Tag Archives: Nick Percat

Post Race Report, V8 Supercars

Watpac Townsville 400 2017

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Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world!

On the weekend to the 7th to the 9th of July 2017 was the Watpac Townsville 400. Races 13 and 14 were both 200 Kilometres and 70 laps.

Its interesting to note:

  • Craig Lowndes had a worrying start to the weekend. In both practice sessions on Friday he lost control and spun his car.
  • Later in qualifying Jamie Whincup baulked Craig Lowndes costing him a solid top ten starting spot. Craig Lowndes was now placed 19th in the start.
  • Tim Edwards who is the Managing Director at Prodrive Racing Australia was not present for the weekend because he was with his boys watching them play Soccer. Rod Nash was delegated to the role over the weekend.
  • It was Simona De Silvestro first V8 Supercars event in North Queensland. Mark Skaife commented during this race he believed she was improving with every race that she does. I believe without a doubt as she returns next season to the different tracks for a second time she will be a force to be reckoned with.
  • For this season there have been only 2 Aussie drivers to win a race, Jamie Whincup and Chaz Mostert. It has been predominantly NZ drivers so it will be interesting to see if this becomes a matter of contention.

In race 13 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position, alongside him was Jamie Whincup.

On lap 1 of 70 Jamie Whincup got the jump on Scott McLaughlin off the start line after starting from 2nd spot which was on the clean side of the race track (meaning it has got more grip).

Towards the end of Lap 1 Jamie Whincup let Scott McLaughlin take over the race lead. Commentator Mark Skaife thought that letting Scott McLaughlin pass him was too soft.

On lap 2 Jamie Whincup tried to stay close as possible but Scott McLaughlin just pulled away.

Fabian Coulthard had starting in the top ten. He held high hopes to maintain his position as championship leader to the end of the season. On lap 3 he was hit from behind and spun around. As a result he ended up at the back of the pack and probably felt his championship hopes fade. However, I am sure he knew it was still early in the race and had plenty of opportunity to do something about it.

His worries weren’t over yet. On lap 6 he had a close call. Fabian Coulthard’s rear wing clipped the driver’s side door of Lee Houldsworth’s car. The damage didn’t look too bad but the door on Lee Houldsworth’s car wouldn’t stay shut. Fabian Coulthard got off without damage but Lee Houldsworth had to make it the pits and have his door taped shut.

On lap 7 Scott McLaughlin was still the race leader but chose to pit now. I can only assume it was part of the strategy to give him as much opportunity to retake the lead later in the race.

On lap 11 Chaz Mostert was battling with Mark Winterbottom to get fresh air but it wasn’t going to be easy trying to take a position while in the top ten.

By lap 12 Fabian Coulthard was trying to fight back from the spin on the opening couple of laps.

On lap 13 Shane Van Gisbergen was battling with Jamie Whincup for 3rd and 4th and also pit priority.

On lap 14 Jason Bright caught up with his teammates but had to wait till after the hairpin turn to make a pass safely.

On lap 19 Simona De Silvestro was following Rick and Todd Kelly for experience at the new track.

By lap 23 Macauley Jones was getting  noticed carving his way through the field after starting near the back.

On lap 24 some drivers hit the pits to get out from the battle going on near the back of the pack.

On lap 26 Jason Bright caught up to his teammates mark Winterbottom and Cameron Waters. He couldn’t manage to pass them so decided to pit again.

On lap 29 Jamie Whincup was putting pressure on Scott McLaughlin hoping he would make an error but Scott McLaughlin was faultless and wasn’t going to give the lead away easily.

In the middle of the race no one could catch the top 3 drivers which were Scott McLaughlin, Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom.

On lap 34 Todd Kelly ran into engine problems and could go on. He received a DNF.

Towards the end of the race Shane Van Gisbergen had a sick car not running on all eight cylinders. Regardless, he managed to complete the race coming in at 7th position.

Scott McLaughlin finished with nearly a 4 second lead over Jamie Whincup.  Mark Winterbottom came in third over 15 seconds after the winner. Quite a spread at the finish line.

Results for race 13

1st Scott McLaughlin – Dick Johnson racing Team Penske.

2nd Jamie Whincup – Red bull Holden Racing Team.

3rd Mark Winterbottom – Prodrive racing Australia.

In race 14 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position alongside him was Shane Van Gisbergen.

Craig Lowndes started in 21st on the grid due to not making the top 10 shootout.  To add to the pressure he also had to get passed Will Davison to get pit priority.

On the start of the 70 lap race Shane Van Gisbergen tried to go around the outside of the pole sitter but couldn’t get the job done.

On lap 2 Scott McLaughlin was still the race leader but he was under pressure from Shane Van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup which was good to see such a challenge.

On lap 3 John Mcgregor who is Craig Lowndes race engineer told him to pit because even though it wasn’t ideal timing he could see he was getting held in traffic.

On lap 5 Jamie Whincup was still chasing Scott McLaughlin for the race lead.

On lap 7 Fabian Coulthard was trying to regain the Championship lead but it wasn’t his day. He must have been  gutted over losing his championship lead.

On lap 9 Jamie Whincup running second to Scott McLaughlin him in their first round of pit stops.

On lap 10 Simona De Silvrestro was battling with Michael Caruso for positions 12 and 13. Both knew they were just outside the top 10 so these were critical spots.

On lap 11 Alex Rullo was doing a great job for his first V8 Supercars race at Townsville.

