V8 Supercars 2014 - Winton - Race 2

Touring Car Classics by Tony Thompson

2 days ago

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Transcript

00:00:00Welcome back, our V8 Supercars coverage continues on a massive day of sport for 7 and a bit of a

00:00:09Holden boot camp in between rounds. The boys from Walkinshaw Racing were really put through

00:00:14their paces by former Formula One trainer Phil Young. He used to train Jenson Button amongst

00:00:20others and they did some rowing, some rock climbing and some stairs. So Tim Slade, Nick

00:00:24Percat, James Courtney and co and Tony Dalberto also getting in some fitness. Of course, this is the

00:00:30big talking point. Russell Ingalls penalty in race 7. We've asked you the question, did the penalty

00:00:35of a pit lane drive-through fit the crime of the incident? It robbed Russell of a spot on the podium

00:00:41and 70% of you say, no, it certainly didn't. So the story now, another 100 kilometres still to come

00:00:47in race 8. The question is, can they stop this guy behind me? He took out race 7 and he's on pole

00:00:53position, Fabian Coulthard, for the 8th race. But more on that Russell Ingalls situation right now.

00:00:58Let's cross to you, Larko, for the proper racing line. You've got the enforcer with you.

00:01:02I have, mate, and I just noticed you've got a cheeky grin on his tyre when you just said 70%

00:01:06of the punters behind him. That's great, mate. But let's just review it first of all. Let's go back.

00:01:11Great strategy. We talked about it during the telecast. That guy over there, Fabian Coulthard,

00:01:14did it last year. It was the right thing to do. Good call. Lap 16 safety car in for tyres.

00:01:18Absolutely. Like Brendan Hogan, my engineer, he's great at this sort of thing. And I tell you what,

00:01:24I was into that second and last corner. He said, pit now, straight on. So I fired straight into pit

00:01:28lane, went back out, couldn't believe no one else did it. Because I got in behind the train again and

00:01:33think, well, why didn't anyone else do it? And lo and behold, there was a right call.

00:01:37Well, there you are going in on your own. It was funny because a lot of teams went out there with

00:01:40their gear and chose not to do it. So you've blazed out. And look, I mean, seriously, some good cars

00:01:45out there just blazing on by. Oh, mate, two seconds a lap quicker. It's nice to have fresh

00:01:49rubber when everyone else is struggling up there. You get someone like Winkup, he won't die. Man,

00:01:53I gave him the biggest rub up and he came back at me. So, oh, good on him. I mean, hey, he was

00:01:57enjoyable, you know? Yeah. And I like it because I can see, mate, when you're having fun, you're

00:02:02really good at what you do. Look, some great overtaking manoeuvres. Now, of course, mate, then

00:02:07there's the incident. And I know what you like when you're out there having fun, mate. You're

00:02:10getting aggressive. The enforcer's back. You like to get on with the job. Let's have a look at the

00:02:14incidents. Talk us through it, mate, because it's a little bit of conjecture. Yeah, absolutely. Look,

00:02:17there's no doubt I gave him a bit of a touch-up going in. But I've dived down and he's decided,

00:02:21right, I'm going to actually try and stay where I am. The thing is, what annoys me about this is

00:02:27two corners before, I've dived in there, got in there. He's decided, well, I'm going to turn in

00:02:31for the corner no matter what. Two corners before that, he's cut me off straight across the front.

00:02:36I'm two seconds a lap quicker. Like, for God's sake, his team would have notified him and said,

00:02:40hey, mate, you're dead. You're better off just letting him go and getting on with it. But

00:02:44no, once a fight to the death, I gave him two corners. I wasn't going to give him three. So

00:02:48down the inside, if he wants to turn in, let him go. That's the sort of thing, though,

00:02:52that should have been judged after the event. Well, I reckon there's half a chance you'll

00:02:55get to have a bit of a chat to the officials about it. But you did go back out after it

00:02:59and, mate, and got stuck into it again. So, you know, you didn't give up. Mate, still

00:03:03a really good result under the circumstances. Oh, mate, I had to because, you know,

00:03:07we got that far up that actually dropped out to, like, 15th or whatever it was. Still

00:03:11a chance to get in the 10th. Mate, I've got to say to you, look at this. What happens?

