Garth Tander put his poor start to the season behind him with a sensational double-win in the Clipsal 500 at the weekend.
The Toll Holden Racing Team driver, who wrote off his championship hopes following a string of bad luck and poor results in the opening two rounds of the 2010 season in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, triumphed in both 78-lap races, the second of which was one of the best in V8 Supercars history.
In race 1, Tander jumped pole-sitter Jamie Whincup and the pair proceeded to swap places throughout the 250km race. The key moment came in the final of four safety car periods when Whincup’s Team Vodafone pit crew forgot to change the front tyres on the double-champion’s Holden Commodore as they also dealt with team-mate Craig Lowndes on pit road. When the race restarted, Tander, on fresh rubber, was able to simply drive past his rival to take the victory.
James Courtney (Jim Beam Racing) and Paul Dumbrell (The Bottle-O Racing Team) also made it past in their Ford Falcons, and although Whincup fought back to third, he was forced to surrender the position to the charging Lee Holdsworth (Fujitsu Racing) late on as he conserved fuel.
Whincup held on to fourth ahead of Dumbrell with Jason Bright sixth for Trading Post Racing, Fabian Coulthard seventh for Bundaberg Red Racing and Fujitsu Racing’s Michael Caruso in eighth.
Race 2 was a stunner as Tander hung on to finish ahead of Courtney and Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom, despite running close on fuel.
The race was again marked by a topsy-turvy battle between Tander and Whincup up front, while Courtney’s alternative fuel strategy meant he was a constant threat.
A safety car period, called to repair a broken kerb, with 20-laps to go, meant a late sprint for the line, and when Courtney and Whincup touched after the restart, damaging the latter’s bodywork, the Team Vodafone driver was controversially black flagged due to safety concerns, even though the offending bodywork had broken off by the time he came into the pits.
While Tander held on for victory ahead of Courtney and Winterbottom, Whincup ended the race in 18th, with Team Vodafone boss Roland Dane furious that his driver was still forced to stop due to the rules stating that a black flag cannot be rescinded until a driver has entered the pits.
“It’s difficult to accept. The rule is nonsense. They will have to have another look at it all,” he said.
“From a sport’s point of view we have just made ourselves look ridiculous in front of all of these people and to all of the people watching at home.
“Clearly the part had come off the car and yet you are called in to have a look at it when you know perfectly well that there is nothing wrong with it.”
Shane van Gisbergen continued his impressive start to the season with fourth in the SP Tools Racing Ford Falcon ahead of Holdsworth and Lowndes. Rick Kelly, Dumbrell, Caruso and Steven Johnson rounded out the top ten.
Whincup maintains the lead of the championship but has seen his points advantage cut to 135 by Winterbottom.
V8 Supercar Championship results – Round 3, Clipsal 500
Race 1
1 Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing Team, Holden Commodore VE, 78 laps
2 James Courtney, Jim Beam Racing, Ford FG Falcon
3 Lee Holdsworth, Fujitsu Racing, Holden Commodore VE
4 Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone, Holden Commodore VE
5 Paul Dumbrell, The Bottle-O Racing Team, Ford FG Falcon
6 Jason Bright, Trading Post Racing, Holden Commodore VE
7 Fabian Coulthard, Bundaberg Red Racing, Holden Commodore VE
8 Michael Caruso, Fujitsu Racing, Holden Commodore VE
9 Will Davison, Toll Holden Racing Team, Holden Commodore VE
10 Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing, Holden Commodore VE
11 Alex Davison, Irwin Racing, Ford FG Falcon
12 Steven Johnson, Jim Beam Racing, Ford FG Falcon
13 Todd Kelly, Jack Daniel’s Racing, Holden Commodore VE
14 Tony D'Alberto, Centaur Racing, Holden Commodore VE
15 Jonathon Webb, Dick Johnson Racing, Ford FG Falcon
16 Dean Fiore, Triple F Racing, Ford FG Falcon
17 Steven Richards, Ford Performance Racing, Ford FG Falcon
18 Daniel Gaunt, Gulf Western Oil Racing, Holden Commodore VE
19 Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone, Holden Commodore VE
20 Tony Ricciardello, Kelly Racing, Holden Commodore VE
21 Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing, Ford FG Falcon
22 Shane van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing, Ford FG Falcon
Not classified
Rick Kelly, Jack Daniel’s Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Jason Richards, Team BOC, Holden Commodore VE
Greg Murphy, Castrol Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Karl Reindler, Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Tim Slade, Wilson Security Racing, Ford FG Falcon
Jason Bargwanna, Rock Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Andrew Thompson, Budaberg Red Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Race 2
1 Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing Team, Holden Commodore VE, 78 laps
2 James Courtney, Jim Beam Racing, Ford FG Falcon
3 Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing, Ford FG Falcon
4 Shane van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing, Ford FG Falcon
5 Paul Dumbrell, The Bottle-O Racing Team, Ford FG Falcon
6 Rick Kelly, Jack Daniel’s Racing, Holden Commodore VE
7 Tony D'Alberto, Centaur Racing, Holden Commodore VE
8 Steven Johnson, Jim Beam Racing, Ford FG Falcon
9 Jason Richards, Team BOC, Holden Commodore VE
10 Michael Caruso, Fujitsu Racing, Holden Commodore VE
11 Lee Holdsworth, Fujitsu Racing, Holden Commodore VE
12 Todd Kelly, Jack Daniel’s Racing, Holden Commodore VE
13 Steven Richards, Ford Performance Racing, Ford FG Falcon
14 Will Davison, Toll Holden Racing Team, Holden Commodore VE
15 Jonathon Webb, Dick Johnson Racing, Ford FG Falcon
16 Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone, Holden Commodore VE
17 Tim Slade, Wilson Security Racing, Ford FG Falcon
18 Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone, Holden Commodore VE
19 Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing, Holden Commodore VE
20 Karl Reindler, Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing, Holden Commodore VE
21 Tony Ricciardello, Kelly Racing, Holden Commodore VE
22 Dean Fiore, Triple F Racing, Ford FG Falcon
23 Alex Davison, Irwin Racing, Ford FG Falcon
24 Jason Bargwanna, Rock Racing, Holden Commodore VE
25 Daniel Gaunt, Gulf Western Oil Racing, Holden Commodore VE
26 Jason Bright, Trading Post Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Not classified
Fabian Coulthard, Bundaberg Red Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Greg Murphy, Castrol Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Andrew Thompson, Budaberg Red Racing, Holden Commodore VE
Championship Standings (after 3 rounds)
1 Jamie Whincup – 720pts
2 Mark Winterbottom – 585
3 James Courtney – 558
4 Shane van Gisbergen – 510
5 Lee Holdsworth – 501
6 Craig Lowndes – 495
7 Rick Kelly – 428
8 Michael Caruso – 384
9 Paul Dumbrell – 378
10 Steven Johnson – 365
Next round: 26-28 March, Albert Park (non-championship)
Watch Clipsal 500 highlights on Motors TV (Sky Channel 413, Virgin Media 545) on Sunday 21 March at 5.20pm (GMT).
Andy Wilkinson
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