V-8 Supercars

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James Courtney Wins in Townsville

TOWNSVILLE 12th July 2009 - The final day of the Townsville Dunlop 400 proved to be the day that Jim Beam Racings James Courtney stood up and let his driving speak for itself.
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After a tough day with mechanical failure ending his Race 11 after just 5 laps, Courtney put Car #18 in fourth position on the grid for Race 12 after the Team replaced an engine overnight to get the car ready for today.

"I was really happy with the Car in qualifying and as I said yesterday, its pretty quick straight out of the box", said Courtney.

That statement was again verfied when Courtney jumped into P3 after a flying start to the race, which allowed him to settle into his rythm. But it wasnt to long before Courtney moved ahead of Will Davison to sit in P2 for the first half of the gruelling 200km Race.

While Courtney had great pace, it was not until lap 29 after a slick pit stop that he managed to get ahead of Jamie Whincup after a safety car period. That then gave Car #18 a clear run in front for what turned out to be to the end of the Race. This is Courtney's first Race win for Jim Beam Racing, and his first win for 2009.

"I have waited for this moment and I am so glad its here", said Courtney on the podium after the race.
"The Team at Jim Beam Racing have really stuck by me, and without Jim Beam, Jeldwen, the Team and the Fans.. thank you and that monkey is finally off my back!"
Courtney also spoke about the magnificent event that Townsville hosted for the past three days.
"Everywhere we have been we have been welcomed and the fans have been fantastic. Thank you for making this an amazing event".

This is Courtney's first Race win since Queensland Raceway in August 2008.

Steven Johnson was battling a virus and prior to qualifying for Race 12 needed medical attention to treat the symptoms. With a short 20 min qualifying session to contend with, Johnson was clearly not in the right zone as he qualified in P22 for Race 12. But as with all great fighters, it didnt take long after the start of Race 12 for Johnson to make his way through the field and end up, after an incredible driving effort, in 5th place.
"The car had good pace and I knew that I had to focus hard on doing what I needed to do. It's important for the Team that both James and I finish as high up in the field as we can, and I was really happy with how the race turned out. It was a great effort by James (and by the Team) and I really proud of him and the way that he has handled some of the interesting comments that have been said about him. But at the end of the day we race for points and the Team did pretty well today".

Courtney also made comments to his critics at the Media Conference after Race 12 when asked about how he felt about some of the things that had been said.
"You can choose to either sit in the corner and cry about it, or get up and show them what you can do. I chose the latter".

And he certainly did.
Jim Beam Racing Team Co-Owners Dick Johnson and Charlie Schwerkolt were both ecstatic about the performance of both drivers today.
"James had a tough day yesterday and I really felt for him as a driver. It's soul destroying when you know your car has pace and you are in the pocket to produce some fast times... but when something goes wrong under the bonnet that you cant control... what do you do? But credit to him as he got back behind the wheel and really took it up to the field today... I am really proud and very happy for our Team" said Dick Johnson after the race.
Schwerkolt also praised Steve Johnson's performance today.
"Steve did an amzaing job today. He was not 100% this morning before qualifying and we just had to make sure that he had plenty of time to recover before Race 12. But then to come up from 22nd to 5th.. wow... amazing.. he is a very capable driver and his performance today under what he had to endure proved that...Well done mate."

Not only did The Team do well, but mention needs to be made of the people of Townsville who have put on one of the best Events of the Racing calendar so far. With over 160,000 people attending over three days, its a credit to V8 Supercar Events, the City of Townsville and all of the Businesses and people of Townsville for what they have achieved...
Championship Points - Top 10
1. Jamie Whincup 1560
2. Will Davison 1386
3. Garth Tander 1212
4. Craig Lowndes 1110
5. Steven Johnson 1050
6. Lee Holdsworth 993
7. Mark Winterbottom 957
8. Rick Kelly 903
9. Russell Ingall 830
10. Michael Caruso 828