00:03:14I reckon everyone's got on the radio and said, Russell's not happy. People started pulling

00:03:18out of your way, mate. That's pretty cool. Mate, the engine's limited to 7,500, but mine

00:03:22was about 10,500, I can tell you. So, my engineer said to me, hey, just fire off anyone in front

00:03:28of you. And I said, well, maybe not that much, but I'll tell you what, if anyone gave me

00:03:31a dust-up. Mate, seriously, I love it when you like this, pal. Well done. Keep

00:03:35it up. Good work. Absolutely. Thanks, dude.

00:03:37You can't wait to see what unfolds in our next race, boys. That's the proper racing

00:03:41line, thanks to Penright. So, we're only three events into season 2014, and so much drama

00:03:46is unfolding. As always, there's plenty of news around the V8 supercar paddock, so let's

00:03:51check in with our sleuth, Aaron Noonan, and get a news update, Noons.

00:03:55Well, Matty, I'll start with Craig Lowndes. Some news during the week. He's heading overseas.

00:03:58He's going to do the Spa 24-hour in a Ferrari for the AF Corsa team. Now, that's going to

00:04:03be in July, so it falls between Townsville and Queensland Raceway in terms of the V8

00:04:07calendar. Remember, he won the Bathurst 12-hour this year in a Ferrari. He's been trying to

00:04:11do some GT racing overseas for quite some time. Le Mans is off the radar. How about this

00:04:16old-school vision? Spa 86. This is the last time we saw a big contingent of Australian drivers

00:04:21head over there with Brock and Harvey and Moffat and Grice. It was sensational. It's a

00:04:25GT race now. Stephen Richards is going. Steve Owen will be in a Lamborghini. Erebus may go

00:04:30too in an SLS Merc, so we might see Will Davison actually drive in that race a bit later

00:04:34on the year. Speaking of Erebus, endurance drivers. Just a few drives left for the Enduro

00:04:38Cup. Looking like we're going to see some brothers, Alex and Will, together in the number

00:04:43nine car. First time in their career that they would do that. Bit of a return for Alex

00:04:47because he drove for this team, remember, when it was Stone Brothers in 09, 10 and 11. Hearing

00:04:51too that Craig Baird is back alongside Lee Holdsworth in the four car. I asked the Erebus

00:04:54team for some comment on this during the week. They didn't have any comment, but expect

00:04:58them to confirm they're Enduro drivers in the upcoming weeks and indeed months before

00:05:02Enduro Cup. We'll have some more news for you from Winton here tomorrow at the Winton

00:05:06400.

00:05:07Okay, Noons, thank you. Our V8 sleuth, Aaron Noonan, keeping us up to date with all the goings

00:05:12on in the V8 supercars world. So, Shannon's, great supporters of this sport now broadcast

00:05:17and we'd like to tell you about their club. The Shannon's Club is how you get connected.

00:05:22You know you've got your passion for cars and bikes. Well, Shannon's is the place to go

00:05:26if you're a car enthusiast. There's online forums. There's absolutely everything you can

00:05:31do. You can upload and share your pictures with clubs all around Australia. Connect with

00:05:35fellow enthusiasts. Keep up to date. Do the lot. shannons.com.au slash club. News out of

00:05:42Volvo. An engine change for car 33. Scott McLaughlin is slated to start second for our next race,

00:05:48but tickets are selling fast for the ITM 500. Our next event at Pukakoe Park Raceway,

00:05:54ticketech.co.nz. And get behind the man who's made the Jandall famous in V8 supercar racing.

00:06:02It's the next round and it's where the young Kiwi fired in 2013.

00:06:08The win at Pukakoe, mate, is something that you just never forget.

00:06:12Scott McLaughlin, the 19-year-old Kiwi, in charge of this race at Pukakoe.

00:06:17Remember the last lap? I had goosebumps going up and down my body.

00:06:20Half a lap remaining for Scott McLaughlin. The crowd is going berserk.

00:06:24I've seen all the crowd and my mum, dad, my sister, all my mates. From where I started

00:06:28go-karting to where I was then, they were there.

00:06:30There's a new kid in town in the V8 supercars. His name is Scott McLaughlin. He's on the champions

00:06:36list.

00:06:37Getting out of that car, seeing Gary, seeing all the boys is just something that will stick

00:06:40in my mind for a very long time. And to be in the record books as well, so young, is a

00:06:44pretty cool thing as well.

00:06:45This youngster is being compared already to the great Craig Lowndes. Well, if he can live

00:06:51up to that, it'll be some kind of career.

