Niche Bloc » V8 Supercar

Thompson eyes WTCC Honda outings

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:41:33 +0000

James Thompson will contest selected rounds of the World Touring Car Championship with Hartmann Racing this season, as part of another four-series campaign.

In 2009, the 35-year-old Briton raced in the WTCC with Lada, the British championship with a Team Dynamics Honda Civic, the Danish series with Hartmann’s Honda Accord, plus V8 Supercar outings with Ford at Phillip Island and Bathurst, and winning the end-of season European Touring Car Cup.

Thompson does not have full-time WTCC or BTCC plans this year, but with Hartmann he will contest the Danish and Scandinavian championships, the expanded ETCC and is also hoping to make the WTCC rounds at Monza and Brands Hatch.

“Last season was a busy one but we’re going to give it a go again this year,” Thompson said at AUTOSPORT International. “One of the disappointing things having done so much last year was that I couldn’t win any of the titles.

“I was leading the Danish and it would have been fantastic for my team to win it, but I was only committed to five of seven rounds and missing the last two meant we only finished third, so this year we’ll try to make amends for that.”

Thompson became the first driver to win a WTCC race in a Japanese car at Imola in 2008 and is hoping to repeat the feat this year.

“I’ve got the chance to win three championships and maybe have a go at winning another world championship race in the Honda, obviously Brands Hatch is somewhere I know very well,” he added.

Rossi to test Ferrari again in Spain

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:46:37 +0000

Valentino Rossi is to test for Ferrari again later this month as a reward for winning another MotoGP championship – but will use an older chassis this time.

Rossi had several tests with the squad when he briefly considered moving to Formula 1 in 2006, and then had another two-day session in November 2008 when he requested another outing following his MotoGP title success that year.

Having wrapped up his ninth motorcycling world crown in 2009, Rossi again asked if he could have a Ferrari F1 run. Team boss Stefano Domenicali said Ferrari would happily oblige, but that current test restrictions meant he could not use the latest car.

Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa had to use 2007 cars provided by Ferrari’s client department last year when testing prior to a potential comeback and following injury respectively.

“I can confirm that Valentino, as we promised when he won his world championship last year, is going to test a historical Ferrari at Barcelona on 20-21 January,” said Domenicali at the Wrooom media event.

“After that Valentino knows we’re going to have to focus on our goals of the 2010 season.”

Although Rossi ruled out an F1 career when he decided against a switch in 2007 and has since insisted that all F1 tests are purely for fun, Domenicali believes he could still be a candidate for Ferrari if three-car teams were ever permitted.

“A pilot such as Valentino, should he be interested, could be consistent with this type of project,” said Domenicali.

He added that the door would be open for Casey Stoner if he wanted to try an F1 car. The Ducati rider said earlier this week that he was pondering a car racing career when his MotoGP racing days were over, although he suggested this would be in the Australian V8 Supercar series rather than F1.

“I’ve heard that he will concentrate on the [MotoGP] season but that he would like to better understand the world of cars and Formula 1, so we will see,” Domenicali replied when asked why Ferrari was testing Rossi but not Stoner, despite its close relationship with Ducati.

“Without entering into a path that is outside my competence, the main goal of Casey and Ducati is winning the championship this year. After that, we’ll see.”

Stoner plans to race cars after bikes

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:05:16 +0000

Casey Stoner says he would like to race in Australia’s V8 Supercars once he retires from MotoGP, but the former champion says his main focus will remain bikes for now.

Unlike rival Valentino Rossi, the 2007 world champion has not participated in any serious races with cars, but Stoner admits his plan is to start trying once he is close to the end of his career as a rider.

“After I retire from bikes it’s my plan basically,” Stoner said when asked about a switch to four wheels during Ducati’s media event in the Dolomites.

“I enjoy driving dirt cars around. Before I retire I may be testing a few cars and get ready, but once I retire from bikes I think cars will be a little bit more of a relaxing sport for me.

