V8s: Davison and Salo end TeamVodafone’s winning streak
This was originally posted here on Richard’s F1!
Will Davison and Mika Salo took out race 2 today at the ArmorAll Gold Coast 600, ending Team Vodafone’s 11 race winning streak and giving Ford Performance Racing its first win since May.
The duo’s off sequence strategy with an early pit stop due to a flat spot worked out in their favour and eventually won them the race.
The TeamVodafone pair in Jamie Whincup and Sebastien Bourdais came in second and Winterbottom and Power bookended the podium for FPR in third.
Davison came back from a prematurely ending run yesterday to complete an accident-free run to the top of the podium. Things weren’t boding well for Davison initially, with the Falcon locking up on only the third lap, but the run was salvaged when the car pitted during the safety car’s appearance during lap 13. Subsequently, Will’s co-driver Mika Salo completed a longer run than most – 56 laps – but that, and taking advantage of the safety car worked in FPR’s favour. Davison was pleased with the result:
“It is fantastic to get another win as it feels like so long since my last one. I actually had to fight much harder than I thought as Tim (Slade) came out in front of me after the last stop which I hadn’t thought of. Once I got past him I had to press on but also try and conserve my tyres which thankfully I had the car to do it with really easily.
"We were under a lot of pressure and Mika did such an amazing job so I am really happy for him that we finally got our win here. I let us down yesterday but we made up for it today.”
Mika Salo echoed his co-driver’s comments.
“It’s great. I got a surfboard last year so now we’ve got the first place one to take home too. Yesterday was bad luck, it was good to bounce back today.
Whincup's performance was quite similar to last year where the pair also collected a win and a second place after two pole positions. Co-driver Bourdais was awarded the Dan Wheldon memorial trophy again this year for his efforts.
In fourth place came the Lucky 7 Racing Ford of Tim Slade and David Brabham who competed solidly throughout the race. Their early pitting saw them take the lead with a fifth of the race to go however their pace wasn’t quite enough to hold the more competitive rivals off. A good result regardless for the pair.
"We lead for quite a few laps and really that was all to do with the strategy that Wes (McDougall, engineer) and Luke came up with and Brabs' performance that put me in that position. All I had to do was pretty much drive it to the end”
“Overall I'm really happy and I think we were third overall on points for the weekend. Fourth and fifth is great especially on a weekend like this where there are so many elements thrown at you." said Slade.
Garth Tander and Ryan Briscoe finished in 5th, in the same position as on Saturday, but coming up from 12th on the grid.
There were 5 safety car periods in this debris-ridden weekend however after the sensational starts on Saturday the internationals did well to not have any major issues getting off the line. 20 of the 25 starters finished.
Whincup now leads the Championship with an even greater margin, making it difficult for FPR rival Winterbottom in the next few rounds. Winterbottom is now over 200 points behind the leader in the Championship.
Check out a video of the whole hot weekend here!