00:07:00This is onboard car 33 of Scott McLaughlin. As I mentioned, slated to start on the front

00:07:06row of the grid, but our onboard camera shows they're still furiously working away with just

00:07:11under 15 minutes to go until the start of this race as they continue to work away on

00:07:16the engine change. Let's check in with Mark Lark.

00:07:19Yeah, James Court, you can see just here, clipping in his six-point harness. He's got

00:07:22his radio, his drink bottle plugged in, mate. Position 17, not where you want. You got involved

00:07:26in some drama there, mate. Ripped the front end off your car. But you're okay? All fixed

00:07:29and ready to go again?

00:07:31Yeah, mate. I don't know. I don't really know what happened on the restart there. I hooked

00:07:35into the left. Everything was mint. Went back around to the right. Got hit from the

00:07:39front left, which started me spinning, then got hit in the rear. And I was all over. The

00:07:43front corner was out of it. So a little disappointing. We were starting to move forward. The car wasn't

00:07:47super fast in the start, but it was pretty consistent. So we saw those boys come through

00:07:51at the end. Hopefully I would have been one of them.

00:07:53So just quickly, mate, the red car, it is fast enough. I mean, you've got a lot of fans

00:07:56hoping you do well. Good enough to do the job this afternoon?

00:07:59Yeah. Look, I don't think we're going to go out there and break the lap record, but it's

00:08:03a good, consistent car. And it's shown that it's a good race car this year. So I think we keep

00:08:07our nose clean and we should be there in the end. Good luck, James.

00:08:12James Courtney, along with Tim Slade, Scotty McLaughlin and Robert Dahlgren didn't make

00:08:17it to the finish in our earlier race. And the problems aren't just to those who struggled

00:08:24last time around. What about this? The man who will start on pole position, Fabian Coulthard,

00:08:29down at Brad Jones Racing. So the Lockwood team trying to get under there to fix some sort

00:08:35of engine problem. Fabian's been cool and rock solid. He's had a trouble free run. Started

00:08:43the weekend yesterday by smashing the time, becoming the fastest ever V8 supercar around

00:08:50here in practice. He rolled that into qualifying, of course, took out our first race. And now

00:08:55the first sign of a glitch. You can catch the highlights at midnight tonight on 7 or 7 made

00:09:00of both of our races today. So drama's unfolding. We'll grab a quick break and afterwards we'll

00:09:06be ready to roll.

00:09:08There is no one to blame. We're leaving ground. We're leaving ground. We're leaving ground.

00:09:15Will things ever be the same again? It's the final countdown.

00:09:29One piece of the front row puzzle has been sorted. Scott McLaughlin's out there, so they've

00:09:45done the engine change on car 33. These dramas continue at car 14, our pole sitter. Mark Larkham's

00:09:52there, Larko.

00:09:53Yeah, what happened, Matty? When they went to depart... Well, you just heard it fire now.

00:09:56That's great news. When they went to depart the pit lane, the wiring loom that fires the

00:10:01injectors, which are the little things that squirt our fuel into the engine at a high frequency,

00:10:06melted. So they've had to change it. It's one of those really awkward, fiddly little jobs.

00:10:10And there's a lot of temporary work that's gone on there, I can tell you. But they've

00:10:12done a good job. So that's the airbox cover you're seeing just go on now, that carbon fibre

00:10:16cover. That's a terrific sign. That means they'll get out, I think, just in time.

00:10:21Yeah, it's still going to be close, but it should be enough time for him to get out.

00:10:26I would have sent it. I would have driven it straight out. So it's obviously running on

00:10:32seven cylinders. They would have picked up either some smoke where the ejector lead was

00:10:38being burnt, and then obviously gone. But you've got to get it out. You've got to drive

00:10:42the car around and then put the airbox on on the grid.

00:10:44Yeah, and do the zip tyres and all the rest of it later. So just dispatch it at the moment

00:10:48before the pit lane closes. It started under its own steam. Phil Keaton checking with Steve

00:10:59Robertson, so just making sure that he can depart. Larko?

00:11:02And to their credit, Neil, Chris Clark was watching all that very, very closely. They

00:11:06already had a discussion. They knew they had about 12 minutes sitting on the grid, so they

00:11:09were prepared to do that extra work. So that's well done.

00:11:11Yeah, that's the sort of pressure that you don't need right at the start of the race,

00:11:17though. It's a distraction for everybody. And for Fabian, he would have tried to tune

00:11:21out of that whole process and go, well, I've done my bit in qualifying. I'll do my bit

00:11:25in the race. If the car starts, it starts. If it doesn't, c'est la vie.