On lap 13 Jason Bright pitted to re-enter the race track with no cars in front or behind him.

On lap 15 Craig Lowndes was doing a fantastic job moving up through the field.  He was picking cars off with every lap which I thought was very impressive.

On lap 16, Grant McPherson, race engineer for Shane Van Gisbergen called a change in strategy; Shane Van Gisbergen was behind Jamie Whincup so was called into pits early. The strategy was so that Jamie Whincup would not have to double stack behind him.

On lap 18 Scott Pye was forced into pits at an un-ideal time because he was getting held up by James Courtney.

By lap 22 Craig Lowndes had worked his way up to 11th position, which in my opinion was a mighty drive.

On lap 25 a lot of cars started pitting for the 2nd round of pit stops to prepare for the race to the chequered flag.

On lap 27 Jamie Whincup ended up getting the undercut which made him the effective race leader at that point of the race.   He was not only on his way to his first race win for 2017 but also being on the same number of race wins as Craig Lowndes, in fact        equalling the same of Career wins.

On lap 28 the top 3 at that stage were Jamie Whincup, Scott McLaughlin and Shane Van Gisbergen.

In the middle of the race no one else could catch the top drivers which were Jamie Whincup, Scott McLaughlin and Shane Van Gisbergen. Holden, Ford, Holden.

They kept the pattern and finished the race in that order.

The win by Jamie Whincup  puts him only 6 points behind Scott McLaughlin.

 

Results for race 14

1st Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Holden Racing team.

2nd Scott McLaughlin – Dick Johnson racing Team Penske Shell V Power Racing Team.

3rd Shane Van Gisbergen – Red bull Holden racing team.

The next event is the Coates hire Ipswich Supersprint 28th to the 30th of July 2017.

 

Post Race Report, V8 Supercars

Woodstock Winton Supersprint 2017 Melbourne Victoria

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Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world.

On the weekend of the 19th to the 21st of May 2017 was the Winton SuperSprint.

Some interesting background notes on this race:
·        Craig Lowndes started 19th due to not getting a clear run in Qualifying.
·        There were 3 wild cards (solo debuts) at Winton which were Macauley Jones, Shae Davies and James Golding. I have no doubt that this would change the dynamics out on track.
·        Fabian Coulthard has a different colour number on his Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske car is because he is the current championship leader. This seems to be the ‘new thing’ since Shane Van Gisbergen turned down the traditional championship leader Number One sticker and kept his usual number. Was it superstition or other reasoning?  I am not sure.
·        Simona De Silvestro seemed to enjoy her first race at Winton, and did pretty well in this race finishing 2 spots up from her starting position on the grid.
·        During Friday’s practice there were a lot of drivers and cars that went off the wet track and onto the grass. It made the drivers weary of conditions but fortunately the weather cleared for the weekend.
·        LOL… During Friday’s 2nd practice session, presenter and commentator Neil Crompton got Mark Skaife’s name wrong during an interview and called him Mike Skaife.

In the 120km race 9, Scott McLaughlin started on pole position. Alongside him was Chaz Mostert.

On lap 1 of 40 Scott McLaughlin beat Chaz Mostert off the start line and led into turns 1 and 2. Between turns 6 and 7 James Moffatt spun James Courtney and put him right to the back of the pack. As a result, he had to start making his way back up through the pack.

Mark Winterbottom ran well during the opening stages of the race.

Craig Lowndes’ race engineer, John McGregor (aka “Irish”) called him into the pits. As mentioned Craig Lowndes had a poor starting position of 19, so this was a strategy to get him out of the traffic and get a clear track and make headway later on.   

On lap 4 cars further back in the pack were crowded up so started pitting to get clear air. Scott McLaughlin was still leading the race so stayed out longer while the going was good.

On lap 5 Scott Pye and James Courtney were contending for positions 8 and 9 and desperate to stay in the top 10.

On lap 7 David Reynolds was close in behind his Erebus Motorsport teammate Dale Wood.

On lap 10 Craig Lowndes was making his presence felt and was in battle with Will Davison trying to gain another position.

On lap 11 Garth Tander was trying hard to get passed James Moffatt to get fresh air so that engine does overheat

On lap 13 Chaz Mostert could feel something wrong with his engine. Adam De Borre, his race engineer told him to come in to the pits. At first he stayed in the car then Adam De Borre told him to get out. It was all over for the race and Chaz Mostert received a DNF.

Rick Kelly was trying to pass Tim Slade at turns 1 and 2, both trying to stay in the top 10.

On lap 13 Todd Kelly also just made it into the top 10. He was desperate for this after his start position of 11th.

On lap 14 Will Davison was staying cautious after his experience in a12 car pile-up at Tasmania. He ended up in hospital and his car was close to demolished. The Tekno team had to do an all-nighter to get back out on track the next day.

On lap 17 Macauley Jones was safely following James Golding, one of the wildcards on the day to not get caught up in an incident.

At this stage engineers usually start calling cars in to the pits but the going was good and most drivers stayed out on track not wanting to lose any advantage they could gain pitting later on.

On lap 19 Tim Slade managed a successful pass of his teammate, Nick Percat after his pit stop.

On lap 21 Craig Lowndes was moving up through the field due to his pit stop strategy.

On lap 23 there was a battle between Garth Tander, James Moffatt, James Courtney and Nick Percat.

On lap 24 Scott McLaughlin was still leading over his teammate and Championship Leader, Fabian Coulthard.