2012 V8 Supercars ArmorAll Gold Coast 600 – Race 2 Results (102 laps):
| Driver | Entry / Team | Result | ||
| 1. | Will Davison / Mika Salo |  |
Ford Performance Racing | 2:16:06.9161 |
| 2. | Jamie Whincup / Sébastien Bourdais |  |
Triple 8 Racing | + 0.5023 |
| 3. | Mark Winterbottom / Will Power | |
Ford Performance Racing | + 2.1931 |
| 4. | Tim Slade / David Brabham | |
Stone Brothers Racing | + 4.7583 |
| 5. | Garth Tander / Ryan Briscoe | |
Holden Racing Team | + 6.7205 |
| 6. | Craig Lowndes / Richard Lyons | |
Triple 8 Racing | + 9.9402 |
| 7. | Russell Ingall / Peter Dumbreck | |
Walkinshaw Racing | + 11.4888 |
| 8. | Lee Holdsworth / Simon Pagenaud | |
Stone Brothers Racing | + 11.6066 |
| 9. | Shane van Gisbergen / Jeroen Bleekemolen | |
Stone Brothers Racing | + 12.6979 |
| 10. | Fabian Coulthard / Nicolas Minassian | |
Brad Jones Racing | + 12.8490 |
| 11. | Rick Kelly / Graham Rahal | |
Kelly Racing | + 13.8741 |
| 12. | Steven Johnson / Max Papis | |
Dick Johnson Racing | + 13.9017 |
| 13. | David Reynolds / Nick Heidfeld | |
Ford Performance Racing | + 14.5725 |
| 14. | Jonathon Webb / Marc Lieb | |
Tekno Autosports | + 17.0130 |
| 15. | David Wall / Jamie Campbell-Walter | |
Brad Jones Racing | + 18.0038 |
| 16. | Taz Douglas / Mike Conway. | |
Dumbrell Motorsport | + 21.3784 |
| 17. | James Courtney / Darren Turner | |
Holden Racing Team | + 1:15.4242 |
| 18. | Steve Owen / Boris Said | |
Dick Johnson Racing | + 1 lap |
| 19. | Dean Fiore / Gianni Morbidelli | |
Dick Johnson Racing | + 11 laps |
| 20. | Greg Murphy / Justin Wilson | |
Kelly Racing | + 14 laps |
| NOT CLASSIFIED | ||||
| DNF. | Tim Blanchard / Marco Andretti | |
Kelly Racing | 69 laps |
| DNF. | Michael Caruso / James Hinchcliffe | |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | 34 laps |
| DNF. | Jason Bright / Stephane Sarrazin | |
Brad Jones Racing | 18 laps |
| DNF. | James Moffat / Peter Kox | |
Dick Johnson Racing | 0 laps |
| DNS. | Michael Patrizi / Lucas di Grassi | |
Tekno Autosports | Withdrew |
| WD. | Tony D’Alberto / Vitantonio Liuzzi | |
Tony D’Alberto Racing | Withdrew |
| WD. | Karl Reindler / Franck Montagny | |
Kelly Racing | Withdrew |
| WD. | Greg Ritter / Ricky Taylor | |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | Withdrew |
 |
|
V8s: 3 Race Starts at GC600…Yet Whincup Wins Again
This was originally posted on Richard’s F1…check it out here!
On a hot and sticky day at the Gold Coast, the dynamic duo of Jamie Whincup and Sebastien Bourdais took the top spot on the podium today after an action filled race at the ArmorAll Gold Coast 600. The TeamVodafone pair were joined by Jonathon Webb and the German Marc Leib for Tekno Autosports and Mark Winterbottom and Will Power for FPR in third.
The race took some time to start though, with the internationals having a little drama getting underway...requiring 2 restarts and a fair while to clean up, the concrete canyon lived up to its name!
James Hinchcliffe was a little slow off the mark for Garry Rogers Motorsport and was subsequently hit by Luizzi’s Irwin Ford which lead to Ricky Taylor’s Fujitsu Holden flip onto it’s head! Simon Pagenaud for Stone Brothers Racing also being involved meant that four cars were out before a single lap had been started. But that wasn’t all…
The restart saw Nicolas Minassian in the Holden Brad Jones Racing stall and Franck Montagny hitting the rear of the car. Again, the red flags were given some unwanted air time.
The race finally got underway 50 minutes behind schedule, meaning the race was then timed to finish at one lap after 4.15pm, for a total of 79 laps.
The race was fought hard and fast with a number of different leaders throughout the afternoon. FPR’s Mika Salo was the early leader however once Whincup swapped in, he lead the bright orange from the front for the last 44 laps. Jamie talked after the race:
“What a crazy start to that race. I thought we’d never get into it and get the race going. We fought on and the Webb car was hooked up and hard to keep at bay.”
Indeed, Webb nipped at Whincup’s heels for about 20 laps, applying pressure to Jamie all the way to the end of the race.
Only 18 of the 28 starters finished, and there were three different safety car outings. Mika Salo and Will Davison weren’t able to capitalise on Salo’s early lead after contact with a wall lost them their edge.