“I’m not talking about going to Formula 1, but something like V8 touring cars in Australia. I think something like that would be a lot of fun.

“It’s something I’m planning on. But for now and for the near future I’m enjoying my bikes and that’s all I want to do for now.”

Courtney wins season finale

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:49:38 +0000

Jim Beam Racing’s James Courtney made up for his late disappointment in race one with victory in race two of the Telstra 500 at Homebush.

Courtney led virtually the whole race but didn’t have it easy in the first half of the race as other drivers challenged him, but their challenges fell by the wayside for one reason or another, taking the win a handful of seconds ahead of Garry Rogers Motorsport’s Michael Caruso.

Third was Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom, a remarkable result after a spin on lap 20 dropped him from ninth to 18th. But four safety car periods during the race and dramas for several other drivers saw him climb back the order despite a brush with the wall late in the race which saw him lose a door skin.

Russell Ingall, Fabian Coulthard and Shane van Gisbergen finished fourth, fifth and sixth after starting 21st, 20th and 19th respectively, cars still running well being good enough to get a position at the front of the field at the end of the race.

Greg Murphy finished seventh despite spinning at the restart on lap 33 and dropping from second position to 18th as well as damaging the rear section of the car. The two Davisons, Will and Alex were next in eight and ninth, with Steven Johnson completing the top ten, the final car on the lead lap.

There were plenty of other drivers who looked set for good results before their day turned bad, as only 16 of the 29 cars that started the race were running at the finish, with a few of those 16 limping their way home.

After his troubles in qualifying, series champion Jamie Whincup torn through the field in the early running, and looked set for a finish possibly in the top five, definitely somewhere in the top ten.

But for the second day in a row he outbraked himself on cold tyres at turn one after a pitstop, but unlike yesterday, he tried to make the corner and got stuck in the tyres, going down two laps before he was removed from them, eventually finishing 14th, four laps down.

Todd Kelly was running fifth in the closing stages but a lack of electrical charge forced him to pit, retiring soon after. Jason Bright had an even bigger disappointment, passing Courtney for the lead just after half-distance before receiving a drive-through penalty for an unsafe pit release, dropping from first to 13th.

His day got even worse a few laps later when he hit the wall near the end of the lap, retiring straight after. Just behind him was Craig Lowndes, who crashed at the same corner even harder, his day over as well, having a few laps earlier also received a drive-through penalty for an unsafe release, which had dropped him from fourth to 15th.

Garth Tander’s hopes of beating team-mate Will Davison for second in the championship disappeared when he and Michael Caruso made contact as Caruso passed him for fourth position, damaging his steering and unable to restart the car after it stalled. Until then Tander had looked on track to beat Davison for second in the championship as Davison struggled for the second day in a row.

Two other Holden drivers had their chances of a win disappear early on, Rick Kelly hitting the wall at turn eight while running second on lap ten, losing four places, before hitting it again three laps later, ending his race for good.

Garry Rogers Motorsport’s Lee Holdsworth was on target to match or better his team-mate’s result, pushing hard as the race headed towards one-third distance as he tried to leapfrog Courtney for the lead during the first round of pitstops.

But a mistake at the notorious turn eight saw him plough into the tyres, and his race as well as a chance of a win was gone.

Pos Driver Make Time
1. James Courtney Ford Falcon FG 2:08:16.0105
2. Michael Caruso Holden Commodore VE + 3.9087
3. Mark Winterbottom Ford Falcon FG + 10.6865
4. Russell Ingall Holden Commodore VE + 13.2783
5. Fabian Coulthard Ford Falcon FG + 14.9597
6. Shane Van Gisbergen Ford Falcon FG + 20.7693
7. Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VE + 25.9038
8. Will Davison Holden Commodore VE + 32.8472
9. Alex Davison Ford Falcon FG + 42.8316
10. Steven Johnson Ford Falcon FG + 1:13.1200
11. David Reynolds Holden Commodore VE + 1 laps
12. Michael Patrizi Ford Falcon BF + 1 laps
13. Paul Dumbrell Holden Commodore VE + 2 laps
14. Jamie Whincup Ford Falcon FG + 4 laps
15. Steven Richards Ford Falcon FG + 7 laps
16. Tim Slade Holden Commodore VE + 10 laps