On lap 25 Shae Davies had a close call with Simona De Silvestro and only just avoided making contact.

On lap 26 Shane Van Gisbergen was trying to keep up with his teammate, Jamie Whincup.  It was exactly Roland Dane wanted to see. The only thing that Roland Dane didn’t want to see was the 2 teammates making contact.

By this stage of the race Craig Lowndes was running in 6th after starting in the 19th spot. It is no easy feat to gain 13 positions in a 40 lap race and then maintain it to the finish. Proof of why he gets paid the big bucks.

On the second last lap James Courtney ended up in the sand and couldn’t get out. He received a DNF which was just plain bad luck for him.

As the race progressed into it final laps it was clear the top 3 drivers were untouchable; Scott McLaughlin (who managed to hold his lead from start to finish), Jamie Whincup and Fabian Coulthard.

David Reynolds was the closest in 4th position crossing the finish line nearly 8 seconds later, but it was a good race for him having gained 10 spots from his 14th position on the starting grid.

Things in the championship are now getting really interesting. With the win going to Scott McLaughlin, Fabain Coulthard only leads the Championship by only 4 points.

Results for race 9:

1st Scott Mclaughlin – Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske Shell V Power racing team.
2nd Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
3rd Fabain Coulthard – Dick Johnson Racing team Penske Shell V power racing team.

 

In race 10 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position. Alongside him was Jamie Whincup.

On lap 1 of 67 Jamie Whincup got into turn 1 and 2 first over Scott McLaughlin.

On lap 2 Shane Van Gisbergen and Fabian Coulthard were battling for 2nd and 3rd. Shane Van Gisbergen got the better of him making a pass for clear track. Scott McLaughlin slipping to 4th.

On lap 3 888 race engineer, David Cauchi stategised for Jamie Whincup to stay out on track longer and not pit too early, especially while he maintained pit priority over Shane Van Gisbergen.

On lap 4 Chaz Mostert was trying to find a way passed Cameron Waters. But he couldn’t get the job done.

On lap 5 Chaz Mostert wasn’t making headway out on track so pitted early to avoid the pit lane congestion. This strategy paid off for him later on.

On lap 7 Craig Lowndes was on a charge, moving up from 26th up to 23rd.

On lap 9 Fabian Coulthard dropped to 4th giving Scott McLaughlan an easy pass. He knew it was a long race so was saving his energies for later.

On lap 10 Mark Winterbottom was following his teammates Cameron Waters and Chaz Mostert. This was also OK by him so early on in the race.

On lap 11 Simona de Silvestro was keeping up with her team owners Rick and Todd Kelly. It was a great setup where she could get some first hand knowledge from them on her first visit to Winton Raceway.

On lap 13 Macauley Jones one of the other wild cards on the day was making his dad, Brad Jones proud of him in his solo V8 Supercars Championship debut.

On lap 14 Scott Mclaughlin was happy to be back in the lead after dominating the first race of the weekend. Roland Dane, 888 owner did not want to see their main rivals, Dick Johnson Racing make it 2 for 2.

On Lap 15 James Courtney was driving cautiously not wanting to have another bad race for the 2nd day in a row.

On Lap 17 Fabian Coulthard took advantage of Shane Van Gisbergen going wide at turn 3. He managed to slip through on the inside. It was a very cool move.

On lap 18 Mark Winterbottom also passed Shane Van Gisbergen and was now trying to find a way past Fabian Coulthard. Fabian Coulthard wasn’t going drop the ball and Mark Winterbottom couldn’t get far enough up to make the pass.

On lap 20 David Reynolds was on the charge after he disengaged the pit lane speed limiter. He just got in front of Rick Kelly which was planned by the team before the start of the race.

On lap 21 Craig Lowndes wanted to pit first but because he was behind teammate, Will Davison the pit priority was not his.

On lap 22 Alex Rullo stayed in close behind his more experienced teammate Taz Douglas, gaining valuable pointers.

Chaz Mostert was trying to catch up to the race leaders and capitalise on any mistakes made. Unfortunately for him, Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen weren’t giving him any opportunities.

On lap 25 Alex Rullo was blocking Mark Winterbottom, which is considered poor form so early in the race. In fact, later Mark Winterbottom told host of RPM Matthew White that he wasn’t impressed with the move that the Rookie made whatsoever

On lap 29 Todd Kelly passed his brother Rick Kelly but it was a short lived result. In usual sibling rivalry Rick Kelly took back the lead over his brother.

On lap 31 the 2 Red Bull Holden Racing team cars were holding the top two positions, Jamie Whincup 1st and Shane Van Gisbergen 2nd. 

In the middle of the race Mark Winterbottom gave Alex Rullo a lesson in good driving manners and didn’t block him as he passed.

Towards the end of the race the Vodafone Safety Car was deployed due to Michael Caruso getting stuck in the tyre barrier after making contact with Shae Davies.

On the race restart Jamie Whincup was on target to match Craig Lowndes career wins of 104. It would have been a nice way for the 888 team to finish the weekend but things didn’t go quite to plan. At the final corner he ran wide, Shane Van Gisbergen slipped through on the inside to take the chequered flag. Jamie Whincup will just have to wait till net time.

Results for race 10:

1st Shane Van Gisbergen – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
2nd Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
3rd Fabain Coulthard – Shell V Power Racing Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske.

The next event of the v8 Supercars Championship is the Crown bet Darwin Triple Crown on the 16th to the 18th of June 2017.

