I am back after a long absence and although I am still in hospital (this is week 10 – which increases my strong hate for hospitals) I am getting well enough to think about the races again.
Due to the COVID 19 affect on us all and more importantly the cancellation of V8 Supercars races, I thought I would revisit the Grand Finale for 2007. It was only the other day that I found the recording of this race on YouTube. It certainly helped keep my mind occupied from utter frustration of being ‘locked down’ in a damned hospital.
The event took place at Phillip Island (Victoria) on the weekend of November 30 to December 2, 2007.
As it turned out, it was John Bowe’s final race in Supercars. John Bowe is a multi-winning champion in several different race categories (Aussie Drivers Championship in the Formula Mondial, Aussie Sports Car Championship, two time winner of The Bathurst 1000 and much more). He was teamed with many other great champions such as Dick Johnson and Brad Jones. He is still racing in the Touring Car Masters.
This race also notched up Mark Skaif ‘s 200th round start.
Garth Tander was having a fabulous weekend. He took first place in races 1 and 2 and closed the point score between Whincup and himself so it basically became a showdown for the year’s title.
As they moved out to the starting grid it was a young Garth Tander who started on pole position. Alongside him was Todd Kelly.
At the start of 120Km 27 lap race Tod Kelly (in those days driving for Holden) got the jump on Garth Tander.
Jamie Whincup moved up to 3rd and had cover from Craig Lowndes for Team Vodafone because Whincup was battling Garth Tander for the title.
Meanwhile Todd Kelly was helping Garth Tander.
During the opening laps Jamie Whincup knew he had to try and get around Garth Tander to win his first title.
When the pit window opened the contenders stayed out until they got called to pit. The compulsory pit window opened on lap 5 for 2 tyres.
Rick Kelly tried to get down the inside of Will Davison but wasn’t close enough.
In the middle of the race Garth Tander later stated he was put in a difficult situation ‘caught in the sandwich between Jamie [Whincup] and Craig [Lowndes]. It was high-speed chess from there on. It was about managing the situation.’
Although Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes got by Tander it was Todd Kelly who still had the lead.
Todd Kelly maintained his position and crossed the finish line first robbing Jamie Whincup of the points needed for him to take ‘The Title’.
Whincup took second place, Lowndes third and Garth Tander came in fourth.
Regardless of Tander coming fourth for race 3, Whincup was 2 points shy of a draw (625 vs 623). Tander had won the title for 2007.
Results for Race 3
1st Todd Kelly – Holden Racing Team.
2nd Jamie Whincup – Team Vodafone.
3rd Craig Lowndes – Team Vodafone.
Steven Richards is an Australian motorsport legend who has recently announced his retirement from Supercars racing. He will no longer be running team SRM (Steven Richards Motorsport). I would like to list some of his outstanding career achievements.
Steven Richards was born on the 11th of July, 1972 in New Zealand.
He won the Australian Formula Ford Championship in 1994 before becoming a professional full time driver.
In 1995 Steven Richards made his Bathurst 1000 debut with co-driver Anders Olofsson, finishing 4th under the Gibson Motorsport team.
In 1996 Steven Richards moved over to Garry Rogers Motorsport.
In 1995 and 1997 Steven Richards also competed in an Alfa Romeo 155, Honda Accord and then he drove a Nissan Primera. In 1996 he made his Australian Touring Car Championship debut in a Holden VF Commodore.
Steven Richards competed with his father, Jim Richards at the Bathurst 1000 in 1996 and 1997 and again in 2004.
In the 1997 Bathurst 1000 he and his father finished in 2nd place.
At the 1998 V8 Supercars Bathurst 1000 as a co-driver to Jason Bright, Richards finished 1st for Stone Brothers Racing.
In that same year he finished 2nd with co-driver Matt Neil in the Touring Car Bathurst 1000. This was an amazing feat because they were driving a Nissan Primera for UK bases Team Dynamics.
He then backed up his Bathurst 1st place the following year (1999) with co-driver Greg Murphy for Gibson Motorsport.
He continued in the same way for nearly another 20 years with one success after the other.
Steven Richards has 5 Bathurst 1000 wins: 1998, 1999, 2013, 2015 and 2018.
He has also won pole position for Bathurst in 2004 and 2007.
In 2014 (just to prove he wasnt too old to be racing he won the Australian Carrera Cup Championship and scored 5th in the Australian GT Championship.