Dunlop Townsville 400 – Race Two
1. #18 James Courtney
2. #1 Jamie Whincup
3. #2 Garth Tander
4. #22 Will Davison
5. #17 Steven Johnson
6. #5 Mark Winterbottom
7. #33 Lee Holdsworth
8. #10 Paul Dumbrell
9. #888 Craig Lowndes
10. #34 Michael Caruso

RESULTS: Sunday Qualifying
1. #2 Garth Tander 1:12.4700
2. #22 Will Davison 1:12.6938
3. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:12.7246
4. #18 James Courtney 1:12.7420
5. #5 Mark Winterbottom 1:12.8184
6. #34 Michael Caruso 1:12.8431
7. #9 Shane Van Gisbergen 1:12.8586
8. #25 Jason Bright 1:12.9594
9. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:13.0282
10. #111 Fabian Coulthard 1:13.0920

[rxgirl]

Was about time Courtney won a race :)

[gotorx7]

TeamVodafone to race Commodores

AUSTRALIA 30th July 2009 - Reigning V8 Supercar and three-time Bathurst 1000 Champions, TeamVodafone, and its drivers, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, will race Holden Commodores from 2010.
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Holden Executive Director Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, Alan Batey made the announcement at a press conference held at GM Holden headquarters in Melbourne today.
“Holden has a long and proud history in motorsport that stretches back over 40 years and today’s announcement is an exciting step into the next chapter,” Mr Batey said.
“Our commitment and passion for motorsport has not waived.
"Today we are making a clear statement on how much we value this sport which is also a very smart, responsible sponsorship decision.
“We are very excited about working with TeamVodafone and are thrilled to welcome back both Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup to the Holden family.”
TeamVodafone was formed out of the UK-based Triple Eight Race Engineering, winning multiple British Touring Car Championships with the factory GM Vauxhall team.
In its five short years in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, TeamVodafone has evolved from series debutants into the category powerhouse.
From 2004 to the end of last season, TeamVodafone had scored 12 pole positions, won 24 championship rounds and 38 individual race victories, including three straight Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 titles and the 2008 V8 Supercar Driver and Teams Championships.
In 2009, TeamVodafone has continued its impressive run scoring three pole positions, winning nine out of 12 races year to date and again leading both the Driver and Teams Championships after six of 14 Championship events.
“We are delighted to join the Holden family,” TeamVodafone Managing Director, Roland Dane said.
“Triple Eight Race Engineering started running with General Motors in the UK, winning many races and Championships, and it was only an anomaly due to circumstances that we did not race Holdens when we began in V8 Supercars.
“I have always wanted to put that right when the opportunity arose, which it now has.”
Dane said its association with GM was quite emotional.
“Although our relationship with GM in Europe is due to end, again due to circumstances, we recognise that we would not have got to where we are without them.
“It is an emotive topic for Triple Eight and we feel that as we have ‘grown’ with GM that we should continue to ‘live’ together with them, here with Holden.”
Last week Dane confirmed that the team had re-signed with major naming rights sponsor Vodafone for another three years, and that Lowndes and Whincup would also be with the team through to the end of the 2012 season.
Reigning V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup said he was excited by the prospect of returning to Holden.
“Personally, I am very excited, I started my V8 Supercar career in Holden teams and didn’t quite get the results I wanted so now I have the chance to rectify that,” Whincup said.
“Triple Eight is a cohesive and dedicated team and I am very confident that we can continue to record similar results when we climb aboard our new Commodores to start the 2010 season.
“I look forward to working with Holden and hope that we can shoot for further championship success together.”

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Toll HRT dominate at Sandown

VICTORIA 2nd Aug 2009 - Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander has today recorded his second victory of the season taking out the 200km race at Sandown today.
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The victory was made even more special for the factory Holden team, dominating the final day of racing with Will Davison steering his #22 VE Commodore across the line in second.

