BESNARD 4th IN SYDNEY
11/1/2005 16:02 (Press Release) -
WPS Racing's David Besnard has backed up his last-start race win in Tasmania with a fourth-place finish in the V8 Supercar Championship Series Grand Finale at Sydney's Eastern Creek.
Besnard started the first race of the three-race weekend from 10th position on the grid after earlier competing in the team’s first Top 10 Shootout of the year.
He placed ninth in the shootout but started the first race from 10th position after officials excluded his time due to his late departure from the pits.
Team mate Owen Kelly, who started the race from 26th position, climbed to 16th place before he was forced to park on the side of the track just four laps from the finish after experiencing extreme vibration in the car.
The two will start Sunday’s second race from today’s finishing positions.
On return to the pits after the race Besnard, who made up three places in the first lap, immediately sought out his pit crew to praise them for a great stop in which he picked up several places.
By the time the whole field had made their compulsory pit stops Besnard was in fourth position and he held that for the back half of the race.
“It was a great team effort and it was the team, not me, who came fourth today,” said Besnard.
“They did a fantastic job … they picked me up a few places and gave me some breathing space on the guys behind me. I just kept the car straight.
“Fourth place is pretty satisfying coming off the back of the win in Tasmania. Some people probably thought we were extremely lucky in Tassie but we had good pace all weekend there and we have shown that again today.
“It has been a hard year but everyone in this team has had faith in each other and it’s now starting to pay off.”
Owen Kelly, driving in the Wright Patton Shakespeare Financial Group-supported Car 48, had a strong race and made up 10 places before engine failure forced him off the track.
“I made a reasonable start and passed a few guys but the first set of tyres were pretty ordinary,” said Kelly.
“When I got the second set of tyres the car was much better and I was going forward without pushing too hard.”
Kelly was making ground on a group of drivers including Greg Murphy, Glenn Seton and Warren Luff when he experienced engine problems and retired the car on lap 22 of the 26-lap race.
The race was won by Marcos Ambrose, who also wrapped up the championship, with Craig Lowndes in second and Jason Bright in third.
Release Date: 04/12/2004
WPS Racing
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