In 2016 he ran in both the Australian GT Championship and Endurance Championship under his own team, Steve Richards Motorsport (SRM).
In total Steven Richards has:
completed 451 races
12 race wins
& 60 podium finishes.
Now work that out. It means he at approximately gets 1 podium finish per 7 races. Not bad at all.
Teams that Steven Richards have driven for are:
Garry Rogers Motorsport 1996 1997 1998
Gibson Motorsport 1999 2000
Ford Tickford Racing 2001
Perkins Engineering 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006.
Ford Performance Racing 2007 2008 2009 2010.
Ford Performance Racing 2011 2012 2013
Red Bull Racing Australia 2014 2015
Team Vortex 2016 & 2017 and Autobarn Lowndes Racing 2018.
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.
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.
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.
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 theintroduction 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.
On the weekend of the 18th to the 20th of May 2018 was the Winton Supersprint in Melbourne Victoria at the Winton Motor Raceway.
It was a weekend of milestones for a few drivers:
·Lee Holdsworth celebrated his 400th race ·Craig Lowndes his 650th race start ·Michael Caruso celebrated his 150th round start
It is unfortunate to note, James Courtney missed the 2 practices sessions on Friday due to being taken to hospital on Friday night with a gastro bug. Also, Roland Dane was not at Winton due to being on the other side of the world.
LOL moment of the weekend was when Neil Crompton interviewed Fabian Coulthard. He tried to put a beanie on Neil Crompton’s head while he was on the grid and Neil Crompton’s response was, get it off you Lunatic!!.
In the co drivers session Earl Bamber who is a 2 times Le Man winner 2015 & 2017 was acting co-driver for the Triple 8 team. He went out because he had no experiences driving in a Supercar. It is a hell of a way to enter the field with such little Supercar experience. Credit to him.
Saturday came and all was set for the 13th race of the season. Scott McLaughlin started on pole position for the 40 lap race and alongside him was Fabian Coulthard. Scott McLaughlin got the jump to lead into turn 1 while his teammate Fabian Coulthard seemed to have a really bad start and dropped all the way down to 5th.
On the opening lap there was contact between Simona De Silvestro, Todd Hazelwood and David Reynolds. As a result David Reynolds had to limp back to the pits for the Erebus team to repair his car. His frustration was clear, knowing he was losing plenty of lap time so early on.
The other drivers went into the pits for tyres but Craig Lowndes, Shane Van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup chose to stay out because of where they qualified. I think it was a good call as it allowed them to gain track position. Fabian Coulthard was the first of the Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske car to stop due to his poor start. Fabain Coulthard choose to pit Early to get caught in Traffic out on Track to also have clear and clear pit lane
In the middle of the race Scott McLaughlin was still leading the race which would have made the Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske crew happy. Rick Kelly was racing behind Scott McLaughlin for most of the race. Jamie Whincup wanted to get on the podium to get another trophy to add to the Triple 8 collection but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. So he ended the outside the top 10 in 17th which didn’t help him close the points to current Championship leader Scott Mclaughlin.
Towards the end of the race the Vodafone Safety Car was deployed due to Tim Blanchard getting bogged in the sand trap between turns 3 and 4.
Then on the restart Scott McLaughlin had not got the right amount of temperature into his tyres which meant he had lost the race lead to Rick Kelly and dropped back to as far as 5th spot.
Todd Kelly was nervous because he wasn’t used to watching the race from the Nissan Motorsport garage. I bet he was happy to see his brother win the race.
Shane Van Gisbergen started 14th gained 11 spots to finish 3rd. Craig Lowndes started 24th, gained 11 spots to finish 13th.
Jamie Whincup started 11th finished 17th so he dropped 6 spot.
David Reynolds started 17th and finished 25th.
As a result Craig Lowndes is now 3rd in the championship.
The only driver to get a DNF (did not finish) complete was Cameron Waters.
Result for race 13
1st Rick Kelly – Castrol Racing Nissan Motorsport. 2nd Scott Pye – Mobil 1 Mobile Racing. 3rd Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Holden Racing Team. 4th Fabian Coulthard – Shell V Power Racing Team. 5th Scott McLaughlin – Shell V Power Racing Team.
In race 14 Scott McLaughlin started pole position alongside him was Fabian Coulthard.
At the start of the 67 lap, 200 kilometre race Scott McLaughlin went 1st to 8th with Fabian Coulthard leading the early stages of the race.