Post Race Report, V8 Supercars

WD 40 Phillip Island 500 21st to the 23rd of April 2017

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Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world!

On the weekend of the 21st to the 23rd of April 2017 was the WD-40 Phillip Island 500.

It was a fantastic weekend for many reasons, the main being that my Dad & I were actually there.

I am wheelchair bound with Cerebral Palsy and a long list of other issues, so getting to the races is not as simple as purchasing a ticket and booking a room. All sorts of things need to be considered and organised (it becomes damn expensive having to cater for a wheelchair!). In addition, I need someone to accompany me for support needs. So who better than my own dad to come with me? There is no one better to go to a sporting event with than your own father. He will never know how much I appreciate him not just for taking me, but also for spending the time with me and having a blast.

As you can see this was a special weekend for me and I’m really happy to share this experience, personal photos and videos with my readers.

Dad picked up the wheelchair accessible KIA rental from Freedom Motors Australia in St Marys (suburb of greater Sydney area) on the Tuesday. A big “Hello” to their fabulous sales manager, Carolyn Hurst. Thank you for such great, friendly service.

We left on the Wednesday to head down to Victoria ahead of the weekends racing. By mid-afternoon we crossed the border from New South Wales into Victoria and checked into The Comfort Inn Benalla (north east Victoria). There was a mix up with our bookings (due to on-line booking agency) but the operators Di and Brian Hogg, were so friendly and considerate they made sure we got a suitable room without any hassle. It is appreciated that they went out of their way but made it seem effortless and welcoming.

On Thursday morning we headed down to Phillip Island. We stayed at the Coachman Motel Phillip Island operated by a beautiful friendly couple Bill and Monica that also made us feel welcome. If you like a nice garden this is the place to stay. We rested up and got prepared for going out to the track the next day.

When we got to the track on Friday it was raining, so we had to go undercover until it stopped. We then went into “The Paddock” to see which drivers we could catch to get photos with. There was a Triple 8 autograph session but we didn’t know at what time, so we just stayed around the V8 pit paddock and tried to catch up with as many drivers as we could from both the V8 Supercars Championship series and the Dunlop Super 2 series.

I got photos with many of my favourites; Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes, Mark Dutton, Roland Dane, Jess Surrey Dane, Tim Schenken, Garry Rogers, Nick Percat, Brad Jones, Chaz Mostert, Cameron McConville, Paul Dumbrell, Dale Wood, David Reynolds,  Betty Klimenko, Simona De Silvestro and Doctor Carl Le (the official Supersprint medical delegate).

You can see these photos on my fan page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1321664561282386.1073741847.554033848045465&type=1&l=f15b1bc9fd

Dad and I also got grid passes from the Red Bull Holden Racing team.  It was great and we got more photos out on the grid. Then dad and I returned to the pits to watch the race at the back of the Team Vortex garage.

Interesting to note, on Friday at the end of Practice 1 Craig Lowndes had a tyre blowout spearing him into the wall. His car had so much damage he wasn’t able to go out on track for Practice 2. Team Vortex did an all-nighter repairing the car for Saturdays qualifying and race.

Race 5 was 57 laps covering some 250Kms.

The Phillip Island track is known to be a fast track. What I did notice is the number of drive-through penalties received by drivers mostly caused by higher speeds coming around the track and crossing the safety line at the pit entry. Drivers receive a penalty if they cross over the pit line on the track which is to be kept clear for safe entry.

Early on in the race the drivers that got drive-through penalties were Scott McLaughlin Chaz Mostert, Will Davison, Shane Van Gisbergen, Fabian Coulthard, Mark Winterbottom, Tim Slade, Tim Blanchard, Nick Percat, Scott Pye, James Courtney and Simona de Silvestro. There wasn’t consistency in upkeeping the rule so there were a lot of drivers that didn’t get pinged for crossing the pit entry line.

Also there were a high number of tyre blowouts. Thirteen (13) in total. This is unusually high and caused teams concerns about the new regulation Dunlop supersoft tyres being used this season.

Scott McLaughlin started on pole position. Alongside him was Fabian Coulthard.

On lap 1 Scott McLaughlin got the jump on his teammate Fabian Coulthard. Mark Winterbottom was up to 2nd spot by turn 1. Then Fabian Coulthard got that spot back on the exit of turn 4. Shane Van Gisbergen was keeping up with the leaders. He wanted his presence felt even though it was early on in the race. Fabian Coulthard pushed hard to get his 2nd spot back off Mark Winterbottom down at MG corner.

On lap 2 there were a couple of drivers that came into the pits early to avoid the double stacking. For some drivers this paid off.

In the early stages of lap 3 Chaz Mostert was holding 3rd position.

Taz Douglas’ car ran over something on the track and got a puncture causing him to make a spectacular exit off the track, leaving rubber and debris everywhere along the main straight.

On lap 5 Michael Caruso moved up within the top 10 positions.

On lap 7 Scott McLaughlin was still the race leader and he would have got pit priority if the safety car came out onto the track, but it didn’t until later on in the race.

On lap 8 Cameron Waters stayed out on the track to avoid a double stack with Mark Winterbottom. Even though they are not on the same team they share the same pit bay.

On lap 9 Jason Bright was getting held up on the track by his teammates, Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert, so he decided to pit and get a clear race track to re-join on.