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Make Laps
Todd Kelly Holden Commodore VE 57
Tony D’Alberto Holden Commodore VE 56
Jason Bright Ford Falcon FG 55
Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon FG 55
Cameron McConville Holden Commodore VE 54
Mark McNally Holden Commodore VE 47
Jason Bargwanna Holden Commodore VE 38
Dean Fiore Holden Commodore VE 37
Garth Tander Holden Commodore VE 28
Jack Perkins Holden Commodore VE 26
Jason Richards Holden Commodore VE 24
Lee Holdsworth Holden Commodore VE 21
Rick Kelly Holden Commodore VE 12

Courtney wins season finale

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:49:38 +0000

Jim Beam Racing’s James Courtney made up for his late disappointment in race one with victory in race two of the Telstra 500 at Homebush.

After his troubles in qualifying, series champion Jamie Whincup torn through the field in the early running, and looked set for a finish possibly in the top five, definitely somewhere in the top ten.

But a mistake at the notorious turn eight saw him plough into the tyres, and his race as well as a chance of a win was gone.

Not classified/retirements:

Holdsworth on Homebush race two pole

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:29:15 +0000

Garry Rogers Motorsport’s Lee Holdsworth has taken pole position for the final race of the year at the Telstra 500 at Homebush.

Four times in the final ten minutes of the session Holdsworth set the fastest lap of the session, and though he remained on pole throughout those ten minutes, his final lap after the session ended proved crucial.

Jim Beam’s James Courtney, Jack Daniels’ Rick Kelly and Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom all beat Holdsworth’s previous best time but not his final effort, and will line up second through fourth.

After showing pace in race one, Greg Murphy backed it up today with fifth on the grid, ahead of Holdsworth’s team-mate Michael Caruso who was just fractions of a second faster than yesterday’s pole man and race winner Garth Tander.

Team Vodafone’s Craig Lowndes had a much better day in qualifying than yesterday, ninth just behind Jason Bright instead of 21st, with David Reynolds completing the top ten.

Will Davison’s fight with Holden Racing Team team-mate for second in the championship hasn’t been helped by qualifying 13th. However, the series champion had a session to forget, a persistent engine misfire meaning Jamie Whincup could qualify no better than 26th out of 29, just behind Todd Kelly.