Scott McLaughlin came in to the pits on lap 5 to get out of the traffic. On return to the race his timing gave him clear track speed and clear air. I thought there was no way that Scott McLaughlin was going to re-join the race track safely.
David Reynolds wasn’t happy with qualifying 26th he thought he was going to qualify up near the front of the grid. Interesting to note on the Supercars coverage Russell Ingall, Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard were wearing beanies to keep their heads warm. Mark Skaife mocked them saying, ‘they looked very average’.
Craig Lowndes was not happy with qualifying 23rd he would have been happier with qualifying inside the top 10 but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. He decided to stay out and make positions from his poor qualifying which paid off. Because he was out with a clear racetrack.
Michael Carso and Rick were battling for position which allowed the cars in front of them to gap the cars behind. When I saw how far Scott McLaughlin had dropped back I thought there was no way he was going to win Sunday’s race and the race for was going to be difficult for him to recover.
In the middle of the race Fabian Coulthard was leading until he had to come into pit lane for his 2nd pit stop. Which meant that all the cars that were behind him moved up 1 spot each. Craig Lowndes had gained 22 spots at one stage to take the race lead only because had not pitted at that point.
Towards the end of the of the race Fabian Coulthard had a 14 second gap over the 2nd placed car which was Shane Van Gisbergen. which is not heard of much these days.
the end of the race was really exciting to watch and congratulations to Fabian Coulthard, Shane Van Gisbergen and Scott Mclaughlin.
The gap between 1st and 2nd in the Championship is just now 131. Jamie Whincup is now 326 points behind. Craig Lowndes is only 299 points behind.
Fabian Coulthard was heading for his first win for 2018 with Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske.
The last that Fabian Coulthard had won at Winton Motor Raceway was 2014 With Brad Jones Racing.
The next is the Crown bet Darwin Triple Crown on the 15th to the 17th of June 2018.
Results for race 14
1st Fabian Coulthard – Shell V Power Racing team 2nd Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Holden Racing Team. 3rd Scott McLaughlin – Shell V Power Racing Team
On the weekend of the 20th to the 22nd of October, 2017 was the Vodafone Gold Coast 600.
There were a few dramas pre-race start of note. In practice 1 Simona de Silvestro hit the tyre wall on the exit of the last turn coming onto the main straight.
In practice 3 James Moffatt also caused a red flag. If you cause a red flag in a practice session you can’t take any further part, so he had to sit out the rest of practice 3.
In race 21, Steve Owen started on pole position and alongside him was Paul Dumbrell.
The drivers had to do an extra formation lap due to the rain. This resulted in there being a lap plucked from the total 102 laps and the race was now 101 laps.
All the co-drivers started the race accept for Alex Rullo. It was good to see a main driver start, because the race was wet on Saturday the drivers had to scrap what they learnt on Friday in the practice sessions while it was dry and tune the car into a wet setup.
Just like at Bathurst in the wet weather, all the crews had to carry their drivers out to their cars to avoid slippery feet whilst driving.
The co-drivers had to do a minimum of 34 laps before handing back to the main drivers.
I couldn’t believe how wet it was during Saturday’s race.
Again, Andre Heimgartner had to Sub for Ash Walsh who is still recovering from that big accident at Phillip Island.
Once underway, Steve Owen was battling with Paul Dumbrell for the 1st spot. When Paul Dumbrell tried to go down the inside of Steve Owen he connected with the Supercheap Auto Ford Falcon spinning it around. As a result when Paul Dumbrell came in to hand over to Jamie Whincup he had to sit still for an extra 15 seconds to serve the penalty.
After the race, Chaz Mostert commented he didn’t think the 15 second penalty was enough because he thought it was poor driving form.
In my opinion the 15 second penalty was enough.
In the middle of the race Garth Tander and Todd Kelly made contact which resulted in Todd Kelly getting a 15-point penalty and he also scored a busted rear wing which meant he had to limp back to the pits.
By this stage all the main drivers were back in their cars for the run to the chequered flag.
Towards the end of the race no one could catch the top 3 drivers of Chaz Mostert, followed by Cameron Waters about 2.5 seconds later and then Tim Slade about 5.5 seconds behind the leader.
Fabain Coulthard started 16th and moved up 12 spots during the race. And Scott Mclaughlin started 12th and moved up 6 spots during the race.
Craig Lowndes Qualified 11th and made up 8 spots during the race.
I was thrilling race and makes me recall the line from Mark Skaife ‘If you want great racing just add water’.