Tander arrived at the circuit today determined to make amends after yesterday’s result. Disappointed with 17th in the 100km Race 1 finish, today started positively, racing to 6th position in qualifying.

Tander stored his set of optional soft compound tyres for today’s race and took advantage of the extra speed. He was effectively third on track by lap 10 and making his way to the front. With a two stop pit strategy he came in on lap 18 for fuel only and again on lap 29 where he reverted back to control tyre.

Taking command of the race, GT pushed on. Claiming the chequered flag after 65 tiring laps, Tander was cheered on at the podium by a legion of Holden fans.

On the back of his first win for the Toll Holden Racing Team and first pole position yesterday, Davison regained his focus overnight.

With one pole position under his belt he comfortably took the top spot again in the 20 minute qualifying session.

Launching off the start line Davison looked strong early on in the race. The safety car was called to the circuit twice over the first nine laps pushing back the pit window.

After starting on ‘softs’ Davison came in on lap 15 changing four tyres and taking on fuel. Dropping back down the order he was left with position to fight for. A late charge saw him sitting third with just over 10 laps to go and he looked set to join his team-mate on the podium.

Chipping away he passed Rick Kelly to pick up second position and was then left chasing down his team-mate. The two crossed the finish line for Toll HRT’s first 1-2 since Eastern Creek in 2007.

Championship leader Jamie Whincup qualified back in ninth position for the race leaving him with work to do, but he fought back to claim third.

Davison proved he and Toll HRT are strong Championship contenders closing the gap to first placed Whincup. Picking up the most points for the weekend he is now only 117 points away from the leader.

Tander remains in third place just ahead of Triple Eight’s Craig Lowndes.

Toll HRT have closed the gap in the Teams Championship and are only 51 points behind Triple Eight.

The V8 Supercar Championship takes a three week break before the next event at Queensland Raceway from August 19 – 21.

Garth Tander:

“This weekend has been fantastic for the Toll Holden Racing Team, two poles for Will and two great wins – one each for Will and I.

“Today’s race went pretty much to plan and for once the Safety Cars fell exactly where we wanted them for our strategy. The team did a tremendous job [with strategy]; it’s great to have one of these races where everything goes to plan whereas we’ve had a few lately where ‘it’s’ zigged and we’ve zagged.

“Rick [Kelly] and Holdsworth caught us on our toes a little when they went back onto their soft tyres, but we knew they’d only have five or six laps with any sort of speed before falling away, and they fell away quite a bit. The last half of the race it was just a matter of staying in front and having the race come to us then managing it to the end.

“We had one drama; before the race the battery in my car wasn’t charging and it was a bit sick at the end of the race, so it was good to get it over the line. There wasn’t a lot of engine ‘in’ the car at the end – so I was using [the car] as hard as I could under brakes and through the corners, while struggling on the straights. I was surprised it lasted the whole race, but it did so it’s a fantastic result for the whole team, our great sponsors and all the Toll HRT fans.”

Will Davison:
“For me it’s been the perfect weekend; two poles, a win yesterday and effectively the round win.

“We worked pretty hard today, second was the perfect result on the day as we didn’t have fresh soft tyres like a few guys around us and we had to fight pretty hard.

“We lost ground with the Safety Car and went back in the pack, and I was trying to be aggressive, but also trying to stay on the black top. Jamie [Whincup] and I were nose to tail for a bit and it was all going on for a while.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to drive such a fast car as my Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore and get back into second.

