INDY SAT - Rat continues DJR Surfers love affair
14/10/2000 19:05 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - The Dick Johnson love affair with the streets of Surfers has continued today, with Paul Radisich recording two wins from as many starts in the FAI V8 Supercar Challenge on Honda Indy Saturday.
Paul Radisich was supreme in difficult conditions to repeat his performances of last year on the Gold Coast streets in support of the penultimate CART round this weekend.
The New Zealand-born, Queensland-residing racer gave the local Dick Johnson Racing operation their eighth and ninth wins at Surfers Paradise today from just 13 races held at the decade-old event.
Only last week, Radisich grabbed his first Shell Series round win at Sandown Raceway, and it now seems the Ford-powered Shell Helix outfit has run into a purple patch at the right time of year.
Polesitter Russell Ingall recorded a pair of seconds, holding-out the challenge from his Factory-backed rivals, the Holden Racing Team.
Many cars may be packed into the transporters a day earlier than expected, after both races featured multi-car accidents.
In Race 1, Russell Ingall led the field away only to be relegated to second half a lap later when Paul Radisich dived down the inside to take the lead.
The race was slowed to a grinding halt just minutes later after a three-car pile-up involving both K-Mart cars and Steven Ellery forced the pace car onto the circuit.
Greg Murphy instigated the accident, coming off second best after tapping the rear of Mark Larkham’s Falcon at FedEx turn. The collision sent Murphy careering into the wall, and left Steven Ellery and Steven Richards with no room to move except into the back of the car in front.
Steven Johnson and Neil Crompton also got caught-up in the tangle, but escaped serious injury. Both K-Mart cars and Ellery’s Super Cheap Auto Falcon failed to make the grid for the second race, and look doubtful starters tomorrow.
With many laps lost under yellow flag conditions, the pace car veered off the circuit with just a handful of laps remaining, creating a three-lap sprint to the line.
A mistake by Craig Lowndes had team-mate Mark Skaife on his tail, and resulted in a fierce battle for third position.
Mark Skaife eventually won the battle, finishing behind Ingall and race winner Paul Radisich.
Following CART Qualifying, the second Supercar race produced much of the same, with Paul Radisich recording a flag-to-flag victory ahead of Russell Ingall and Craig Lowndes.
The race was marred by another pile-up early in the race, this time involving the Falcons of Brad Jones and Paul Weel, and the third Gibson car campaigned by Rodney Forbes. It is unclear whether this threesome will have the chance to resume their battle tomorrow.
With the wreckage cleared, Russell Ingall was hounded by Lowndes for the laps remaining, but withstood the pressure to claim second. Mark Skaife finished fourth behind his team-mate.
The Supercars will entertain the massive Surfers crowds again tomorrow morning as a curtain-raiser to the CART Honda 300.
Also on the Surfers streets, young V8 Lites racer David Besnard has proven the faith the Stone Brothers pair showed in him was justified after he defeated a classy field in the Honda Young Gun Challenge this afternoon.
Besnard – who will campaign a SBR Falcon full-time next season after the Queensland-based SBR outfit snapped him up on a long-term deal – defeated the likes of Marcos Ambrose, Steven Johnson and Paul Weel to win the race.
Former V8 Supercar star Jason Bright showed steady improvement in his debut CART drive, qualifying his Della Penna machine in 24th for tomorrow’s race.
**RACE ONE TOP TEN**
1st PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
2nd RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore
3rd MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
4th CRAIG LOWNDES (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
5th JASON BARGWANNA (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
6th MARK LARKHAM (Mitre 10 Racing) - AU Falcon
7th TONY LONGHURST (Caltex Havoline Racing) - AU Falcon
8th BRAD JONES (OzEmail Racing) - AU Falcon
9th PAUL WEEL (K & J Thermal Products Racing) - AU Falcon
10th RODNEY FORBES (Wynn's Racing) - VT Commodore
**RACE TWO TOP TEN**
1st PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
2nd RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore
3rd CRAIG LOWNDES (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
4th MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
5th JASON BARGWANNA (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
6th MARK LARKHAM (Mitre 10 Racing) - AU Falcon
7th STEVEN JOHNSON (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
8th TONY LONGHURST (Caltex Havoline Racing) - AU Falcon
9th CRAIG BAIRD (Pirtek Racing) - AU Falcon
10th STEVE REED (Landsvale Smash Repairs/PPG Racing) - VT Commodore
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