Results for race 21
1st Chaz Mostert and Steve Owen – Supercheap Auto Racing.
2nd Cameron Waters and Richie Stanaway – Monster Energy Racing Team.
3rd Tim Slade and Andre Heimgartner – Freightliner Racing.
4th Shane Van Gisbergen and Matt Campbell – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
In Qualifying for race 22, Tim Slade had an engine let go due to hitting the back chicane too hard. Dale Wood coming up behind had to stop in the middle of the pit lane entry because Tim Slade’s car leaking oil was no on fire! The situation called for a red flag.
In race 22 Matt Campbell started on pole position alongside him was Paul Dumbrell.
At the start of the 102-lap race Paul Dumbrell got the jump so Matt Campbell had to slot in behind. Unlike Paul Dumbrell’s perfect start he didn’t get the correct amount of wheel spin off the starting grid.
Most of the co-drivers started all bar 1 which was Alex Rullo, the same as in the previous race.
Fabain Coulthard and Scott McLaughlin didn’t make the top 10 shootout. They qualified 13th and 22nd respectively.
Later James Golding hit the wall as a result of contact with Luke Youlden.
When Steven Richards went for a dive down the inside of Richie Stanaway, the contact resulted in a broken steering for Richie Stanaway in car 6 which put him back in the pits for repairs.
Soon after Andre Heimgartner hit the wall at turn 11 which meant he also had to limp back to the pits for repairs on car 14.
In the middle of the race the 3 triple 8 cars were running 1, 2 and 3 but Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske’s car 17 with Scott McLaughlin got the undercut over the Red Bull Holden Racing Team take track position. It was a blow to the Triple 8 team but made Dick Johnson very happy.
Lee Holdsworth was trying to stay with these leading cars ahead of him.
I couldn’t believe that DJR Team had managed to get the undercut in the last pit stop. This basically set them up for the race to the end which I thought was incredible.
At the end of the race the 3 triple 8 cars couldn’t catch Scott McLaughlin because he was just too fast.
Results for race 22.
1st Scott Mclaughlin and Alex Premat – Shell V Power Racing Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske.
2nd Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell – Red Bull Holden Racing Team
3rd Shane Van Gisbergen and Matt Campbell – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
4th Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards – Team Vortex.
The next event is the ITM Auckland Supersprint on the 3rd to the 5th of November 2017.
Jamie Whincup is now the championship leader by 17 points with 2 rounds to go and 4 races remaining for 2017.
Will Jamie Whincup claim his 7th championship in 2017?
On the weekend of the 5th to the 8th October 2017 was the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
The Bathurst 1000 is the biggest and most well known race in Australia. Held in Bathurst NSW at the Mount Panorama Circuit, it is a 161 lap race totalling 1000kms and is known amongst fans as ‘The Great Race’. Mount Panorama is an unusual track. The word ‘Mount’ gives it all away. There are lots of ups and downs as it winds its way over the hill. There is approximately 174m between the highest and lowest part of the circuit. It is unusual and makes for a gruelling but spectacular race.
There are so many things that happened over the weekend I couldn’t possibly report on them all so I’m going to limit it to my observations and race highlights.
Greg Murphy who is a pit reporter got to drive Triple 8 Sandman V6 Turbo around Bathurst circuit as a demo for the fans.
A special ‘congratulations’ to Craig Lowndes who made his 24th Bathurst start on Sunday. His co-driver, Steven Richards started his 200th career race at Bathurst. I must say monumental occasions for both of them.
The rookies to have their first Bathurst races were Garry Jacobson, Alex Rullo and Todd Hazelwood.
The Bathurst race rules require teams to complete a minimum of 7 pit stops though out the day. All teams seemed to manage this.
The weather this Sunday was not looking good. Commentator Neil Crompton thought the rain would hit at midday but it hit a lot earlier than that, soaking the track even before the race begun. A setting for a messy Bathurst.
In race 20, Scott McLaughlin started on pole position alongside him was David Reynolds.
It was interesting to note all of the main drivers started the race. Usually it’s the less experienced co-drivers that take the wheel at the start. The heavy rain may have had something to do with this.
At the start of the 161 lap race Scott McLaughlin got to turn 1 first. Mark Winterbottom tried to move past David Reynolds for the 2nd spot but had to pull back realising he didn’t have enough space for the manoeuvre.
On lap 2 Scott McLaughlin went down the escape road coming into turn 23 too fast. Now Chaz Mostert had the race lead.
