AGP RACE 1 - Business as usual for HRT in fiery opener
2/3/2001 22:30 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
There’ll be plenty of variables in this year’s V8 Supercar championship, particularly after a tumultuous summer. But when all is said and done, one thing remains constant – the domination of the Holden Racing Team.
Defending Shell Series champion Mark Skaife seized the psychological edge over his rivals in the season’s opening battle (albeit a non-championship one), with a first-up win at the Australian Grand Prix meet in Melbourne today.
Skaife got the jump on surprise pole-sitter Marcus Ambrose and ran away with the 20-minute (10 lap) sprint to take the chequered flag, ahead of a reborn Steven Johnson.
One-time Indy ace Jason Bright began his Supercar comeback in emphatic fashion, climbing three positions to finish third.
Skaife and Garth Tander resumed their 2000 battle early in the race, before a Tander mishap handed the Holden Racing Team spearhead the win.
"I got a great start, and while the car was a bit ordinary at the beginning, it got a lot better, Skaife explained. “After Tander dropped away, there wasn't too much pressure and I was able to control the race from out in front.”
"It's going to be a very competitive year in 2001, and we know how hard it is going to be to stay on top this year," he said.
Said Bright; "The set up is a lot different from my Stone Brothers Ford experiences. It keeps its rear tyres really well and it performed strongly throughout the race.”
The Shell Helix Falcons were setting the example for their Ford colleagues today, carving up the field to finish strongly and stake their claim for the season ahead.
Paul Radisich found himself in twelfth after a qualifying bungle yesterday, but looked the form racer at Albert Park this afternoon, slicing through the pack to finish fourth. The renowned street-fighter is now in position to capitalise on his superior speed and pounce on the leaders over the weekend.
"During the race I was careful and took my time passing people, and Garth (Tander) held me up for a while, otherwise it all happened quite easily,” Radisich said. "We can win from there."
Johnson jumped four positions to post his inspired podium result. "That’s just fantastic,” he exclaimed. “I am both relieved and delighted to have finally broken through, and I know there’s more where thats come from.”
V8 rookie Ambrose, as he predicted yesterday, became bogged down on the grid and had dropped to fourth by the first corner. Nonetheless, seventh on debut had Stone Brothers’ eyes smiling.
Russell Ingall was solid in fifth, as was veteran CAT racer John Bowe in eighth. Glenn Seton lost plenty of ground after a spin early in the race, before recovering to ninth.
Craig Lowndes had a nightmare start to his Ford campaign - turned around by Larry Perkins’ Commodore just seconds into the race and falling back to last in the field. But as he’s done so many times before, the former Holden hero fought back to a credible thirteenth position by race’s end.
Despite the setback, the Gibson Motorsport outfit is growing in confidence, says Lowndes.
"We’re definitely disappointed with the result, but that’s racing. The Gibson Motorsport Falcon’s in excellent condition, and it’s definitely got the speed to place us right up in the top five contenders," Lowndes said.
And Lowndes wasn’t the only one to fall victim to the desperate pack and concrete walls. A fiery encounter with plenty of overtaking attempts resulted in Steven Ellery, Larry Perkins and Cameron McLean all having panels to beat in shape before tomorrow’s racing resumption.
Todd Kelly was an impressive eleventh in his first outing aboard a K-Mart Commodore, while his team-mate Greg Murphy took his second win from as many races in the Lamborghini Supertrophy event. The two will unite for K-Mart Racing’s Shell Series campaign at Phillip Island.
Meanwhile, while Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher survived a spectacular roll-over in afternoon practice to post a competitive time, his team-mate Rubens Barrichello emerged fastest in Formula One practice ahead of tomorrow’s all-important qualifying showdown.
The crowd-favourite V8 Supercars make an appearance again tomorrow afternoon for the second heat following official F1 qualifying, before the final sprint on Sunday morning.
**RACE ONE - TOP TEN**
1st MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VX Commodore
2nd STEVEN JOHNSON (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
3rd JASON BRIGHT (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VX Commodore
4th PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
5th GARTH TANDER (Valvoline-Cummins Racing) - VX Commodore
6th RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VX Commodore
7th MARCUS AMBROSE (Pirtek Racing) - AU Falcon
8th JOHN BOWE (CAT Racing) - AU Falcon
9th GLENN SETON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon
10th STEVEN RICHARDS (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon
For complete Race 1 results:
http://www.v8supercar.com.au/2001results/spevent/agp/race1.htm
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