Pos  Driver                Car                   Time

 1.  Lee Holdsworth        Holden Commodore VE   1:29.3047

 2.  James Courtney        Ford Falcon FG        1:29.4040  + 0.0993

 3.  Rick Kelly            Holden Commodore VE   1:29.4306  + 0.1259

 4.  Mark Winterbottom     Ford Falcon FG        1:29.4418  + 0.1371

 5.  Greg Murphy           Holden Commodore VE   1:29.5560  + 0.2513

 6.  Michael Caruso        Holden Commodore VE   1:29.6110  + 0.3063

 7.  Garth Tander          Holden Commodore VE   1:29.6169  + 0.3122

 8.  Jason Bright          Ford Falcon FG        1:29.6476  + 0.3429

 9.  Craig Lowndes         Ford Falcon FG        1:29.7319  + 0.4272

10.  David Reynolds        Holden Commodore VE   1:29.7327  + 0.4280

11.  Jason Bargwanna       Holden Commodore VE   1:29.8377  + 0.5330

12.  Paul Dumbrell         Holden Commodore VE   1:29.8571  + 0.5524

13.  Will Davison          Holden Commodore VE   1:29.9280  + 0.6233

14.  Cameron McConville    Holden Commodore VE   1:29.9594  + 0.6547

15.  Jason Richards        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.0267  + 0.7220

16.  Alex Davison          Ford Falcon FG        1:30.1068  + 0.8021

17.  Tony D’Alberto        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.1386  + 0.8339

18.  Tim Slade             Holden Commodore VE   1:30.1406  + 0.8359

19.  Shane Van Gisbergen   Ford Falcon FG        1:30.1529  + 0.8482

20.  Fabian Coulthard      Ford Falcon FG        1:30.2231  + 0.9184

21.  Russell Ingall        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.2402  + 0.9355

22.  Steven Richards       Ford Falcon FG        1:30.3826  + 1.0779

23.  Michael Patrizi       Ford Falcon BF        1:30.5275  + 1.2228

24.  Steven Johnson        Ford Falcon FG        1:30.5706  + 1.2659

25.  Todd Kelly            Holden Commodore VE   1:30.6933  + 1.3886

26.  Jamie Whincup         Ford Falcon FG        1:30.9750  + 1.6703

27.  Dean Fiore            Holden Commodore VE   1:31.0067  + 1.7020

28.  Jack Perkins          Holden Commodore VE   1:31.1191  + 1.8144

29.  Mark McNally          Holden Commodore VE   1:34.3783  + 5.0736

Whincup takes back-to-back titles

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:02:26 +0000

Team Vodafone’s Jamie Whincup showed his 2008 V8 Supercar title triumph was no fluke as he wrapped up back-to-back titles with a fifth place finish in race one of the Telstra 500 at Homebush.

It could have been a win or at least a podium but for a couple of small mistakes, but after practice a finish in the top ten would have looked like a good result. Struggles early in qualifying did n’o help, but in the end Whincup made the top ten before jumping up to third in the shootout.

Whincup becomes the first driver to take back-to-back V8 Supercar titles since Stone Brothers Racing’s Marcos Ambrose won the 2003 and 2004 titles, also for Ford. Ambrose now races successfully in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in the USA.

Whincup also becomes the first driver since Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife in 2002 to lead the championship from the very first race of the season to the final race.

His season started well with four wins in the first four races as he set up another championship challenge, and he looked in control as the season reached its mid-point. But despite racking up the wins, Whincup’s lead while comfortable was not insurmountable.

His season suffered a little at Phillip Island when the car he was sharing with Craig Lowndes suffered a tyre issue in the closing laps of a race they had dominated, causing Lowndes and Whincup to lose the win on the final lap.

Late-race dramas struck again for Lowndes and Whincup as they tried to make it four Bathursts 1000 wins in a row, with a clutch problem with Lowndes at the wheel and then a battle with Jason Bargwanna in the final handful of laps meaning another win had slipped away, although the result at both Sandown and Bathurst could easily have been worse.

What did make these results costly was that the drivers who won both those races were the Holden Racing Team duo of Will Davison and Garth Tander. A 267 point lead over Will Davison after the first race at Ipswich was now down to 93 points, and with each of the remaining four rounds worth 300 points each, it was no certainty who would be the victor.

Contact early in the first of four races on the streets of Surfers Paradise meant a poor finish for Whincup as well as a poor starting position for race two and allowed Davison to move to within 51 points. After the second race the margin was down to 41.

Damaged steering for Davison in race three looked to have handed Whincup a golden opportunity to reopen the gap as he ran in fifth place, but distracted by some lapped cars, he crashed hard into the fence with just over a lap remaining and scored no points. That put Davison just 20 points behind.

The final race saw a storming drive from Whincup, charging from 23rd to sixth to open the gap marginally to 32 points with 900 remaining.

But after his struggles at Surfers Paradise, which saw him cancel an appearance at the Race of Champions to concentrate on his title ambitions, he returned to form and won the next three races, with fourth place and a DNF for Davison in the second race at Barbagallo all but sealing the title, today’s race finally confirming it.

With eleven wins from 28 races, along with six pole positions, the most for any driver this year, Whincup has again shown he will be tough to beat next season, when he and the Team Vodafone crew switch from Ford to Holden as he tries to claim three titles in a row and an unprecedented successive titles in different marques.