Shane Van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes driving close together both left the track on the same corner turn 1, which wasn’t good for either of them.
Later in the race when Shane Van Gisbergen’s co-driver, Matt Campbell jumped in the number 97 Red Bull Holden Commodore he got spun around by Michael Caruso. By the time he turned his car around and re-joined the race he ended up right at the back of the pack. This didn’t impress the Triple 8 team one bit.
When co-driver Alex Premat took over from Scott McLaughlin that’s when an engine issue started. Alex Premat brought the car in for the team to check it out. It was running off song. They couldn’t work out the problem and Alex Premat was told to push on. He went back out on track but stopped due to no oil pressure at turn 4 known as ‘the cutting’. Any corner is a high-risk spot to break down and the Vodafone Safety Car was deployed. The race was now under yellow. Car 17 had to be towed back to pits and to the team’s distress was out for the rest of the race. DNF at lap 74! Not even half way through the race.
It was a complete disaster for Scott McLaughlin as the 2017 Championship leader. There is only one other event to go for the year and he will now have to make up 30 points to close the gap on the new leader, Jamie Whincup.
Then 2 laps later, the Preston Hire Racing team of Lee Holdsworth and Karl Reindler left the track also due to engine problems. Another DNF!
Paul Dumbrell was running 3rd going down Conrod Straight and couldn’t see out of the front window because of the heavy rain. Due to some controversy earlier in the year the Triple 8 team made an official request to the V8 Supercars Technical Manager, David Stuart to be allowed to use a squeegee while driving. David Stuart weighed up the risk between visibility and ‘squeegeeing whilst driving’ and permitted its use for this occasion.
‘Squeegeeing Whilst Driving’ (SWD) a new technical phrase. You heard it here first at Williams Perfect Ride.
With permission now granted, both Paul Dumbrell and Matt Campbell also joined the SWD ranks.
A funny part was, while it was raining the crews had to carry the drivers on their backs out onto the pit lane so that the driver’s shoes didn’t get wet. No driver wants slippery feet going at those speeds.
I couldn’t believe how many cars went off the track throughout the race down at turn 23. It was just crazy.
It was funny to see one of fans up at the top of the hill in McPhillamy Park offering pit reporter Greg Rust a beer before he had to get back down to the pit lane.
As Lee Holdsworth was coming in, David Wall in nearly made contact with him in car 18.
In the middle of the race the Vodafone Safety car came out due to a Kangaroo being close to the track. In total there were 6 Safety cars.
On lap 141 James Moffat hit the wall at the top of the hill. Once again the Safety Car came out and car 34 was towed from the track. Co-driver Richard Muscat watching intently from the garage must have known what this meant for the race.
Towards the end of the race, at lap 152 Simona De Silvestro had DNF due to a wet track making her lose it at the last turn and hit the pit lane wall. It was so bad the car had to be towed off track. Except for possibly a bruised ego she came out of it fine. It was so close to the end of the race I am sure she and her co-driver David Russell felt terrible. They had done so well throughout the race.
Soon after, at lap 159 with Mark Winterbottom at the wheel, he and co-driver Dean Canto left the track with a DNF. Another casualty of the wet weather, dropping 19 spots from their start at position 3.
The gruelling race took another victim a lap later (160). Nick Percat and Macauley Jones had their car #8 taken from the track and also received a DNF.
As the race drew to a close no one else could catch the top 3 podium spots. The Erubus team with drivers David Reynolds and Luke Youlden finished an amazing 4 seconds ahead of the next team, Scott Pye and Warren Luff. They were followed less than a second later by Fabain Coulthard and Tony D’Alberto.
The reason why Craig Lowndes surprisingly finished 11th was because he had an issue with his car for the 2nd year in a row.
Also surprisingly, Jamie Whincup finished 20th completing only 124 laps when time was called. This was because his car dropped a cylinder. The team decided to get back out there was better than a DNF. Such bad luck for both of them.
Results for race 20
1st David Reynolds and Luke Youlden – Erebus Motorsport. 2nd Scott Pye and Warren Luff – Mobil 1 HSV Racing. 3rd Fabain Coulthard and Tony D’Alberto – Shell V Power Racing
Team.
4th Dale Wood and Chris Pither – Erebus Motorsport. 5th Shane Van Gisbergen and Matt Campbell – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
The next event is the Vodafone Gold Coast 600 on the 20th to the 22nd of October 2017.