On lap 10 Garth Tander was running up front with the leaders so he stayed out on track longer while the going was good. His teammate, James Moffatt was back in the pack so he chose to take the opportunity to pit.

On lap 11 internal footage of Shane Van Gisbergen’s car showed him changing down with just a flick of the wrist. It was done with such proficiency as if it was nothing. It was a very cool thing to see.

On lap 13 Scott McLaughlin was still leading the race until he pitted for tyres and fuel then when he went to re-join the track he saw the red light on due to the Vodafone safety car going passed the pit exit. Scott McLaughlin got a pit lane penalty was because he wasn’t far enough over before he turned in to his pit bay.

On lap 14 Cameron Waters nearly got a punctured tyre due to the fast nature of the Phillip Island circuit. But he eased off and just got away with it.

On lap 15 when the Vodafone safety car came out nearly everyone up the front decided to stay out longer to keep their track position. This seems the right thing to do if there were more than 2 cars up at the pointy end of the field otherwise known as sharp end.

On lap 16 Rick Kelly pitted before the other 3 cars in his team. This was a good strategy call to avoid the ugly double stacking that the teams and drivers hate doing.

On lap 19 Jason Bright was pushing hard to get up into the top 5.

On lap 20 David Reynolds was on the charge trying to stay up with the leaders.

On lap 21 Shane Van Gisbergen was running well trying to get in front of Jamie Whincup but he wasn’t able to.

On lap 22 Fabian Coulthard was pushing hard after having to serve a pit lane penalty for not stopping when the red light was on at the pit lane exit. He admitted to his mistake but that didn’t make him any happier.

On lap 23 Simona De Silvestro was putting pressure on Todd Kelly to pass him at turn 4. Mark Winterbottom was putting pressure on Cameron Waters to get pit priority.

On lap 26 James Courtney was trying to pass Scott Pye to get inside the top 10 to get pit priority for the 2nd round of pit stops.

On lap 27 the drivers were adjusting their anti-roll bars. I assume this was to reduce the chance of tyre blowouts as there had been so many by this stage.

On lap 29 all the drivers were getting their cars ready for the race to the checkered flag.

From that point on it seemed that one could catch the front 3 cars (Craig Lowndes, Fabian Coulthardt, Jamie Whincup) and there seemed that the number of tyre blowouts also changed driver tactics so the chance of a great catch up didn’t look to be on the cards.

In the last 5 laps Craig Lowndes was leading the race. Even though he crossed the finish line first, the 15 second pit lane penalty he received meant he ultimately finished 12th. It must have been a hard pill to swallow considering if he kept the race win it would be his first race win for 2017 with team Vortex and his career tally would have gone up to 106 wins.

Nevertheless, Fabian Coulthard took race win followed by Jamie Whincup, then Garth Tander.

Results for race 5.

1st Fabain Coulthard  –  Shell V Power Racing Team.  Dick Johnson Racing Team Penske.
2nd Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
3rd Garth Tander – Garry Rogers Motorsport.

In race 6 Scott McLaughlin started on pole position alongside him was Fabian Coulthard

On lap 1 of 57 Fabian Coulthard got the jump on Scott McLaughlin. The cars further back in the pack were trying to find clear space.

On lap 2 most of the cars came in to the pit lane, all bar the race leaders.

On lap 3 Will Davison hit the wall coming out of turn 2. The car was damaged but he managed to get it back to the garage. When he emerged from the garage later, he did not look happy at all.

On lap 4 Chaz Mostert was running in 4th which the Supercheap Auto racing team would have been happy with.

Rick Kelly pitted before the rest of the Nissan team.

On lap 5 Jamie Whincup was running in the top 5. Cameron Waters wanted to get passed his teammate Mark Winterbottom to get to the pit box first.

On lap 6 Simona De Silvestro just outside the top 10 was keeping the Nissan Motorsport team happy.

Lap 7 was when the tyre blowouts started happening again. Overall there weren’t as many as in race 5 the previous day. It must have helped that most teams reduced tyre pressure on cars, even though it does affect handling.

On lap 8 Fabian Coulthard came in to the pits before Scott McLaughlin.

On lap 10 Garth Tander made his first pit stop which helped get him out of the traffic and get fresh air for the engine so it didnt get too hot. On the next lap, James Moffatt was in the same situation.

On lap 12 Tim Slade tried to pass his teammate Nick Percat but wasn’t  able to get far enough up to make the move stick.

On lap 13 James Courtney came in to pits so that Scott Pye didn’t have to wait later on.

On lap 16 Scott Pye followed James Courtney into the pits and double stacked when the safety car came out. Im sure there was strategy from the team on this choice.

On lap 17 Jamie Whincup was up near the front which he and the team were happy with.

On lap 18 Mark Winterbottom was back on the track after his first pit.

On lap 19 Cameron Waters wanted to be strong during the race which he was.

On lap 20 Chaz Mostert was near the race leaders. His parents, Anne and Eddy Mostert looked proud as the watched the race from the side lines.

On lap 25 the safety car returned to the track to clear up spent rubber. Not moments later, on the next lap Nick Percat had a tyre blowout on the front right hand side of the car. He had to limp straight into the pits.

On lap 27 Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly were battling for positions 11 and 12 in their usual display of sibling rivalry.

The triple 8 Team’s luck had run out. Where in the previous day’s race they didn’t have a single tyre blowout, in this race all 3 cars had blowouts.