“It was such an amazing result with Garth and I at the end and a great result for our team, they’ve been working so hard. I’ll have a few quiet beers tonight and enjoy the weekend.”
2009 V8 Supercar Championship Standings
Championship Points - After Race 14 of 26
1. Jamie Whincup - 1791 points
2. Will Davison - 1674
3. Garth Tander - 1416
4. Craig Lowndes - 1350
5. Steven Johnson - 1194
6. Lee Holdsworth - 1116
7. Mark Winterbottom - 1083
8. Rick Kelly - 992
9. Russell Ingall - 989
10. Michael Caruso - 984

RESULTS: Sandown Race Two
1. #2 Garth Tander
2. #22 Will Davison
3. #1 Jamie Whincup
4. #14 Cameron McConville
5. #888 Craig Lowndes
6. #8 Jason Richards
7. #55 Tony D'Alberto
8. #18 James Courtney
9. #3 Jason Bargwanna
10. #10 Paul Dumbrell

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AUSTRALIA 23rd Aug 2009 - Toll HRT’s Will Davison has bounced back in the best possible way after yesterday’s DNF winning Race 16 at Queensland Raceway in almost perfect fashion.
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His team-mate Garth Tander, who also had a DNF yesterday, battled through the scorching race to cross the finish line in 14th place.

Improving on his qualifying from yesterday Davison set the fifth fastest time in the 20 minute scramble for pole position earlier today and was set to start the race from the third row on the grid.

With the soft tyre still up his sleeve he made a blinding start when the green light fell and leapt from fifth to first over the opening lap. Leading the race Davison put the #22 Toll HRT Commodore in unreachable territory breaking out a commanding lead.

Having to pit twice over the 200km race he came in for the first time on lap 22, reverting back to the control tyre for second stint. In again on lap 38 he stopped for fuel and two fresh tyres.

For the remaining laps of the race Davison was untouchable, controlling the field in what was a safety car free race, he crossed the finish line an impressive 14 seconds ahead of second placed Craig Lowndes.

Davison’s team-mate Garth Tander found qualifying difficult earlier today and had to settle for starting from ninth on the grid.

Tander was edged out on the first lap and found himself out in the dirt. Dropping down the order he was left fighting for position for the rest of the race however managed to make up some of his lost positions.

Stopping twice for a combination of rubber and fuel he ran out the race under tough, hot conditions. He crossed the finish line in 14th place.

Craig Lowndes finished the race behind Davison in second while Russell Ingall was third.

Whincup still leads the Championship charge by 183 points over Davison. Tander just holds on to third place by 1 point ahead of Whincup’s team-mate Craig Lowndes.

The focus now turns to the next event on the V8 Supercar Championship calendar which is also the first of the endurance events - the Phillip Island 500 - from September 11 – 13.

Will Davison: “Today was a fantastic result for the Toll Holden Racing Team. Yesterday was just one of those days you get in motorsport when both our Toll Holden Racing Team Commodores stopped. To bounce back like we did today and keep our spirits up was terrific. I went home last night and went to bed and came back refreshed today. The team was so pumped to win, we knew we had an opportunity with the fresh soft tyres. We improved the car a lot in qualifying over yesterday and it was a pleasure to drive the whole day. It had such comfortable speed on the soft tyres, and when we changed to the hard it was the same thing. We had great speed compared to [Lowndes] and I was monitoring the gap just trying to conserve the tyres for a late Safety Car. A big pat on the back to the Toll Holden Racing Team and Walkinshaw Racing guys; [a result like this] is a great confidence booster going into two very important races [at Phillip Island and Bathurst]. It’s a big relief, we didn’t put a foot wrong and we’ve kept our championship alive.”
RACE RESULTS - Race2 (Top 10)
1. #22 Will Davison 65 laps
2. #888 Craig Lowndes
3. #39 Russell Ingall
4. #5 Mark Winterbottom
5. #10 Paul Dumbrell
6. #34 Michael Caruso
7. #6 Steven Richards
8. #18 James Courtney
9. #25 Jason Bright
10. #15 Rick Kelly

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Tander/Davison Win Phillip Island 500

AUSTRALIA 13th Sept 2009 - Garth Tander and Will Davison have today taken out the Phillip Island 500 in spectacular fashion, the reigning champion winning the race on the final lap.
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Garth Tander and Will Davison were on the money all afternoon, driving a faultless race to take the honours in today’s race.