00:11:29So it was the fourth career win that Fabian collected in race seven earlier today. He

00:11:36wasn't headed from pole position. He got some challenges from his Kiwi mate, Shane Van

00:11:40Gisbergen, but they just couldn't round him up.

00:11:44Well, I had a chat to Mr Lowndes on the grid for the last race, and it was easy to see the

00:11:49start lines, mate. Not so much this time.

00:11:52No, Murph. I think that's, yeah, it's a bit of a drama. But after our last chat, we didn't

00:11:57sort of make the haywire the sun shine. We went backwards a little bit at the end, just

00:12:01wore out the rear tyre. So hopefully we can sort of manage our way through this field,

00:12:05because I think we saw in race one there that basically the trend of cars fall away really

00:12:10well at the end.

00:12:12Well, he's still got that smile on his face regardless. It might be strange seeing Craig

00:12:16Lowndes qualify back here, but what's even a little bit more strange is seeing this car

00:12:21with the one on the side of it qualify back here as well. So two triple eight Red Bull

00:12:27racing cars back here, and hopefully we'll just have a quick chat. Couchy, can we have

00:12:33a quick catch up with your driver? Mate, can you see the lights from back here? And when

00:12:40was the last time you had to do this?

00:12:42Yeah, yeah, back on holidays, back at Christmas time. We're a long way back, but hey, no excuses,

00:12:47mate. The track's very different, but it's the same for everyone, and we just didn't adapt

00:12:51well enough. So this is where we end up. But yeah, fingers crossed when we get through

00:12:55the carnage and get on with it.

00:12:57Well, there's no doubt we will be watching car one and see how much he can get through

00:13:01and hopefully no carnage.

00:13:03So I'm down here with, I've just got to watch my back here now. Fabian Coulthard, here he

00:13:06comes. Look behind me. He's coming up through the centre of the cars. He's going to go up

00:13:10there onto the front of the grid. Well done. They've got that car out here. Right, Davey Reynolds,

00:13:13look at the damage on the front of this car. I had a bit of a blaze through the whole field

00:13:16there before. I can tell you, after that crazy last race seven, there are very few cars in

00:13:22the pit lane that don't have some sort of damage. We'll grab a quick word with Davey Reynolds.

00:13:26Hey, Davey, P11 race seven, that's not bad. Position five here, mate. You're in a terrific

00:13:30spot to capitalise and really kickstart your year, pal.

00:13:34Yeah, qualified a bit better for the second one, but that first race, mate, anything was

00:13:39going on and there was so much drama going on that hopefully this one's a bit more tame

00:13:43for me up the front. But, you know, just got to get our tyres to hang in here. 34 laps

00:13:47is a long way. So, you know, we made some changes, so I hope it goes good.

00:13:51Good luck, Davey. You like to see you do well, pal.

00:13:54Tim Slade, unfortunately, you were caught up with some of that drama at one of those restarts

00:13:58in the previous race. Didn't get to finish that one, but starting in a good position for

00:14:01this one.

00:14:02Yeah, it's really unfortunate to get a DNF. Car wasn't really the best in that race anyway,

00:14:10so I don't think we could have moved too much further forward than where we were. But,

00:14:14yeah, as you said, you know, qualified a bit better for this race. Starting eighth and

00:14:19we didn't actually get time to change too much to the car because, you know, all the

00:14:23guys are flat out fixing their damage. So, yeah, I mean, we have changed one thing, so

00:14:28fingers crossed, you know, it helps us out a bit more over the race distance.

00:14:32Good luck for this one.

00:14:33Well, guys, I don't know if we've ever had this before, but the Kiwi Bros on grid one,

00:14:39two and three. So, pretty impressed. I'm very proud, obviously, especially seeing the

00:14:43next event is Pukekohe, the ITM 500 coming up. Scotty, super job to be on grid two, mate.

00:14:49The three Kiwi Bros are taking up the front of the field.

00:14:53Yeah, it's good. We're all Kiwi Bros that used to watch you, mate. So, it's pretty cool

00:14:56leading into Pukekohe and, yeah, we just want to get it done with here. It'll be cool to have

00:15:00one, two, three on the podium, but hopefully me, I'm starting that trio.