I’m sure that the Teams’ big question is ,why? Kevin Fitzsimmons is the Motorsport Manager for Dunlop. He had a lot of to do to find out what would have caused the tyres to blow.

It was lap 41 when Chaz Mostert took the lead. From that point on no one could catch him. Mark Winterbottom tried but Chaz Mostert was in great form and crossed the finish line so forcefully it was as though he had a higher purpose.

Andrew Roberts was down at Phillip Island which was good because Dad and I hadn’t seen him in a while.

My personal experience at Phillip Island for the weekend of racing was memorable. I had a ball with dad.

Results for race 6.

1st Chaz Mostert – Prodrive Racing Australia. Supercheap Auto Racing.
2nd Mark Winterbottom – Bottle O Racing Team Prodrive Racing Australia.
3rd David Reynolds – Erebus Motorsport.

The next event is the Perth Supersprint on the 5th to the 7th of May 2017.

http://www.freedommotorsaustralia.com.au/

http://www.comfortinnbenalla.com.au/

http://www.coachmanmotel.com.au/

Pre Race Report, V8 Supercars

Homebush 2016 Pre Race Report

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Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world!

The final event of the 2016 V8 Supercars Championship is coming up this weekend at the Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit in Homebush.

Let’s take a look back at what happened in 2015 Coates Hire Sydney 500 at Homebush.

In race 34 Mark Winterbottom started in pole position with Shane Van Gisbergen alongside him. It’s also noted:

  • Craig Lowndes had to start right at the back of the pack due to not completing his shootout lap after crashing.
  • Jack Perkins was driving car 222 for Nick Percat while he recovered from the injury sustained at the Gold Coast.

On lap 1 of 34 lap race, Mark Winterbottom immediately took the lead and stayed there with Shane Van Gisbergen glued behind up to lap 3. On lap 3 Mark Winterbottom was playing the championship game, letting drivers pass him because he was leading the championship ladder at the time. His race result was not critical to him.

On lap 4 Craig Lowndes was making his way through the pack to try and stay in contact with Mark Winterbottom. It took until lap 6 for Shane Van Gisbergen to take the race lead and start pulling ahead from the pack. On the next lap James Courtney was following Garth Tander until he found a spot on the track where he could pass safely.

On lap 7 Jamie Whincup was trying to stay up front of the pack so that when the cars that haven’t pitted did, he would be the race leader. On lap 8 the cars back in the pack pitted. On lap 9 Mark Winterbottom had pitted too, to avoid traffic of cars returning to the race from the pits.

On lap 11 teams were putting fresh new tyres on for the run to the finish. From there, Jamie Whincup took position 1 and through to the finish line was never headed. Now the cars with track position stayed out longer.

From the middle of the race the leaders up front just cruised to the chequered flag with Jamie Whincup crossing first.

Who Will Win this weekend’s Coates Hire Sydney 500?

 

Results for 34

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

Race 35 is a 37-lap race, Jamie Whincup started in pole position with David Reynolds alongside him.

On lap 1, Jamie Whincup got the jump on David Reynolds pulling ahead straight away and looked to be never headed. Early on lap 2 David Reynold tried to take the lead, but Jamie Whincup had the line going into turn 1 and couldn’t be passed. On the next lap Mark Winterbottom was doing his best to stay in touch with the cars ahead of him.

On lap 4 Garth Tander wanted to get by his teammate James Courtney, so that the engine, brake and water temperature didn’t rise. On lap 5 the teams with 2 cars out on the track brought in one of the two cars to pit, a strategy used so the second cars would not have to double stack.

On lap 6 Craig Lowndes was moving up through the pack a lot faster than in his first race of the day. On lap 7 Steve Owen (driving for Chaz Mostert after his injuries sustained at Bathurst) was trying to stay out trouble in car 6.

On lap 8 Jack Perkins came for his pit stop in car 222 then headed back out into clear track. On lap 9 Jamie Whincup was starting to put the race out of reach for everyone else. Behind him was Rick Kelly putting in good effort for his 2nd last race with the Jack Daniel Racing.

From the middle of the race onwards Jamie Whincup was just cruising to his second win for the weekend. In the last laps he appeared comfortable and confident no one could catch him.

Results for race 35

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

In race 36 James Courtney started on pole position, alongside him was Shane Van Gisbergen.

At the start of the 74-lap race, James Courtney got the jump at the first turn and held lead for the first couple of laps. During lap 3 he got turned around by Shane Van Gisbergen. As a result, James Courtney had smoke coming out of the left hand.

On lap 4 Mark Winterbottom was being very cautious because he knew a bad race result of DNF would mean Craig Lowndes could close his gap on the championship ladder.

On lap 5 Shane Van Gisbergen was the new leader of the race. James Courtney was complaining that his car was not very well balanced after the hit. On lap 6 Jamie Whincup could see the smoke coming from car 22 and had to slow up to avoid further mishaps. On lap 7 Shane Van Gisbergen was just cruising out in front of the pack, while the cars further back in the pack were battling it out with each other. On lap 8 the pit stops started. The first cars that pitted were the cars back in the field to get track position.

On lap 9 Garth Tander had no car damage which meant he could push on and keep moving up towards the front of the race. For the next couple of laps after lap 10, Steve Owen kept car 6 straight. However, towards the middle of the race his car stalled on the exit of turn 1. He wasn’t able to get the engine started again and had to be towed off the track.

Towards the end of the race Shane Van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup were battling for first place. In the end went to Shane Van Gisbergen in car 97.