Tander dominates Homebush race one

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:23:48 +0000

Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander took a comfortable victory as Team Vodafone’s Jamie Whincup secured back-to-back titles in the first race of the Telstra 500 on the streets of Homebush.

Tander led for most of the race apart from a period after the first safety car where Lee Holdsworth jumped him in the pits, and then Jamie Whincup led before an error at turn one on the restart after the second safety car allowed Tander to sneak through and run away from then on.

Second was Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom who kept out of trouble all day and made his way up the order, with third place taken by Fujitsu Racing’s Jason Bright, who vaulted up the order at the third safety car period after a decision to pit at the previous safety car dramatically shortened his stop at the third one and gained him over ten places at the final stop.

In the closing laps Bright had his hands full, with Team Vodafone’s Jamie Whincup looking for a way past, who would have been second if he hadn’t outbraked himself under safety car conditions after exiting the pits on new tyres, dropping several places in the order for the final restart.

With two laps remaining, it looked like Whincup might find that way past as Bright locked up at the end of the back straight and ran wide.

Whincup looked left and right but couldn’t get past, and as he tried to make a move ran a little bit offline, losing grip and allowing Lee Holdsworth who was sitting right behind them to sneak through ahead of Whincup into fourth place.

Holdsworth was recovering after leading the race early in the event before getting caught out on fluid dropped after Paul Dumbrell slammed into Dean Fiore at the first chicane. Holdsworth ended up in the tyres before the safety car then made an appearance, but it was too late to stop Holdsworth dropping from first to 23rd.

Fifth for Whincup was more than good enough to clinch the title however as he secured back-to-back championships for himself just as the team prepares to switch marques for 2010.

His only championship rival, Will Davison, had a terrible day. After qualifying 17th, he struggled for pace throughout the race, and remained mired in the pack. Soon after he made his second pitstop, he outbraked himself at turn one as he approached Whincup’s team-mate Craig Lowndes.

Lowndes, who had just clouted the fence at the final turn, turned in as late as he could but Davison was going straight ahead, the two making contact, damaging the steering on both cars, Lowndes forced to pit immediately while Davison soldiered on.

Davison’s day got just that little bit worse, receiving a drive-through penalty for the contact, before recovering in the closing laps to finish 15th.

There were also drivers whose day looked set for a great result but ended up well down the order. Jim Beam’s James Courtney made up a few places during the final safety car period and was running in third place.

But with less than 20 laps to go he was forced to pit by officials to shut a driver’s door that kept opening. He was forced to pit again three laps later when the repair failed to keep the door shut.

Cameron McConville looked set for a podium from the start of the race, pressuring Whincup through the middle of the race. But just after making his final pitstop, he hit the tyres at turn eight, bringing out the safety car and ending his day.

With just one race remaining for the season, Whincup leads Will Davison by 332 points. But Davison’s poor finish and Tander’s win has seen the gap between the two Holden Racing Team team-mates shrink to 38 points.

Davison must finish close to Tander in tomorrow’s race to maintain that second position, as another result like today will see Tander leapfrog ahead of him despite Davison having entered the round as the only driver with a chance of beating Whincup to the title.

Pos Driver Make Time
1. Garth Tander Holden Commodore VE 2:05:49.8020
2. Mark Winterbottom Ford Falcon FG + 2.8348
3. Jason Bright Ford Falcon FG + 8.0839
4. Lee Holdsworth Holden Commodore VE + 8.5096
5. Jamie Whincup Ford Falcon FG + 10.6762
6. Michael Caruso Holden Commodore VE + 18.6685
7. Jason Bargwanna Holden Commodore VE + 20.5039
8. Steven Richards Ford Falcon FG + 20.8234
9. Rick Kelly Holden Commodore VE + 21.2858
10. Shane Van Gisbergen Ford Falcon FG + 31.2491
11. Tony D’Alberto Holden Commodore VE + 33.7910
12. Jason Richards Holden Commodore VE + 35.0338
13. Fabian Coulthard Ford Falcon FG + 36.3815
14. Todd Kelly Holden Commodore VE + 49.8013
15. Will Davison Holden Commodore VE + 1:03.2496
16. Russell Ingall Holden Commodore VE + 1:24.0917
17. James Courtney Ford Falcon FG + 1 lap
18. David Reynolds Holden Commodore VE + 1 lap
19. Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon FG + 17 laps
20. Alex Davison Ford Falcon FG + 18 laps