00:15:05Obviously, some major dramas getting an engine change done too in that short time. Guys have

00:15:09done a great job. You're pretty happy that it's all going to be great?

00:15:12Yeah, credit for the boys around me. There's probably going to be a few little issues.

00:15:15Obviously, the heat wrapping stuff around the headers and stuff might smoke a little

00:15:19bit, but we should be all right.

00:15:21Well, he's been smoking all year so far, so I think he's used to it.

00:15:25Just looking over the way here, there's Greg Murphy. You think he's bad enough having a couple

00:15:29of bros here with you there. Three, all three. How are you going? Hey, there's a little bit

00:15:33of Aussie lingo. Hey, I guess as a driver, Fabian, it's very hard and very important with

00:15:39all this drama that's going on, you've got to zone out of that. You've just got to think

00:15:42about driving the race car, which I must say you did a very good job of in race seven,

00:15:46mate. Well done. How are you feeling at this point with all the panic going on around you?

00:15:49It's all right. I've got faith in all my guys, you know what I mean? We had a similar

00:15:52drama happen at the Grand Prix and, you know, we were able to finish second in the race

00:15:55end, so I'm pretty good at putting things behind me. I know what I've got to do. I've

00:16:00got a job at hand, but obviously you don't need these little things to happen, but, you

00:16:03know, that's just part of motor racing. So much as this is about the start, mate, I'm

00:16:07not sure if you're aware, and you'll see when you see the telecast, the drama and hoo-ha

00:16:11going on behind you. Were you aware of it? Not really, no. I just focus on my job, but

00:16:16under the safety car, I looked at the big screens and could see a couple of replays here

00:16:21and there, and it looked pretty gnarly, so, no, it's all good. Good luck, mate.

00:16:25So, back-to-back pole positions. Can he make it back-to-back victories? Let's just bring

00:16:32you up to speed on exactly where we are. If you've been a fan of V8 supercar racing or

00:16:36the Australian Touring Car Championship over the last, well, two and a half decades, you

00:16:40certainly know this place, Winton Motor Raceway. So, it's three kilometres in length.

00:16:45They get up to 225 k's on approach down there to turn one. A lot of action around the hairpins

00:16:51of seven, eight and nine.

00:16:54Just quickly, Matty, just going back to the problem with Fabian Coulthard, I flicked a

00:16:57text to team owner Brad Jones for a bit deeper understanding of that. And we know what happens

00:17:02with these cars sometime, and there he is on screen for Fabian. When they idle, when you've

00:17:06got the airbox off them, you actually see them spitting back through the trumpets on occasion.

00:17:10And every so often, you'll get a little fire that's created when they blow back through

00:17:16the trumpet, and it quickly takes hold and does a lot of damage. And that's why they ended

00:17:21up with a little bit of that wiring burn. So that's why, as Larco explained before, they

00:17:25had to replace some of it. But the source of the problem is actually a fire, and it happens

00:17:30every now and again. It's happened to quite a few of them over a period of time. One of the

00:17:33reasons why the drivers are very cautious with the throttle percentage when they're using

00:17:36the pit lane speed limiter is precisely that.

00:17:41Interesting to hear David Reynolds, who we saw on board as we flick around some of our

00:17:45onboard cameras. David Reynolds wanting a tame race. I mean, he's a guy that likes to be

00:17:50in the thick of it. He likes to throw it around. But after all the craziness earlier on in the

00:17:54day, these guys want what Fabian Coulthard got. Get out and don't have to worry about all

00:17:59the drama. I get the feeling, though, you just can't help but have shenanigans, especially

00:18:06under restart. So it's 100 kilometres, flat out, no pit stops, 34 hours. We know what

00:18:11happens here.

00:18:16Let's check out the Fuso starting grid for race number eight of the championship. And

00:18:20again today, Fabian Coulthard will start from the pole position alongside fellow Kiwi, Scotty

00:18:25McLaughlin in the Volvo. Then it's Shane Van Gisberg and VIP Pet Foods. Great drive in the

00:18:29first one. Lee Holdsworth for Erebus Motorsport next. Nice performance, David Reynolds. He'll be

00:18:34effective in this one alongside Mark Winterbottom also in the Ford. James Moffat for the Norton

00:18:39Hornets, seven. Timmy Slade, super cheap auto racing next. Position nine, Chas Mostert for

00:18:44Pepsi Max Ford Performance Racing. Another Ford, Scotty Pye alongside him. A great performance

00:18:49in the previous race by Dale Wood, position three. And then it's David Wall. Jason Bright,

00:18:54position 13, team BOC at a willing battle with Rick Kelly and Will Davison alongside him.

