Round 8 - Races 2 and 3 ... 'fire in the Hold(sworth)'
August 19th 2007 12:19
Greg Murphy can’t remember the last time he raced at Oran Park in the rain … but that’s exactly what happened today. Oran Park treated drivers and fans alike with a chaotic thrill ride which kept teams on their toes and drivers working hard all day as the rain relentlessly pelted down. The weather did nothing to put Lee Holdsworth off in his Valvoline Cummins Commodore though as the twenty four year old finished the round with his first ever race win and first ever round win in the V8 Supercar series.
Race one winner, Mark Skaife, lost position off the line as an aggressive move by Rick Kelly saw him take the lead. This was only temporary as Skaife retook the lead to be followed by sliding and spinning cars as the wet conditions caught many drivers out on cold tyres.
Skaife was finding it hard going, his car not set up for optimum performance in the rain and by lap 3 he was already languishing back in fourth position as Whincup, Lowndes and Jason Richards passed him with ease.
Lap four saw two early drive through penalties awarded to Jason Bright and John Bowe, both due to crew members working on the car before the start of the race when they were prohibited to do so.
Whincup was powering as he constantly posted the fastest lap time early on until lap 12 when Jason Bright showed he was still a force to be reckoned with, posting the fastest time of the race so far. Jason Richards showed promise, quickly moving up into the top three and posting yet another fastest lap in lap 19. Another black flag was waved in lap 14 and Greg Murphy was forced to pit due to loose bodywork, effectively ending his race.
By lap 22, Whincup was showing great strength until a problem with broken steering ended his race after contact with Jason Richards. This put Richards in control of the race but wearing tyres slowed him down allowing Lowndes to catch up. An exciting tussle between the Tasman Motorsport and Team Vodafone drivers saw Richards sliding precariously around corners and Lowndes pushing him as far as he could. Lowndes finally overtook Richards on lap 29 to take control of the race.
With just a dozen laps to go, Lee Holdsworth was showing awesome speed, consistently fastest every lap. Jason Richards, on the other hand, was slowing considerably, fighting his old tyres around every corner. Todd Kelly was soon nipping at his heels and by lap 38 Kelly had taken second position from Richards, who also yielded third position to Holdsworth, soon followed by fourth place to Winterbottom.
The gaps were closing between the leading drivers as the race headed into the final laps. With just a couple of laps to go Steve Richards and James Courtney fought hard for 6th position, with Richards winning the fight. Winterbottom overtook Holdsworth just metres before the finishing line to finish a wet race two in third place.
Finishing positions for race two determine the starting positions for race three:
1. Craig Lowndes
2. Todd Kelly
3. Mark Winterbottom
4. Lee Holdsworth
5. Jason Richards
6. Steve Richards
7. James Courtney
8. Will Davison
9. Russell Ingall
10. Simon Wills (Team BOC)
Pole sitter Mark Skaife ended up in twentieth after 46 laps in a car not set up for wet weather.
Race three threw a very large spanner in the works even before it started. The track had dried between races and most teams had opted to start the race on slick tyres (dry weather tyres), hoping to be able to last until the pit window opened before having to change to wet weather tyres. This was not to be, as the rain came again during the warm-up lap, forcing around half the field to change tyres between warm-up and race start.
With half the cars starting from pit lane, those who started on the track had a clear run to the first corner. Holdsworth, one of just a few who had the foresight to start the race on wets, got the best start, moving immediately from third to first place. The rain came harder forcing the drivers who were still circulating on slicks to pit at the end of lap 1 and change to wets. Lowndes and Winterbottom were two who were affected and both drivers had long pitstops due to cross-threaded wheel nuts.
The first dozen laps saw Jason Richards, Lee Holdsworth and Garth Tander trade fastest laps, gaining precious track position for themselves. By lap 10, Holdsworth enjoyed a 19.8 second lead over the rest of the field, mainly thanks to his decision to start on wets. Rick Kelly, Van Gisbergen and Davison all decided to battle on without changing to wets until the pit window opened. This meant they would only make one stop instead of two, saving time and potentially ending up in a good position at the end.
The rain was pouring down and cars were spearing off through the whole race. Lap 20 saw the end of Courtney’s Oran Park round with a front break failure seeing him sliding across the dirt trap while Holdsworth extended his lead over Jason Richards and the rest of the field to over 25 seconds.
In some ways it was amazing that the safety car wasn’t deployed until lap 25, although for the last twenty laps the safety car seemed to be trundling around the track more often than not. The safety car was out for a second time only moments after the first restart when Canto speared off, compressing the field once again. Conditions were treacherous, the race already running late due to slower lap times during the rain and officials made the decision to implement a time limit – 46 laps (full race distance) or a finish at 2.55pm, which ever came first.