Mark Winterbottom, who came in third and is focusing on his bid for the Championship, praised his co-driver, local Will Power but will be looking to push for a win on Sunday.
“It was a good fight back and a tough race. Will (Power, co-driver), did a great job and I could attack at the end. We were coming but we needed a few more laps so we were just a bit short.”
Full results are below.
Let the racing continue!
2012 V8 Supercars ArmorAll Gold Coast 600 – Race 1 Results (79 laps*):
| Driver | Entry / Team | Result | ||
| 1. | Jamie Whincup / Sébastien Bourdais | |
Triple 8 Racing | 1:45:10.0919 |
| 2. | Jonathon Webb / Marc Lieb | |
Tekno Autosports | + 0.4647 |
| 3. | Mark Winterbottom / Will Power | |
Ford Performance Racing | + 1.0893 |
| 4. | Garth Tander / Ryan Briscoe | |
Holden Racing Team | + 12.2211 |
| 5. | Tim Slade / David Brabham | |
Stone Brothers Racing | + 12.9548 |
| 6. | Craig Lowndes / Richard Lyons | |
Triple 8 Racing | + 14.6256 |
| 7. | James Courtney / Darren Turner | |
Holden Racing Team | + 17.1494 |
| 8. | Rick Kelly / Graham Rahal | |
Kelly Racing | + 21.5720 |
| 9. | Russell Ingall / Peter Dumbreck | |
Walkinshaw Racing | + 22.0760 |
| 10. | Shane van Gisbergen / Jeroen Bleekemolen | |
Stone Brothers Racing | + 22.5905 |
| 11. | Michael Patrizi / Lucas di Grassi | |
Tekno Autosports | + 23.7514 |
| 12. | Jason Bright / Stephane Sarrazin | |
Brad Jones Racing | + 23.9662 |
| 13. | Greg Murphy / Justin Wilson | |
Kelly Racing | + 25.1239 |
| 14. | Taz Douglas / Mike Conway. | |
Dumbrell Motorsport | + 25.4685 |
| 15. | David Wall / Jamie Campbell-Walter | |
Brad Jones Racing | + 55.0786 |
| 16. | Steven Johnson / Max Papis | |
Dick Johnson Racing | + 1 lap |
| 17. | Dean Fiore / Gianni Morbidelli | |
Dick Johnson Racing | + 2 laps |
| 18. | Will Davison / Mika Salo | |
Ford Performance Racing | + 16 laps |
| NOT CLASSIFIED | ||||
| DNF. | David Reynolds / Nick Heidfeld | |
Ford Performance Racing | 66 laps |
| DNF. | Steve Owen / Boris Said | |
Dick Johnson Racing | 40 laps |
| DNF. | Tim Blanchard / Marco Andretti | |
Kelly Racing | 19 laps |
| DNF. | James Moffat / Peter Tox | |
Dick Johnson Racing | 18 laps |
| DNS. | Lee Holdsworth / Simon Pagenaud | |
Stone Brothers Racing | 0 laps |
| DNS. | Tony D’Alberto / Vitantonio Liuzzi | |
Tony D’Alberto Racing | 0 laps |
| DNS. | Fabian Coulthard / Nicolas Minassian | |
Brad Jones Racing | 0 laps |
| DNS. | Michael Caruso / James Hinchcliffe | |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | 0 laps |
| DNS. | Karl Reindler / Franck Montagny | |
Kelly Racing | 0 laps |
| DNS. | Greg Ritter / Ricky Taylor | |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | 0 laps |
* Following the two separate startline accidents, the race distance was reduced from its scheduled 102 laps and instead time-limited to a one-hour, 45-minute minute race
|
|
V8s: Whincup on Pole for GC600
This was originally posted on Richard’s F1…check it out here!
Jamie Whincup kept the momentum of his Bathurst win going, qualifying on pole for Saturday’s ArmorAll Gold Coast 600 race today.
The last endurance weekend of the series saw Whincup, who is partnering with Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais clock in a fastest lap time of one minute and 11.8730 seconds.
The pair are joined on the front row by the Will Davison / Mika Salo duo for FPR.