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Make Laps
Tim Slade Holden Commodore VE 71
Jack Perkins Holden Commodore VE 58
Steven Johnson Ford Falcon FG 57
Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VE 48
Cameron McConville Holden Commodore VE 41
Dean Fiore Holden Commodore VE 24
Paul Dumbrell Holden Commodore VE 24
Michael Patrizi Ford Falcon BF 9
Mark McNally Holden Commodore VE 2

Tander takes Homebush race one pole

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:26:44 +0000

Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander took a dominant pole position for the inaugural race of the Telstra 500 on the streets of the Olympic precinct at Homebush.

After just making it through the first leg of qualifying in 20th, he turned it around in the second leg before a superb lap in the top-ten shootout in which he was half a second faster than anyone else.

Behind him it was an unbelievably close battle in the shootout, the next six cars covered by less than a tenth of a second. Alongside Tander on the front row will be Garry Rogers Motorsport’s Lee Holdsworth.

Third on the grid will be championship leader Jamie Whincup, who after struggling for pace throughout the weekend made it into the top ten in ninth before going close to pole before Tander’s final flyer. Alongside Whincup is the second Garry Rogers car of Michael Caruso.

Having recently announced his retirement from full-time driving, fifth for Cameron McConville was a surprise, just ahead of Greg Murphy, with Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom completing the group of cars within a tenth of Holdsworth.

Completing the top ten on the grid are James Courtney, David Reynolds who backed up a good second race at Barbagallo before the late tyre issue, and Paul Dumbrell who will be switching teams and marques for next season.

Just missing the top ten were a number of fancied runners, with 11th through 18th filled by Rick Kelly, Russell Ingall, Jason Bright, Todd Kelly, Shane van Gisbergen, Steven Johnson, Will Davison and Fabian Coulthard.

Davison’s 17th position on the grid will make things difficult for him in the championship, as not only has it made his slim hopes of beating Whincup (which needs him to win or finish second in this race with a Whincup DNF to have any hope) but his 128 point margin over team-mate Tander on pole is also likely to narrow significantly.

Speaking of the the championship, Tander’s third place looks extremely secure with his only rival for the position, Team Vodafone’s Craig Lowndes having a disastrous session, and will start 21st as he needs to make 222 points up with 300 remaining.