00:18:59And it's Caruso, Nick Percat. So both of those guys involved in dramas early on in race seven.

00:19:04James Courtney's car 22 was ripped apart. Rick Kelly's car 15 was spun around. Todd Kelly

00:19:10also in the wars. Same two for Garth Tander. So we're going back down through the field.

00:19:14That's where we find a defending series champ. Jamie Winkup to start in 21st. It's worse though

00:19:20for Red Bull Racing Australia. Craig Lowndes, the series leader, starts in 23rd. Robert Dalgren

00:19:26alongside him and Russell Ingle. Furious Russell Ingle at the rear of the grid.

00:19:32So on board here with McLaughlin inside the Volvo starts from the front row of the grid. We've got

00:19:36it covered on board as always through a variety of cars. This is Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance

00:19:41Racing Pepsi Max. He got some solid points out of that last one. Boy, it's been a weird weekend

00:19:46for him. Speaking of weird, how about Jamie Winkup having to battle from this position?

00:19:51So we're on board with him. A whole bunch of angles covered there. I looked at some tires

00:19:55after the last race to try and get an understanding. Man, are the rear tires working hard. The place

00:20:00is bathed in sunshine. We didn't have those conditions yesterday. Nobody's ever tested here

00:20:05before with this treatment on the racetrack. So we're really jumping into the unknown here.

00:20:10And in fact, it's got a little bit hotter now relative to the earlier race. Larco?

00:20:14Yeah. And as we saw in that last race, Neil, the starter's going to be mega critical because

00:20:18it allowed you to control the race as Fabian did. I just watched the guys as they took off

00:20:22there on their warm-up lap. And it's a really good indicator. So see all that black stuff

00:20:25on the road? We've talked about it where they've patched up the cracks. Those lines where Fabian's

00:20:30just pulling up now are actually not rubber. That's a lot of this black stuff that's been

00:20:33laid down by the rubber of the tyre. When he took off just then, he had a massive amount

00:20:38of grip. And Scotty over the other side had a lot of wheel spin. It's a real indicator.

00:20:42And it's a real dilemma for drivers. Do I give it so much revs to get over this sticky stuff

00:20:48and thereby wheel spin and go nowhere? Or do I just ease it out nicely like Fabian just

00:20:53did? You can see he's right up on the line there. They're nearly ready to go. Back to you

00:20:56boys. Red hot start. Stand back.

00:20:58Well, so much to watch here. We've got the Red Bull guys all the way down the back. We've got

00:21:02Russell Ingle all fired up. He's at the rear. At the front, we've got Fabian Coulthard.

00:21:07He's had a golden run. Alongside him, the Volvo, Scotty McLaughlin.

00:21:11Green flag.

00:21:12Green flag.

00:21:13A hundred k's, the super sprint four man. Who will get away cleanly?

00:21:18It's pretty even at the front. Very even at the front. Winterbottom is super aggressive.

00:21:26He's already having a look through turn one. McLaughlin sticks the Volvo ahead and he'll lead

00:21:33him up through turn two. So the Kiwis duke it out and down the inside comes James Courtney

00:21:43in front of his teammate Garth Tander. Dave Reynolds actually got the best start of the

00:21:47lot then. Went down the inside. Couldn't really make it stick because Ben Gisbergen was in the

00:21:53centre of all that. Look at this action on the way into the sweeper. There'll be drama

00:21:57at the back end of this corner because you can't get through the change direction alongside

00:22:02each other.

00:22:03Caruso so close to out of road on the braking approach to turn seven then. Massive congestion

00:22:09back in the pack and he actually went back to first gear then Jamie Winkup to deal with

00:22:14it. You don't see that too often at turn seven. Back to first gear again at turn nine. It

00:22:20is a traffic jam.

00:22:23Wheel spin in second. Look at Garthall sliding up on the outside at nine as well. That's

00:22:28Courtney in front. Winkup's in an awkward spot here on the outside at ten.

00:22:32Meantime at eleven. McLaughlin by two car lengths from Coulthard. They've already cleared out

00:22:40somewhat from Holdsworth.

00:22:45It must have been so much nervous energy off the start. Remember they only just finished

00:22:51changing the engine on car 33. They had gremlins at car 14 just before the start of this race.