Lap 31 saw yet another restart after safety car intervention and yet more carnage as Skaife spun off into the dirt after contact with Greg Murphy and Alan Gurr was touched up by Max Wilson.
Another safety car period followed while Skaife’s car was removed. After the race Skaife was disappointed with his early exit from race 3, “our car was very good in the dry,” he explained, “but in the wet it was terrible.”
Lap 35 and the safety car peeled off again. A little push and shove but finally a clean start prevailed. Price spun around on the wet track in lap 38 and Steve Richards complained of no rear grip. Rookie Van Gisbergen took the long route through the dirt and Courtney suddenly appeared with a crunched in bonnet after heavy contact with Price.
Meanwhile, Lee Holdsworth was pulling away until, once again, the safety car condensed the field after Winterbottom slid into the dirt, taking the scenic route. A three lap race to the line ensued when the safety car peeled off, creating immediate chaos including many of the big names in V8 Supercar racing; Jason Richards, Russell Ingall, Greg Murphy and Cameron McConville, to name a few.
A huge sigh of relief was palpable around the paddock when the race finally ended, big smiles and friendly back punching in the Garry Rogers garage as Lee Holdsworth crossed the line first in his 27th championship start.
Neil Crompton summed the day up in a post race comment:
“For supposedly the best 30 blokes in the country,” he said, “some of them need a slap around.”
Race 3 results:
1. Lee Holdsworth
2. Garth Tander
3. Russell Ingall
4. Jamie Whincup
5. Steve Richards
6. Jason Richards
7. Andrew Jones
8. Steve Owen
9. Max Wilson
10. Paul Dumbrell
Podium finishers for the weekend were:
1. Lee Holdsworth (Garry Rogers Motorsport)
2. Steve Richards (FPR)
3. Craig Lowndes (Team Vodafone)
Garry Rogers on Lee Holdsworth:
“He’s very, very much like Jim Richards, just a bloody good driver.”
… an accolade any driver would be proud to hear.
Image of Lee Holdsworth car courtesy of Martin Pot. Used with permission.
Image of Jason Richards car courtesy of Tasman Motorsport
Lee Holdsworth in his Valvoline Cummins Commodore
Race one winner, Mark Skaife, lost position off the line as an aggressive move by Rick Kelly saw him take the lead. This was only temporary as Skaife retook the lead to be followed by sliding and spinning cars as the wet conditions caught many drivers out on cold tyres.
Skaife was finding it hard going, his car not set up for optimum performance in the rain and by lap 3 he was already languishing back in fourth position as Whincup, Lowndes and Jason Richards passed him with ease.
Lap four saw two early drive through penalties awarded to Jason Bright and John Bowe, both due to crew members working on the car before the start of the race when they were prohibited to do so.
Whincup was powering as he constantly posted the fastest lap time early on until lap 12 when Jason Bright showed he was still a force to be reckoned with, posting the fastest time of the race so far. Jason Richards showed promise, quickly moving up into the top three and posting yet another fastest lap in lap 19. Another black flag was waved in lap 14 and Greg Murphy was forced to pit due to loose bodywork, effectively ending his race.
By lap 22, Whincup was showing great strength until a problem with broken steering ended his race after contact with Jason Richards. This put Richards in control of the race but wearing tyres slowed him down allowing Lowndes to catch up. An exciting tussle between the Tasman Motorsport and Team Vodafone drivers saw Richards sliding precariously around corners and Lowndes pushing him as far as he could. Lowndes finally overtook Richards on lap 29 to take control of the race.
With just a dozen laps to go, Lee Holdsworth was showing awesome speed, consistently fastest every lap. Jason Richards, on the other hand, was slowing considerably, fighting his old tyres around every corner. Todd Kelly was soon nipping at his heels and by lap 38 Kelly had taken second position from Richards, who also yielded third position to Holdsworth, soon followed by fourth place to Winterbottom.
The gaps were closing between the leading drivers as the race headed into the final laps. With just a couple of laps to go Steve Richards and James Courtney fought hard for 6th position, with Richards winning the fight. Winterbottom overtook Holdsworth just metres before the finishing line to finish a wet race two in third place.
Finishing positions for race two determine the starting positions for race three:
1. Craig Lowndes
2. Todd Kelly
3. Mark Winterbottom
4. Lee Holdsworth
5. Jason Richards
6. Steve Richards
7. James Courtney
8. Will Davison
9. Russell Ingall
10. Simon Wills (Team BOC)
Pole sitter Mark Skaife ended up in twentieth after 46 laps in a car not set up for wet weather.
Race three threw a very large spanner in the works even before it started. The track had dried between races and most teams had opted to start the race on slick tyres (dry weather tyres), hoping to be able to last until the pit window opened before having to change to wet weather tyres. This was not to be, as the rain came again during the warm-up lap, forcing around half the field to change tyres between warm-up and race start.
