Mark Winterbottom has taken his second win of the day leading home a Ford 1-2-3 in Race 2 of the MSS Security V8 Supercars Challenge at Albert Park.
In a thrilling finish, the Orrcon Steel FPR driver snatched the lead from SP Tools Racing's Shane van Gisbergen on the final lap of 12 when the Kiwi slid wide at Turn 5.
Early leader and FPR team-mate Will Davison (Trading Post FPR) led 11 of the 12 laps, but finished third after pitting at the end of the penultimate lap for his mandatory stop.
“It is great for Ford to get a 1-2-3 today,” said Winterbottom.
“It was nice to race clean with Shane [van Gisbergen] at the end for the win and we were both right on the edge out of turn six.
“Will was the dark horse due to his strategy and overall it was just a great race and I am pleased that we've fixed so many of the issues we had here last year.
“Racing here is physically quite easy but when the first lap is as exciting as it was today it raises the temperature quickly. I drove well and used the strategy I had, though this weekend's format throws so many different options up so it gets interesting seeing how everyone interprets it.”
Garth Tander (Holden Racing Team) was the highest placed Holden in fourth, followed by TeamVodafone's Jamie Whincup. Whincup had taken the lead from Winterbottom at the start, heading 13 cars into the pit-lane at the end of the first lap, but a slow stop cost him several positions, and the chance of the race win.
Lee Holdsworth (Irwin Racing), Rick Kelly (Jack Daniels Racing), David Reynolds (The Bottle-O Racing Team), Todd Kelly (Jack Daniels Racing) and James Courtney (Holden Racing Team) rounded out the top 10.
Craig Lowndes (TeamVodafone) had been running second to Davison, but pitted on lap seven with mechanical problems and took no further part in the race. James Moffat (Team Norton DJR) joined Lowndes on the retirements' list three laps later after a punt by Jonathon Webb (Tekno Autosports) left him beached in the turn one gravel trap.
The V8 Supercars will return to the Albert Park circuit for Race 3 tomorrow.
Race 2 result:
1 | Mark Winterbottom | Orrcon Steel FPR Ford | 12 | 24:34.7788 |
2 | Shane Van Gisbergen | SP Tools Racing | 12 | 24:35.3700 |
3 | Will Davison | Trading Post FPR Ford | 12 | 24:37.8987 |
4 | Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team | 12 | 24:40.3523 |
5 | Jamie Whincup | TeamVodafone | 12 | 24:43.6956 |
6 | Lee Holdsworth | Irwin Racing | 12 | 24:47.6466 |
7 | Rick Kelly | Jack Daniel's Racing | 12 | 24:48.6237 |
8 | David Reynolds | The Bottle-O Racing Team | 12 | 24:53.9958 |
9 | Todd Kelly | Jack Daniel's Racing | 12 | 24:54.5971 |
10 | James Courtney | Holden Racing Team | 12 | 25:01.7176 |
11 | Fabian Coulthard | Lockwood Racing | 12 | 25:06.1686 |
12 | Greg Murphy | Pepsi Max Crew | 12 | 25:06.2815 |
13 | Michael Caruso | Fujitsu Racing GRM | 12 | 25:09.6755 |
14 | Steven Johnson | Jim Beam Racing | 12 | 25:11.8011 |
15 | Tony D'Alberto | Tony D'Alberto Racing | 12 | 25:13.0273 |
16 | Taz Douglas | Team iSelect | 12 | 25:13.1707 |
17 | Michael Patrizi | Tekno Autosports | 12 | 25:13.6656 |
18 | Karl Reindler | Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | 12 | 25:14.0329 |
19 | David Wall | Wilson Security Racing | 12 | 25:15.7309 |
20 | Steve Owen | V.I.P. Petfoods | 12 | 25:16.1391 |
21 | Jonathon Webb | Tekno Autosports | 12 | 25:17.4304 |
22 | Dean Fiore | Jim Beam Racing | 12 | 25:19.8215 |
23 | Alexandre Premat | Fujitsu Racing GRM | 12 | 25:21.1207 |
24 | Russell Ingall | Supercheap Auto Racing | 12 | 25:28.1737 |
25 | Jason Bright | Team BOC | 12 | 25:44.0025 |
26 | Tim Slade | Lucky 7 Racing | 12 | 25:51.2480 |
DNF | James Moffat | Team Norton DJR | 9 | 19:06.0683 |
DNF | Craig Lowndes | TeamVodafone | 6 | 11:56.2416 |