Tander was embroiled in a battle for the race win with the team’s biggest Championship rival, Triple Eight Racing, with Craig Lowndes at the wheel.

In what was a nail biting finish, Tander managed to claw back the two second lead Lowndes had gained over the closing laps and out lasted the three times Bathurst winner.

Tander was told to give it all he had by his team back in pit lane and he delivered. The 2007 Champion drove the wheels off the #2 Toll HRT Commodore and snuck past Lowndes to seal the win.

Tander’s team-mate, Will Davison, was nervously counting the down the laps from the team’s pit and had almost resorted to settling for second place.

But the team didn’t give up and it paid off with Tander crossing the line in first place when the chequered flag was dropped. This race win gives the team all the motivation for the Bathurst 1000 next month.

Tander and Davison’s team-mates, Paul Dumbrell and Craig Baird, also had a successful outing at the ‘Island’ finishing the day inside the top ten in eighth.

Dumbrell started the day impressively, moving the #2 Toll HRT Commodore up the order over his first stint, before handing the car over to Craig Baird at the first pit stop on lap 21.

Baird drove consistently over his 65 lap run, pushing hard and gaining on the field in front. He handed the car back to Dumbrell for his second stint on lap 86, inside the ten. Dumbrell drove well to cross the finish line in eighth position.

The rain held off for the race and poured onto the circuit at its conclusion.

With the win today Will Davison maintains second place in the Championship while Tander breaks out a narrow gap on fourth placed Craig Lowndes.

The next event is the Bathurst 1000 from October 8-12.

Garth Tander: “A fantastic win for the Toll Holden Racing Team, our supporters, and especially Holden which celebrates its 40th anniversary of official factory involvement in motorsport tomorrow. I was in fuel saving mode for a little while towards the end, but once we’d got past that they said to me on the radio as I began the last lap ‘go as hard as you can and see what happens’. Lowndesy was sliding around a bit and I couldn’t see anything else so I wondered whether he was saving fuel as well. I knew he was going to defend at Honda hairpin, but I thought it was going to be later in the lap that I was going to slip by. Once I got to him I just managed to get by, he obviously had some sort of issue, and we brought it home. It was an amazing race – to go 500kms absolutely flat out, and there was pretty much less than two seconds separating us all race, was incredible. There was pretty much less than two seconds all race, so I’m sure it looked good on TV. To capitalise when something went wrong with the other guys – we’ll take it!”

Will Davison: “It’s a good feeling to win this one, very, very special. The race threw it all at us, debris, oil, but no one blinked. We’d had a chat towards the end and agreed that second was going to be a great day and we’d use the result as motivation for Bathurst, but in this sport you learn never give up. We all know what a battle it is to monitor your tyres and how easy it is for something to go wrong with them. I was very happy with my two stints. It was just a great fight all day [with Triple Eight’s Lowndes and Whincup] – 500ks, less than two seconds between us all day ... brilliant. We got to the lead, then lost the lead and I nearly thought second was it, but I had all the faith in the world sitting there watching GT do what he does best. It’s great to be a part of this win.”
RACE RESULTS - Top 10
1. #2 Will Davison/Garth Tander – 113 laps
2. #888 Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup ?
3. #6 Steve Richards/Mark Winterbottom ?
4. #17 James Courtney/Steve Johnson ?
5. #7 Rick Kelly/Todd Kelly ?
6. #18 Warren Luff/Jonathon Webb ?
7. #39 Russell Ingall/Tim Slade ?
8. #22 Craig Baird/Paul Dumbrell ?
9. #5 Dean Canto/Luke Youlden ?
10. #9 Alex Davison/Shane Van Gisbergen

[gotorx7]

The Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander and Will Davison were crowned 2009 Bathurst 1000 champions today after a gruelling 161 laps around Mount Panorama. http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_Bathurst%202009_1b.jpg
The two battled through all that was thrown at them including rain, safety car interventions and a late race battle for the team’s first win since 2005.

