R11 RACE - HRT supreme in gruelling 500 encounter
10/9/2000 20:31 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - The Holden Racing Team has proven emphatically their sprint race supremacy extends to the longer form of racing as well, after Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife won a gruelling OzEmail 500 encounter at Queensland Raceway today.
The team was faultless in stifling conditions – solid driving performances, lightening-fast pit stops and a brilliant tactical performance ensuring the result was as predictable as their sprint race performances.
As others fell victim to mechanical attrition, pitlane blunders, and heartbreaking bad luck, the performance of the No. 1 Factory Commodore was flawless, particularly in pitlane.
"Plenty of Falcons were as fast as us this weekend, but they have managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory," Mark Skaife, who battled the flu during his stint, said.
"The top four cars are from the top four Holden teams and it shows how much more professional our teams are," he said.
Master tactician Jeff Grech and his crew used the safety car to their advantage, timing their two stops to perfection and ensuring both Lowndes and Skaife were in ideal position once back on the track.
After the final stops were made, the result was in little doubt.
"They asked me if I could do a double stint as I jumped in the car and they were looking at all the different strategy options and I just went with their calls," Craig Lowndes explained.
"We may not have had the qualifying speed but we certainly had the race speed and the guys called the shots fantastically, as they always do. We were a bit lucky but we made the right calls at the right time," he said.
While the result could be seen as another HRT demolition job, plenty gave themselves every opportunity to win the race.
Polesitters Garth Tander and Jason Bargwanna were in strong position for the entire 161 lap distance, and while they concede they were beaten by a better team, a jammed fuel valve in the final stop proved costly.
The fuel hatch failed to lock after refuelling, spilling petrol over the track. The mishap forced the Commodore back into the pits and had the team on the back foot for the rest of the race.
Nonetheless, the second place finish, nearly 40 seconds adrift of the HRT Commodore, keeps Tander in the title hunt – just.
"I would have preferred to convert our pole position into a win and have Skaife record a non-finish," Tander said.
"We haven't given up too many points today though, and the car is great so Jason and I are very confident of collecting that big bundle of points on offer in the last round at Bathurst," he said.
K-Mart Racing’s bullet-proof Commodores were quick and reliable all day, elevating Steven Richards and Greg Murphy to an all-Holden podium.
Richards, driving the final stint, managed to hold the CAT Ford and the Russell Ingall-driven Castrol Commodore at bay – even with a broken steering arm sustained in a fight with Steven Ellery.
"I was surprised how bad it was when I jumped in for the middle stint," Murphy said. "Our corner speed was 5-10km down because of it so Steven did a sensational job to hold Ingall off."
Paul Radisich stormed back into contention after being penalised for a jumped start, but failed to make an impression when it mattered.
After an inspired drive by “the Rat” to get the car back to third on the road following the stop-go penalty, pitstop miscalculations cost him and Cameron McLean any chance at victory.
It was a weekend of missed opportunity for the Blue Oval camp all-round, even after they promised so much on Friday and Saturday.
While in a strong position, Tony Longhurst was forced back into pitlane late in the race after his Caltex Havoline crew realised Longhurst was going to drive more than the legally allowed number of laps.
Young debutant David Besnard impressed all weekend with his pace, but with the lost time in pitlane the car was no longer in contention.
Amazingly, the same bungle was made by the crew of the SBR Pirtek car, with Craig Baird forced into pitlane to allow Simon Wills to complete his minimum number of laps. The mistake cost both SBR cars a possible podium finish.
"I thought the Stone Brothers' situation was farcical," Mark Skaife said. "I feel really sorry for Longhurst who did a superb job all weekend.”
HRT looked as though it would have four drivers on the podium, after youngsters Todd Kelly and Nathan Pretty drove the car onto the provisional podium with the line in sight. However engine dramas forced Kelly into pitlane and out of the race.
Mark Skaife extends his fast-becoming-unassailable championship lead to 1296 points, 189 clear of Garth Tander. Glenn Seton will now need a miracle to win from his position, while Paul Radisich is out of contention.
While having a mathematical chance of winning the title, Craig Lowndes is also out of contention, assuming he will be paired with Skaife at Bathurst.
The Shell Series reverts back to sprint mode for a Sandown Raceway meeting in early October, before the grand finale at Bathurst in November.
**TOP TEN RESULTS**
1st LOWNDES/SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
2nd TANDER/BARGWANNA (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
3rd MURPHY/RICHARDS (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore
4th PERKINS/INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore
5th BOWE/RICHARDS (CAT Racing) - AU Falcon
6th RADISICH/McLEAN (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
7th SETON/CROMPTON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon
8th LONGHURST/BESNARD (Caltex Havoline Racing) - AU Falcon
9th RITTER/LEAHEY (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
10th BAIRD/WILLS (Pirtek Racing) - AU Falcon
**CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE**
1st MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore [1296]
2nd GARTH TANDER (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore [1107]
3rd GLENN SETON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon [1049]
4th CRAIG LOWNDES (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore [1038]
5th PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon [927]
6th GREG MURPHY (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore [872]
7th TONY LONGHURST (Caltex Havoline Racing) - AU Falcon [789]
8th RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore [781]
9th JASON BARGWANNA (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore [759]
10th STEVEN RICHARDS (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore [755]
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