. On the opening laps, Shane Van Gisbergen took the lead back off car 88 with the Fords running tightly behind. On lap 4 Shane Van Gisbergen had a half second lead. On lap 5 Garth Tander got up the inside of Cameron Waters, then James Moffatt was getting ready to have a dive. On lap 6 he was starting to close the gap on his teammate, Scott McLaughlan to .6 of a second.

On lap 7 Mark Winterbottom was on the back of his teammate Chaz Mostert. On lap 8 Craig Lowndes was behind Nick Percat and eventually passed him between turns 10 and 11. Will Davison was holding his position in front of Scott McLaughlin. On lap 9 David Reynolds was catching the Volvo in front of him. The two Holden Racing Team cars were competing for positions 9 and 10. On the 10th lap the two Red Bull cars were up front staying out of trouble and by the next lap Mark  Winterbottom was in front of the next group of cars behind him. The 3 cars maintained control of the race through to the finish line.

Even though in the middle of the race Jamie Whincup tried to overtake his teammate to gain more championship points, Shane Van Gisbergen had his head down to take the race win.

In that last lap, Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife were both laughing when Shane Van Gisbergen came over the team radio and said, ‘What is my dad doing on TV?’ His father’s image large as life being displayed big screen near the finish line.

 

Results for race 25

1st – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Chaz Mostert – Supercheap Auto Racing.

In the 35 laps of race 26, Shane Van Gisbergen started on pole position with Scott Pye alongside him.

At the start, Scott Pye nearly got the jump on Shane Van Gisbergen but Mark Winterbottom went around the outside of Scott Pye. Scott McLaughlin received damage to the front of his Volvo after making contact with the back of Craig Lowndes car. Throughout the second lap Craig Lowndes fought to stay in front of Scott McLaughlin in the battle for 3rd spot in the season championship.

By lap 3 Mark Winterbottom had a good lead. Early on lap 4, Scott Mclaughlin was trying to get back in front of Craig Lowndes and closing the gap between 3rd and 4th.  As they went through lap 5 Mark Winterbottom was dominating the race. Lap 6 Garth Tander and James Courtney were racing each other. In lap 7 James Courtney showed he didn’t enjoy being further back in the pack and he pushed hard to get up near the front of the race. On lap 8 Craig Lowndes was moving up through the field very quickly. On lap 9 Fabian Coulthard knew that Craig Lowndes was catching him quickly and he let him go passed. On lap 10 the Red Bull cars were still battling it out and letting Mark Winterbottom get away. Not a great tactic for the Red Bull Team. Mark Winterbottom was now on his way to claiming his 2nd race win of the year. On lap 12 Jamie Whincup locked the rear brakes and spun Shane Van Gisbergen around. As a result, he ‘redressed’ but the Officials still gave him a drive thru penalty.

New Zealand 2016 Post Race Report Race 26 Image

From that point onwards through to the finish line, Mark Winterbottom dominated with an uncatchable lead.

 

Results for race 26

1st – Mark Winterbottom – Rod Nash Racing
2nd – Scott Pye – Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske.
3rd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia.

In race 27 Jamie Whincup started on pole position alongside him was Shane Van Gisbergen.

On this 35-lap race Jamie Whincup got into the first corner which allowed him to take track position early on. David Reynolds hit one of the braking markers at turn 1 and Lee Holdsworth was battling with Todd Kelly. Garth Tander passed James Moffatt the drivers were 3 abreast.

On lap 2 Jamie Whincup was traveling well up front of the race with his teammate Shane Van Gisbergen behind him. On lap 3 Mark Winterbottom was trying to get passed his teammate Chaz Mostert and get into fresh air for the brakes and engine. To his relief, he managed to pass him. If Mark Winterbottom had stayed behind him any longer, his car would have over heated and he would have to park back in the pits. On lap 4 Mark Winterbottom was moving forward to his next target, Scott McLaughlin. On lap 5 Garth Tander and James Courtney were like magnets (which held for them all weekend when racing each other). On lap 6 Dale Wood maintained the same tactic as in his previous race and stayed out of trouble.

New Zealand 2016 Post Race Report Img 3

On lap 7 Craig Lowndes was coming through the pack from 9th on the grid and was still in front of Scott McLaughlin in the battle for the 2016 V8 Supercars Championship 3rd spot.

Lap 10 Will Davison was trying to stay inside the top 10 and wanted a finish with a single digit position. On lap 11 Cameron Waters was also trying to stay in the top 10 and catch his teammates but wasn’t able to. Mark Winterbottom passed Chaz Mostert and pushed on with fresh air in front of him. On lap 12 Todd Kelly was battling it out with sibling rival, Rick Kelly.

On lap 13 Tim Slade had to take evasive action because the car that was in front of him completely missed turn 5. On lap 14 Jamie Whincup was on his way to claiming another career win and catching up to Craig Lowndes’ career tally.  On lap 15 Mark Winterbottom needed clear air because the engine temperatures were starting to rise in the Bottle-O Ford. On lap 16 Jamie Whincup was up front with no problems and Shane Van Gisbergen close in behind.

In the middle of the race the leaders were starting to check out, increasing the gap to the cars behind and they just couldn’t be caught.

Jamie Whincup came across the line to his 103rd career victory, only 2 wins behind Craig Lowndes.

The weekend ended; Shane Van Gisbergen was awarded the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy for 2016, he has now extended his championship to 491 points with 1 event remaining and 2 races.

The next event is the Coates Hire Sydney 500 on the 2nd – 4th of December 2016.  Good luck for the grand finale at Homebush everybody.  Go Holden!

Well done to everybody in New Zealand.

Results for race 27

1st – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
2nd – Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Scott McLaughlin – Volvo Polstar Racing.