Pos  Driver                Car                   Time

 1.  Garth Tander          Holden Commodore VE   1:29.8489

 2.  Lee Holdsworth        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.3376  + 0.4887

 3.  Jamie Whincup         Ford Falcon FG        1:30.3631  + 0.5142

 4.  Michael Caruso        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.3938  + 0.5449

 5.  Cameron McConville    Holden Commodore VE   1:30.4007  + 0.5518

 6.  Greg Murphy           Holden Commodore VE   1:30.4018  + 0.5529

 7.  Mark Winterbottom     Ford Falcon FG        1:30.4168  + 0.5679

 8.  James Courtney        Ford Falcon FG        1:30.5638  + 0.7149

 9.  David Reynolds        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.6887  + 0.8398

10.  Paul Dumbrell         Holden Commodore VE   1:30.8739  + 1.0250

11.  Rick Kelly            Holden Commodore VE   1:30.0583  + 0.2094

12.  Russell Ingall        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.1824  + 0.3335

13.  Jason Bright          Ford Falcon FG        1:30.1841  + 0.3352

14.  Todd Kelly            Holden Commodore VE   1:30.1967  + 0.3478

15.  Shane Van Gisbergen   Ford Falcon FG        1:30.2261  + 0.3772

16.  Steven Johnson        Ford Falcon FG        1:30.3236  + 0.4747

17.  Will Davison          Holden Commodore VE   1:30.5986  + 0.7497

18.  Fabian Coulthard      Ford Falcon FG        1:30.6254  + 0.7765

19.  Tim Slade             Holden Commodore VE   1:30.6369  + 0.7880

20.  Tony D’Alberto        Holden Commodore VE

21.  Craig Lowndes         Ford Falcon FG        1:30.7873  + 0.9384

22.  Steven Richards       Ford Falcon FG        1:31.1049  + 1.2560

23.  Alex Davison          Ford Falcon FG        1:31.1968  + 1.3479

24.  Jason Richards        Holden Commodore VE   1:31.2101  + 1.3612

25.  Michael Patrizi       Ford Falcon BF        1:31.2781  + 1.4292

26.  Jack Perkins          Holden Commodore VE   1:31.3646  + 1.5157

27.  Dean Fiore            Holden Commodore VE   1:31.9459  + 2.0970

28.  Mark McNally          Holden Commodore VE   1:32.6307  + 2.7818

29.  Jason Bargwanna       Holden Commodore VE

Tander takes Homebush race one pole

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:26:44 +0000

Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander took a dominant pole position for the inaugural race of the Telstra 500 on the streets of the Olympic precinct at Homebush.

Pos  Driver                Car                   Time

 1.  Garth Tander          Holden Commodore VE   1:29.8489

 2.  Lee Holdsworth        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.3376  + 0.4887

 3.  Jamie Whincup         Ford Falcon FG        1:30.3631  + 0.5142

 4.  Michael Caruso        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.3938  + 0.5449

 5.  Cameron McConville    Holden Commodore VE   1:30.4007  + 0.5518

 6.  Greg Murphy           Holden Commodore VE   1:30.4018  + 0.5529

 7.  Mark Winterbottom     Ford Falcon FG        1:30.4168  + 0.5679

 8.  James Courtney        Ford Falcon FG        1:30.5638  + 0.7149

 9.  David Reynolds        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.6887  + 0.8398

10.  Paul Dumbrell         Holden Commodore VE   1:30.8739  + 1.0250

11.  Rick Kelly            Holden Commodore VE   1:30.0583  + 0.2094

12.  Russell Ingall        Holden Commodore VE   1:30.1824  + 0.3335

13.  Jason Bright          Ford Falcon FG        1:30.1841  + 0.3352

14.  Todd Kelly            Holden Commodore VE   1:30.1967  + 0.3478

15.  Shane Van Gisbergen   Ford Falcon FG        1:30.2261  + 0.3772

16.  Steven Johnson        Ford Falcon FG        1:30.3236  + 0.4747

17.  Will Davison          Holden Commodore VE   1:30.5986  + 0.7497

18.  Fabian Coulthard      Ford Falcon FG        1:30.6254  + 0.7765

19.  Tim Slade             Holden Commodore VE   1:30.6369  + 0.7880

20.  Tony D’Alberto        Holden Commodore VE

21.  Craig Lowndes         Ford Falcon FG        1:30.7873  + 0.9384

22.  Steven Richards       Ford Falcon FG        1:31.1049  + 1.2560

23.  Alex Davison          Ford Falcon FG        1:31.1968  + 1.3479

24.  Jason Richards        Holden Commodore VE   1:31.2101  + 1.3612

25.  Michael Patrizi       Ford Falcon BF        1:31.2781  + 1.4292

26.  Jack Perkins          Holden Commodore VE   1:31.3646  + 1.5157

27.  Dean Fiore            Holden Commodore VE   1:31.9459  + 2.0970

28.  Mark McNally          Holden Commodore VE   1:32.6307  + 2.7818

29.  Jason Bargwanna       Holden Commodore VE