Mark Winterbottom found himself frustratingly qualifying in sixth place, next to Jonathon Webb and the German Marc Lieb who was quick in the practice runs earlier.
Reynolds, Tander and Lowndes are among the names that missed the top ten shootout and find themselves starting a little lower on the list. The full results are below.
2012 V8 Supercars ArmorAll Gold Coast 600 – Race 1 Qualifying Result:
| Driver | Entry / Team | Top-10 Result | ||
| 1. | Jamie Whincup / Sébastien Bourdais | |
Triple 8 Racing | 1:11.6478 |
| 2. | Will Davison / Mika Salo | |
Ford Performance Racing | + 0.2252 |
| 3. | Rick Kelly / Graham Rahal | |
Kelly Racing | + 0.2363 |
| 4. | Michael Caruso / James Hinchcliffe | |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | + 0.3103 |
| 5. | Jonathon Webb / Marc Lieb | |
Tekno Autosports | + 0.3104 |
| 6. | Mark Winterbottom / Will Power | |
Ford Performance Racing | + 0.3345 |
| 7. | Fabian Coulthard / Nicolas Minassian | |
Brad Jones Racing | + 0.5422 |
| 8. | Tony D’Alberto / Vitantonio Liuzzi | |
Tony D’Alberto Racing | + 0.5775 |
| 9. | James Courtney / Darren Turner | |
Holden Racing Team | + 0.7883 |
| 10. | Shane van Gisbergen / Jeroen Bleekemolen | |
Stone Brothers Racing | + 15.4123 |
| Driver | Entry / Team | Q1 Result | ||
| 11. | Tim Slade / David Brabham | |
Stone Brothers Racing | 1:11.8249 |
| 12. | David Reynolds / Nick Heidfeld | |
Ford Performance Racing | 1:11.8434 |
| 13. | Craig Lowndes / Richard Lyons | |
Triple 8 Racing | 1:11.8748 |
| 14. | Steve Owen / Boris Said | |
Dick Johnson Racing | 1:11.8761 |
| 15. | Russell Ingall / Peter Dumbreck | |
Walkinshaw Racing | 1:11.9226 |
| 16. | Lee Holdsworth / Simon Pagenaud | |
Stone Brothers Racing | 1:12.0095 |
| 17. | James Moffat / Peter Tox | |
Dick Johnson Racing | 1:12.0436 |
| 18. | Steven Johnson / Max Papis | |
Dick Johnson Racing | 1:12.0519 |
| 19. | Michael Patrizi / Lucas di Grassi | |
Tekno Autosports | 1:12.0682 |
| 20. | Greg Ritter / Ricky Taylor | |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | 1:12.1432 |
| 21. | Jason Bright / Stephane Sarrazin | |
Brad Jones Racing | 1:12.1475 |
| 22. | Greg Murphy / Justin Wilson | |
Kelly Racing | 1:12.2718 |
| 23. | Karl Reindler / Franck Montagny | |
Kelly Racing | 1:12.2786 |
| 24. | Garth Tander / Ryan Briscoe | |
Holden Racing Team | 1:12.3608 |
| 25. | Tim Blanchard / Marco Andretti | |
Kelly Racing | 1:12.4528 |
| 26. | Taz Douglas / Mike Conway | |
Dumbrell Motorsport | 1:12.7148 |
| 27. | Dean Fiore / Gianni Morbidelli | |
Dick Johnson Racing | 1:12.7304 |
| 28. | David Wall / Jamie Campbell-Walter | |
Brad Jones Racing | 1:12.8859 |
|
|
Frenchman Franck confirmed for GC600
Kelly Racing has today confirmed the French former Formula One driver Franck Montagny as the third driver in their international line up for the Gold Coast 600.
Read the rest of the piece here.
Ex-Formula 1 and IndyCar Driver confirm seats at the GC600
Another two drivers have been confirmed for the Gold Coast 600 in October, Finnish ex-Formula 1 driver Mika Salo for Ford Performance Racing and IndyCar’s star Graham Rahal joins Kelly Racing.