With half the cars starting from pit lane, those who started on the track had a clear run to the first corner. Holdsworth, one of just a few who had the foresight to start the race on wets, got the best start, moving immediately from third to first place. The rain came harder forcing the drivers who were still circulating on slicks to pit at the end of lap 1 and change to wets. Lowndes and Winterbottom were two who were affected and both drivers had long pitstops due to cross-threaded wheel nuts.
The first dozen laps saw Jason Richards, Lee Holdsworth and Garth Tander trade fastest laps, gaining precious track position for themselves. By lap 10, Holdsworth enjoyed a 19.8 second lead over the rest of the field, mainly thanks to his decision to start on wets. Rick Kelly, Van Gisbergen and Davison all decided to battle on without changing to wets until the pit window opened. This meant they would only make one stop instead of two, saving time and potentially ending up in a good position at the end.
Jason Richards
The rain was pouring down and cars were spearing off through the whole race. Lap 20 saw the end of Courtney’s Oran Park round with a front break failure seeing him sliding across the dirt trap while Holdsworth extended his lead over Jason Richards and the rest of the field to over 25 seconds.
In some ways it was amazing that the safety car wasn’t deployed until lap 25, although for the last twenty laps the safety car seemed to be trundling around the track more often than not. The safety car was out for a second time only moments after the first restart when Canto speared off, compressing the field once again. Conditions were treacherous, the race already running late due to slower lap times during the rain and officials made the decision to implement a time limit – 46 laps (full race distance) or a finish at 2.55pm, which ever came first.
Lap 31 saw yet another restart after safety car intervention and yet more carnage as Skaife spun off into the dirt after contact with Greg Murphy and Alan Gurr was touched up by Max Wilson.
Another safety car period followed while Skaife’s car was removed. After the race Skaife was disappointed with his early exit from race 3, “our car was very good in the dry,” he explained, “but in the wet it was terrible.”
Lap 35 and the safety car peeled off again. A little push and shove but finally a clean start prevailed. Price spun around on the wet track in lap 38 and Steve Richards complained of no rear grip. Rookie Van Gisbergen took the long route through the dirt and Courtney suddenly appeared with a crunched in bonnet after heavy contact with Price.
Meanwhile, Lee Holdsworth was pulling away until, once again, the safety car condensed the field after Winterbottom slid into the dirt, taking the scenic route. A three lap race to the line ensued when the safety car peeled off, creating immediate chaos including many of the big names in V8 Supercar racing; Jason Richards, Russell Ingall, Greg Murphy and Cameron McConville, to name a few.
A huge sigh of relief was palpable around the paddock when the race finally ended, big smiles and friendly back punching in the Garry Rogers garage as Lee Holdsworth crossed the line first in his 27th championship start.
Cromley
Neil Crompton summed the day up in a post race comment:
“For supposedly the best 30 blokes in the country,” he said, “some of them need a slap around.”
Race 3 results:
1. Lee Holdsworth
2. Garth Tander
3. Russell Ingall
4. Jamie Whincup
5. Steve Richards
6. Jason Richards
7. Andrew Jones
8. Steve Owen
9. Max Wilson
10. Paul Dumbrell
Podium finishers for the weekend were:
1. Lee Holdsworth (Garry Rogers Motorsport)
2. Steve Richards (FPR)
3. Craig Lowndes (Team Vodafone)
Garry Rogers on Lee Holdsworth:
“He’s very, very much like Jim Richards, just a bloody good driver.”
… an accolade any driver would be proud to hear.
Image of Lee Holdsworth car courtesy of Martin Pot. Used with permission.
Image of Jason Richards car courtesy of Tasman Motorsport
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Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
I read this very differently. At first I thought it was an insult to Richards!
I'm sure Skaife will be as right as...um...rain next round.
Hope you're well.
Dusk
Comment by Andrea
V8 Supercar Pitstop
It's lovely to see you again. I've missed you around here.
That comment from Garry Rogers could be seen as an insult, i guess, if it had been said by someone less experience and less invloved in the sport. But GR is such a well-respected, knowledgeable member of the V8 paddock that I can appreciate what he was trying to say.
Holdsworth showed a lot of talent, calmness and professionalism (something that 'Gentleman Jim' was famous for) this weekend. Especially considering all the carnage around him.
According to GR, when Holdsworth started race three on wets instead of doing what most of the other drivers did and start on slicks, that was Lee's decision ... he over-ruled GR (team boss!) who wanted to put slicks on the car. And it was a damn fine decision in the end.
Jim Richards may be a legend in the sport but Holdsworth has a lot of potential. He is also a safe and professional driver, just like Jim...
... and Skaife, of course!
Skaife's car was awesome in the dry ... shame it was such a bitch in the wet.
Did you have a good week / weekend? I'll be emailing soon.
Much love dear friend.
Cara xxxx
PS Less than a week to go now ... yippee!!