 

Results for race 36

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

This weekend’s races are 74 laps, each and 250 kilometres.

Good luck to everybody for this weekend.

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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.

Post Race Report

Bathurst 1000 2016 – Post Race Report

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Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On lap 17, Dean Canto was chasing Jack Perkins.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results for the 2016 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

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

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

Now for some fun…

Post Race Report, V8 Supercars

Coates Hire Ipswich 400 Post race 2016

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HI to all you v8 Supercars fans around the world.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Results for race 16

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

Shane Van Gisbergen Ipswich 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On lap 7 Jamie Whincup was right behind his teammate.

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

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

In the end no one could catch Craig Lowndes.

 

Results for race 17.

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

Craig Lownds Ipswich 2016

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

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

 

Pre Race Report, V8 Supercars

Woodstock Winton Pre Race Report 2016

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Winton Pre race pic 1

Hi to all you V8 Supercars fans around the world.

This weekend 20th – 22nd May, is the Woodstock Winton Supersprint.

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

On the weekend of the 15th – 17th May 2015 was the Winton Supersprint.

In race 10 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Michael Caruso.

On lap 1 Michael Caruso made a brilliant start due to him starting right up the pointy end of the starting grid, in second spot the Nissan Altama was coloured in red because Nissan Narvra were the main sponsor for the Winton Supersprint, weekend. David Reynolds had a tough start, the two Pepsi Max Crew Ford Falcons led into turns 1 and 2. A couple of cars were trying to run side by side on the opening lap. Craig Lowndes was putting the pressure on Jason Bright. While the front Runners were just pulling away. Chaz Mostert had a 1.2 second lead after the opening lap.

On lap 2 Mark Winterbottom had gone from 4th to 2nd. Shane Van Gisbergen had passed Jamie Whincup to put him up into 8th and Jamie Whincup back 1 spot to 9th Craig Lowndes was still following the Team BOC car. The Margin after 2 laps was 1.55 seconds.

On lap 3 Mark Winterbottom had the grip and then he took off. Todd Kelly was hunting down David Reynolds. Dick Johnson once described the Winton track as like running an F1/11 around your clothes line. Scott McLaughlin went backwards after contact with Dale Wood, Scott McLaughlin’s s60 spun around approaching the halfway mark, (Dutto said they had no car pace. No one could catch the 2 Pepsi Max Crew Prodrive Racing Australia. Cars 5 and 6.)

Results for race 10

1st – Chaz Mostert – Prodrive Racing Australia
2nd – Mark Winterbottom – Prodrive Racing Australia
3rd – Michael Caruso – Nissan Motorsport

In race 11 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was his teammate Mark Winterbottom.

On lap 1 of 20 the 3 Walkinshaw racing cars of cars 2 22 and 18 of Garth Tander James Courtney and also involved was Lee Holdsworth on approach to turns 1, 2 and 3 for the first time Andre Heimgartner went off the racetrack and onto the grass, Michael Caruso was holding off Scott McLaughlin in the Volvo. Rick Kelly ran the fastest lap of the race, after the race 11 start, Shane Van Gisbergen did the over and under manoeuvre on Jamie Whincup.

That was on lap 2 also on that same lap Craig Lowndes tried to get down the inside of Will Davison. Lee Holdsworth had to watch the rest of the race from the pit lane. James Courtney got a drive thru penalty for making contact with Garth Tander. After he served his pit lane penalty he then came back in again, the team put wet tyres on the car then sent him back out again onto the circuit.

In the middle of the race Craig Lowndes was still putting pressure on the Mercedes E63 AMG.

Towards the end of race, no one could catch the 2 race leaders.

Results for race 11

1st – Mark Winterbottom – Prodrive Racing Australia
2nd – Rick Kelly – Jack Daniel’s Racing
3rd – Chaz Mostert – Prodrive Racing Australia

 

In race 12 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Mark Winterbottom.

On lap 1 of 67 Chaz Mostert got the jump off the line and led the field through turns 1 and 2 turns. Micheal Caruso got swamped off the starting grid by Will Davison. Scott Pye tried to go around the outside at turns 1 and 2 Michael Caruso. Craig Lowndes got in position 3 by turn 3. Rick Kelly tried to make space to get down the inside during the opening lap, Scotty McLaughlin found himself in no man’s land, on the outside. but then the Volvo driver had to Yield. Rick Kelly had a lot of oversteer on the exit of turn 5. Craig Lowndes went from 3rd to 2nd in between turns 8 and 9. Will Davison had the inside line for turn 10.  Scott McLaughlin was on the dirty side of the Winton racetrack.

On lap 2 Craig Lowndes took the race lead at turn 3. David Wall in the Volvo s60 also come in on the 2nd lap, the 2 Holden Racing team cars were side by side into turn 8. Tim Slade was on the wrong side for turns 8, but on the right side for turn 9 meaning he was able to pass easier at the hairpin. James Courtney was on the outside of the Scott McLaughlin. But James Courtney managed to cover him around the outside. Garth Tander tried to pass Tim Slade at turn 10, but he didn’t. he managed to pass him in between turns 11 and 12. Craig Lowndes started race 12 (race 3 for the weekend) on soft compound tyre.

On lap 3 Fox Sports had a replay of the start. Craig Lowndes cleared the cars that were in front of him. Early on in the 3rd and final race

On lap 4 Garth Tander went down the inside of Will Davison at turn 3. Craig Lowndes had a 1.4 second lead in front of the field. Towards the end of lap 4 both Fabain Coulthard and Scott Pye got down the inside of David Reynolds.