An ecstatic Garth Tander and Will Davison accepted the Peter Brock Trophy to claim HRT’s sixth Bathurst 1000 victory.

Davison and Tander worked remarkably well all weekend and yesterday’s pole position was just the start of greater things to come.

Davison was handed the keys to the #2 Commodore after Tander stepped out post qualifying and he stepped up to the mark.

Starting the race in wet conditions, Davison’s first lap was a roller coaster journey. A nervous Tander watched his team-mate drop back to third in the first two corners of the 161 lap race, only then to force his way back past Lowndes and Richards, placing the Toll HRT #2 car back in the lead.

With good speed, unfortunately he wasn’t able to break out too much of a lead early on, with the first safety car intervention happening on lap 2.

The first round of pit stops rolled out early and not even Triple Eight’s Whincup and Lowndes being issued a drive through penalty was enough to take the pressure off.

Davison’s first stint lasted 30 laps before he pitted to hand over to Tander. Tander was able to maintain strong pace in his VE Commodore, completing 39 laps over his stint.

Davison’s second stint proved to be more challenging than the first. The predicted rain fell onto the circuit and Davison took a gamble.

While the majority of the field dived into pit lane for wet weather tyres around lap 81, Davison opted to stay out. Tander, watching on from the pits, backed up his team-mates decision as he managed to hold it together.

Eventually the track became just a little too damp and the #2 car was forced to pit on lap 83 for wet tyres.

Davison battled on through the wet and despite an extra stop for fuel on lap 98, which ate into the lead, and he handed the car back to Tander on lap 111 in a strong position, albeit behind car 888.

Tander ramped up the pace over his last stint determined to catch the Triple Eight Falcon and he did, manoeuvring past on lap 125. A final stop on lap 137 would see out Tander to the end of the race but not before another safety car interrupted stint.

Tander took the lead after muscling past Kelly and despite another safety car with 4 laps remaining he held on.

After 6 hours 40 minutes and 2 seconds Garth Tander triumphed and crossed the finish line first for his second Bathurst 1000 win and Davison’s first.

Toll HRT have now broken Triple Eight’s hold on Australia’s greatest motor race.

It was a 1-2-3 for Holden with Brad Jones Racing’s Jason Richards and Cameron McConville second and Garry Rogers Motorsport’s Lee Holdsworth and Michael Caruso were third.

The next event on the V8 Supercar Championship is in two weeks time on the Gold Coast.

Garth Tander: “A fantastic race for us, we had really good car speed in all conditions and a great job to our guys to give us a car that was able to go fast all day. Throughout the day it was just a matter of lining up the fuel stops to the end. Will had to struggle around on wet tyres on a dry track, but that opened up a window to get us to the end. It all seemed easy; the decisions came easy and the right decisions were made at the right time. Our stops were fantastic – it was one of those races when ‘if it’s your day it’s your day’. We had to make sure we got through when we needed to. I thought Rick [Kelly] was pulling up to have a wave because we’re old team-mates ... apparently he’s not happy, but it’s Bathurst. In the end, it was a TV finish which worked out well for the Toll Holden Racing Team. It’s a very special day that its 40 years since Peter Brock and the factory Holden Dealer Team made their debuts at Bathurst and we’re the first Holden drivers to put our hands on the Peter Brock Trophy – it seems quite fitting.”