Interesting to note, Fabian Coulthard has now taken back the championship over Jamie Whincup by 91 points and Scott McLaughlin has now dropped from 1st to 3rd, 97 points away.
This was David and Luke Youden’s first Bathurst win together.
Erebus Team owner Betty Klimenko couldn’t talk because she had happy tears coming out of her eyes.
On the weekend of the 15th to the 17th of September 2017 was the Wilson Security Sandown 500.
Mark Skaife said that the Sandown 500 is the precursor to the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. I agree and believe it can make the drivers a little overeager to push hard.
It may be why the extra rule on this weekend was to have the seat belts done up and fastened before leaving the pit lane.
Even pre-race I felt it was going to be an exciting weekend. On the final lap of the Armor All Race for the Grid 1, Jonathon Webb locked the brakes at the end of the back straight. This resulted in Todd Hazelwood crashing into the tyre wall at a terrifying top speed of 260 kilometres an hour. This also resulted in Will Davison not racing in Race for the Grid 2 for the main drivers.
Regardless, it didn’t mean that fun was not had. Russell Ingall was in an old Castrol Perkins race suit and wig. Also, Mark Skaife donned a Fox Sports race suit. Whenever I spotted them I couldn’t stop laughing.
In Race 19, Cameron Waters and Richie Stanaway started on pole position with Richie Stanaway behind the wheel. Alongside them were Scott McLaughlin and Alexandre Premat.
It was interesting to note only 2 main drivers started the race. These were Shane Van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes in cars 97 and 888 respectively.
Craig Lowndes started 23rd due to a DNF in Race for the Grid 2 with a power steering issue.
Shane Van Gisbergen started in position 21.
At the start of what was supposed to be a 161-lap race, Richie Stanaway got the jump and led into turn 1.
Dean Canto got turned around between turns 3 and 4. Ash Walsh also got spun around at turn 4 on the opening lap.
Then Taz Douglas hit the wall at the end of the back straight due to a flat right front tyre. The red flag came out for the Marshalls and Officials to repair the tyre barrier.
The result of the hold-up was the race went to a ‘time certain’ finish. When the race got back underway the clock started ticking.
When the green flag went up, Richie Stanaway took off into the distance which the drivers behind didn’t want to see. Close behind him was Alex Premat.
Early on Tony Dalberto was running inside the top 5.
Paul Dumbrell was running 3rd trying to catch the race leaders up front. However, he knew he had to keep the car ‘straight’ for when he handed it back to Jamie Whincup.
When Paul Dumbrell got a puncture, it was coming out of turn 4 and he knew he had to back right off to reduce chance of damage to car 88.
A lot of tyres let go I think due to the end of the turn 1 curb. The race engineers were telling their drivers to stay off the turn 1 curb edge.
Craig Lowndes pitted early to hand over to Steven Richards ensuring he re-joined with a clear race track in front and behind.
It was funny that Todd Kelly ran wide and collected the Dunlop Break Marker. The only way he could get rid of it was to make sure there were no other cars behind him and brake hard.
In the middle of the race Cameron Waters was back in the driver’s seat being chased down by Scott McLaughlin.
Soon all main drivers got back in the driver’s seat for the run to the checkered flag. With the race becoming ‘time certain’ strategies had changed.
Towards the end of the race no one could catch the top 3 cars. All were Fords; Cameron Waters Scott Mclaughlin and Chaz Mostert.
As the others crossed the line it became a little messy.
Ash Walsh and Tim Slade got excluded from the results due to both drivers not completing the minimum 54 laps.
Taz Douglas was out of the race and received a DNF.
Shane Van Gisbergen was docked 2 grid spots due to spinning Fabian Coulthard earlier on.
Aside from this the other noteworthy points were:
This was Matt Campbell’s 2nd Enduro campaign but first with the Red Bull Holden Racing Team. I was quite impressed with his performance.
Craig Lowndes line of the weekend was perfect. It was like James Bond not the Colin Bond like the Livery is.
HA HA! I Was Laughing at Garth Tander because he was trying to be a camera man while the race was under red flag.
Results for the 2017 Wilson Security Sandown 500 race 19.
1st Cameron Waters and Richie Stanaway – Monster Energy Racing team. 2nd Scott Mclaughlin and Alex Premat – Shell V Power racing team. 3rd Chaz Mostert and Steve Owen – Supercheap Auto racing team.
Ford 1 2 and 3.
The next event is the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on the 5th to the 8th of October 2017.