On lap 5, Marcos Ambrose was watching on from the Dick Johnson Racing Team, Penske Garage.

On lap 6 Greg Murphy was chatting to Adrain Burgess at the SP Tools Holden Racing Team about the Strategy, the HRT guys, the Walkinshaw racing guys and Triple 8 guys, all of those teams were going for track position, meaning they were trying to get towards the front to not get caught up in any incidents or accidents. Jamie Whincup started the last race in 22nd on the grid, he was the first driver to make a pit stop, the double stacking issues happen, when a team that runs 2 cars if the second car is behind on the track that means when it comes to pit the other car has to sit in the cue and wait for the car that is in front to exit the pit lane so the 2nd car can enter and get serviced.

In the middle of the race Chaz Mostert put on the back of the tyre Bundle after getting turned around by himself and the front of the car was full of sand.

Towards the end of the race the 2 Red Bull cars were coming through the field because they were behind. The Pepsi Max crew was leading, chasing him was Fabain Coulthard.

Results for race 12

1st – Mark Winterbottom – Prodrive Racing Australia
2nd – Fabain Coulthard – Brad Jones Racing
3rd – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia

 

Pre Race Report, V8 Supercars

Perth Pre Race Report 2016

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Perth pre race 2016

Hi to all you v8 supercars fans around the world.

This weekend 6th – 8th May 2016 is the Perth Supersprint.

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

On the weekend of the 1st – 3rd of May was the Ubet Perth Super Sprint.

In race 7 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was his teammate Mark Winterbottom (Frosty).

On lap 1, Frosty led the field through turns 1, 2 and 3. Will Davison tried to pass Tim Slade on the run up to turns 2 and 3, but wasn’t able to get it done, Jamie Whincup (JDUB) went from 21st to 19th during the opening lap, Scott McLaughlin passed Todd Kelly at turn 7.

On lap 2 the 2 Pepsi Max Crew, Prodrive Racing Australia cars 5 and 6 were just pulling away. Jason Bright had the line for the next corner which was turn 7. David Reynolds thought that James Courtney was going to leave him some room at the final turn to go down the inside.

On lap 3 the Falcons were still leading the opening race on Saturday.

On lap 4 Craig Lowndes was starting to close the gap down to the 2 Fords.

On lap 5 Craig Lowndes was still following those 2 cars like a hawk and getting closer and closer, Jamie Whincup was right near the back of the pack but moving forward, Garth Tander had a left rear suspension, car 888 closed right up on the back of car 6 coming out of turn 6.

In the middle of the race Nick Percat pushed Andre Heimgartner towards the old pit lane entry. Towards the end of the race JDUB braked really late and avoided hitting the back of the Erebus Motorsport V8. In the end nobody could catch the 2 Pepsi Max Crew Fords.

Results for race 7

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

Race 8

In race 8 Mark Winterbottom started on pole position alongside him was Jamie Whincup for the 25 lap race.

On lap 1 Frosty again got the jump off the start line, and led the field through turns 1, 2 and 3, Fabain Coulthard passed Craig Lowndes approaching turn 7.

On lap 2 James Moffat was trying to maintain his position in front of David Wall. David was lucky to save that big tank slapper that he had on the exit of turn 5.

On lap 4 Jamie Whincup held off Fabain,Coulthard.

On lap 6, JDUB was struggling in sector 1 only because the car wasn’t set up the way that he wanted, that’s why he had to look at the setup on Craig’s Car. Scott McLaughlin had a drama with the throttle sensor, after 7 laps were complete.

In the middle of the race Mark Winterbottom had command of race 8.

Towards the end of race 8 no one was able to catch car 5. In the end Frosty made it 2 from 2.

Results for race 8.

1st – Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew
2nd – Jamie Whincup – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Fabain Coulthard – Freightliner Racing.

Race 9

In race 9 Chaz Mostert started on pole position alongside him was Mark Winterbottom.

On lap 1 Frosty got the jump off the line for 3rd straight race. Garth Tander made contact with the back of Chaz Mostert. Red Bull didn’t have a great weekend in Perth.

On lap 2 Craig Lowndes was having a look at his teammate Jamie Whincup.

On lap 3 Jamie went into the sand trap down at turn 6.

On lap 4 JDUB was down in 24th place and 17 seconds behind the race leader.

On lap 5 Craig Lowndes was near the front of the pack.

On lap 6 Scott McLaughlin was under pressure from Tim Blanchard. Craig Lowndes pitted on lap 26 for his first pit stop.

In the middle of the race Craig Lowndes was being hunted down by Todd Kelly. Craig made his 2nd and final stop on lap 43.

Towards the end of race Will Davison was hunting Craig Lowndes down for his first race win with Erebus Motorsport V8.

The next event is the Winton Super Sprint on the 15th – 17th of May 2015.

Results for race 9.

1st – Will Davison – Erebus Motorsport V8.
2nd – Craig Lowndes – Red Bull Racing Australia.
3rd – Fabain Coulthard – Frieghtliner Racing.

Post Race Report

Clipsal 500 South Australia 2016 Post Race Report

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Jamie Whincup Adelaide 2016

HI to all you v8 Supercars fans.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Race 1

Results for race 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Race 2

Results for race 2

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

James Courtney Car 22

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Race 3

 

Results for race 3

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