Will Davison: “[The win] hasn’t sunk in as yet. We came into the weekend with a one-eyed attitude to win the race, probably too one-eyed. I had this great feeling about this weekend, but you’ve got to keep those under wraps as you’ve got a job to do. I had a comfortable run, but then I got stuck out on the wets and we lost a lot of time. I was peaking when I got out of the car as we wanted to win this race so badly for everyone on the team and Holden. Somehow everything’s turned out just perfect. This is up there with anything, you don’t forget about it tomorrow ... it feels incredible.”
RACE RESULTS - Top 10
1. #2 W.Davison/G.Tander 161 laps
2. #8 C.McConville/J.Richards
3. #34 M.Caruso/L.Holdsworth
4. #51 G.Murphy/M.Skaife
5. #888 C.Lowndes/J.Whincup
6. #3 J.Bargwanna/M.Noske
7. #67 P.Morris/T.Slade
8. #7 R.Kelly/T.Kelly
9. #33 D.Besnard/G.Ritter
10. #55 T.D'Alberto/A.Thompson

[gotorx7]

Mark Winterbottom drove a stunning and gutsy race at Surfers Paradise today, taking a dominant victory despite suffering from glandular fever. http://www.australiancardirectory.com.au/upl_images/A_V8%20Sufers_1b.jpg
The Orrcon Steel FPR driver described the 300km race, which he completed in 50+ degree cabin heat, as one of the toughest of his career. From outside, however, he made it look easy, scything though from sixth in qualifying to P2 at the end of this morning's part A and snatching the lead off the start in part B of the V8 Championship's 20th 2009 race.

From there he never looked in danger of losing his Nikon SuperGP victory and has finally taken home a winner's surfboard trophy after previously netting four for second-place.

"To have a car that can finish around here despite banging every panel on every tyre bundle shows what a great car we've got," said Frosty.

"It's been a tough weekend and I'm glad it's over that's for sure. The doctor gave me my final jab this morning so to finish in the way we did here ranks very highly in my career. It was one of the toughest races I've ever had but if you keep pushing hard you forget about the pain. It's a mental battle rather than physical, although I was having trouble feeling my legs towards the end."

Team-mate Steve Richards was given a drive-through penalty in part A after a coming together with Greg Murphy. He emerged 25th and drove a strong fight-back to finish 12th. In the afternoon's part B, Richo was fighting for a top ten spot when a bold move by Whincup, which is being investigated by the stewards, saw him end in the wall.

"I knew my race was half shot when I got the drive through so I just put my head down to try and catch the next car and get past it," said Richo. "I just did my best not to make any mistakes and maximise every second I was on track. I had good advantage there when I had clear track; I was able to keep pressing on.

"In this afternoon's race Whincup fired down the inside of Bargwana and I was following him through. It all looked like it was going to be easy but I copped a whack in the rear. I was just trying to fill the spot and we were unlucky."

The cars will be back on track at Phillip Island from November 6-8.

2009 Nikon SuperGP Races 19 & 20 V8 Supercar Series
SURFERS PARADIS E STREET CIRCUIT
Qualifying Race 20
1. Jason Bargwanna, Tasman, 1:49.9887*
3. Craig Lowndes, 888, +0.0609
3. Rick Kelly, Kelly Racing, +0.1008
4. Jamie Whincup, 888, +0.1102
5. Will Davison, HRT, +0.1285
6. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon, +0.1523
14. Steve Richards, Castrol FPR Falcon, +0.6604

2009 Nikon SuperGP Races 19 & 20 V8 Supercar Series
SURFERS PARADISE STREET CIRCUIT
Race 20 - Part A
1. Craig Lowndes, 888
2. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon
3. Garth Tander, HRT
4. Russell Ingall, PMM
5. James Courtney, DJR
6. Steven Johnson, DJR
7. David Reynolds, TWR
8. Jason Bright, Britek
12. Steve Richards, Castrol FPR Falcon

2009 Nikon SuperGP Races 19 & 20 V8 Supercar Series
SURFERS PARADISE STREET CIRCUIT
Race 20 - Part B
1. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon
2. Garth Tander, HRT
3. James Courtney, DJR
4. Jason Bright, Britek
5. Steve Johnson, DJR
6. Jamie Whincup, 888
DNF Steve Richards, Castrol FPR Falcon