R6 RACE 1 - Smart tactics leads to a Murphy upset
10/6/2000 20:52 (Press Release) - More than 40,000 fans lined the streets of Canberra to see Greg Murphy surprise everyone by taking victory in the first of three races at the inaugural GMC 400, while the expected front runners had a torrid time and finished mid field.
The Kmart Holden racer took his first Shell Championship Series race win since he took out the FAI 1000 at Bathurst in November last year after a gamble on an early pitstop paid dividends.
Jason Bargwanna in the Valvoline Cummins Holden and Murphy's team-mate, Steven Richards completed an unlikely trifecta, having employed the same tactics.
It was quite a change of fortune for Murphy after blowing an engine in early practice and getting very few sighting laps in on the new track and qualifying 14th.
"It's an amazing result really, I am trying to get it to compute as it is pretty ironic after the weekend we have had," Murphy said.
"The car was pretty good in the race but the call to come in to the pits on lap two was the telling factor. It was a gamble to come in early as we were relying others to crash, and then after just four laps, voila!”
“After that, you will see a flood of pitstops on lap two in tomorrow's second race which will be a bit funny," he said.
The top eleven finishers all made their compulsory tyre stops early in the race, before the first safety car period on lap five which was brought about by Cameron McConville came off the worst in the scrap for space on the narrow circuit.
When the pace car did come out, they were able to bunch close behind the leaders and lie in wait for them to make their stops.
Twenty year old Ford charge, Paul Weel took advantage to storm to fifth behind Russell Ingall, his best ever Shell Series result. Dugal McDougall and Mark Poole also recorded their best results with sixth and seventh.
"Does anyone know what the odds were on that trifecta?" Bargwanna said. "We decided earlier this week that we would go for an early pitstop and it has worked better for us than we could have hoped."
Richards also acknowledged the importance of the early stop strategy on such a narrow and demanding circuit in his top three placing.
"There are no real passing opportunities. It is a great street circuit to drive on but in a race it is a bit one way so pit calls were definitely what gave us the result," Richards said.
Pole sitter, Garth Tander had led the race off the line and looked to have the measure of his rivals. But the lead group were caught short by the early pit stops.
Garth Tander, Glenn Seton, Mark Skaife, Craig Lowndes, Mark Larkham and Larry Perkins were all forced to surrender their hard earnt lead positions when they eventually came into the pits after the second and last safety car period. As the big guns rejoined the field outside the top ten, Murphy skipped away with clean track in front of him.
The second safety period came on lap 12 after John Bowe tagged the rear of Craig Baird's Pirtek Falcon on the entry to pit straight, sending the Kiwi slamming into the pit wall at the entry to pit lane. Baird's disgust at Bowe's actions were plain.
"I don't know what he was thinking," Baird said. "He was pushing me half way around the corner into the front straight. It's not as though he didn't see me."
Bowe's Cat Racing Falcon burst into flames minutes later from the front end damage he sustained in the incident, forcing him to retire. Baird's car damage was so extensive that he will take no further part in the meeting.
Bowe was likely to join a long cue of drivers called before the stewards to explain a large number of panel crushing incidents which came out of the race.
Defending champion, Lowndes, may join that cue after Tony Longhurst lodged a complaint against 'The Kid' for turning his Caltex Ford around on lap 20.
"I haven't spoken to him about it yet but if he wants his HRT sticker back, it's on my left door panel," Longhurst said.
In another ironic twist, Brad Jones’ Ozemail Falcon will start from pole position for tomorrow's second stanza.
Jones had become tangled in a first corner collision and pitted with extensive damage. But he was able to rejoin and limp around the circuit for long enough top be classified as the last finisher, and therefore earn pole for the first ever reverse grid race in the Shell Series.
"People said this V8 Supercar category was tough," Jones said. "I just cruised around and got pole. But this is a strange situation where you are rewarded for crashing. I don't think I will be making a habit of it."
Tander also looks likely to benefit from the reverse grid after a late race crash into the wall when he was running in 16th place. He eventually finished 25th and when the stewards enquires are completed and the final grid set for tomorrow's race, Tander appears set to start from third.
**TOP 10**
1st GREG MURHPY (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore
2nd JASON BARGWANNA (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
3rd STEVEN RICHARDS (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore
4th RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore
5th PAUL WEEL (K & J Thermal Products Racing) - AU Falcon
6th DUGAL McDOUGALL (Pepsi-Cola Racing) - VT Commodore
7th MARK POOLE (John Deere Racing) - VT Commodore
8th STEVE REED (Landsvale/PPG/Optus Racing) - VT Commodore
9th NEIL CROMPTON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon
10th TREVOR ASHBY (Landsvale/PPG/Optus Racing) - VT Commodore
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