00:22:57Both of them got away well as you mentioned David Reynolds a good start.

00:23:01He's in fourth. There's the two Wilson security cars at Pine Wall just at the back end of the top ten.

00:23:08Todd Kelly is reporting that when the car hits the rev limiter it dies. Remember back at turn

00:23:14three in the previous race we saw him at the back of the packet get all jammed up and people running

00:23:18into the back of it. I think he's got a similar issue.

00:23:22It looks like the surface condition of the road has lost a lot of that black look.

00:23:29I look at Craig Lowndes tires at the end of the last race there were no wear indicators on the tire at all.

00:23:34Completely worn out.

00:23:36worse tire degradation than Phillip Island.

00:23:39One of the reasons that people didn't come in and grab another set of tires is

00:23:43be a little bit careful you don't rob Peter to pay Paul tomorrow.

00:23:46200 kilometer race there's 24 of the Dunlop soft tires available across the racing weekend.

00:23:51So tire management is very very important. So if you pull your tires forward and use too many today

00:23:56you'll pay a price tomorrow.

00:23:58Lee Holdsworth showing good pace fastest of the first three cars on this first flying lap.

00:24:11Check some times for you.

00:24:12Check out the straight line speed there of the blue beast as we're riding with Scott McLaughlin

00:24:17looking back to Fabian Coulthard who finds himself for the first time this weekend trailing another car.

00:24:2323.7 23.7 23.7 23.7 first three cars.

00:24:28That's a nasty study you've got there.

00:24:33Nice job David Reynolds. He's got some clear air here at the moment.

00:24:36Had a quick word to him before the start of this race and Tahan was there and she said

00:24:40you know he's actually quite nice to live with. He's a really good bloke.

00:24:43He fired back. Why did he say that earlier in the day on VX though?

00:24:46Well Dave is licking his wounds after that but he is.

00:24:49We give him a bad time but he's a great sport.

00:24:52He plays well with us. Here's the replay of the start.

00:24:54Watch him here because he gets down the inside quickly but he couldn't apply it.

00:24:57There was nowhere to go once he got down to turn one but his start was really really strong.

00:25:03Watch him on the inside. The road runs out.

00:25:05See the pit lane finishes. The road runs out.

00:25:08He couldn't really do anything about it.

00:25:10Then when you flick it to the right he got a little bump there from Van Gisbergen

00:25:13and he got away with a move which normally would end up as a catastrophe at the change of direction.

00:25:21This is on board. Here we go.

00:25:22He's gone to the right. That's Winterbottom.

00:25:24So he had nowhere to go.

00:25:25So he's up in behind Lee Holdsworth and then over to the left there's Davey.

00:25:30This is where you normally have the contact bang.

00:25:32There's a little bump but not enough to put them out.

00:25:35The standard response there on the run into turn three is everyone marches to the right

00:25:40because they know you're vulnerable in the braking area there Larko.

00:25:43And if we watch Fabian Coulthard there Frank Adamson the category technical manager

00:25:47is just in having a serious discussion or a little bit of debate if you like with Team Red Bull

00:25:52because they feel that when he was out on the start line in fact in the pit lane

00:25:55when he wet the car didn't start on its own power.

00:25:57Well that's wrong.

00:25:58The car wouldn't start so they had to rock it to get the starter motor out of gear if you like

00:26:02to actually then let it start on its own power.

00:26:04So there's a little bit of conjecture I think going to play out there.

00:26:07Happened to get on the start.

00:26:09Is it funny sometimes when all of a sudden the tide goes out in sport

00:26:14and you just start having all these compounding problems.

00:26:17So they've had pretty decent qualifying in the previous one.

00:26:20A shocker for this.

00:26:21They're racing at the back of the field trying to find their way forward.

00:26:24Now they're in a technical debate trying to figure out whether they can survive the race full stop.

00:26:29We're on board with Mark Winterbottom.

00:26:30He got a ripper start but he was just like David Reynolds.

00:26:33Had nowhere to go once he got mobile.

00:26:35The Louds currently in 21st.

00:26:38Winkup just in front in 20th.

00:26:41James Courtney and Garth Tander just in front of those in 18th and 19th.

00:26:45So the Red Bull and HRT rivalry is at its best but it's for 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st.

00:26:51The Glockland, Coulthard holds worth the gain faster to the second sector on this lap.

00:26:57He's taken some ground, Neil, on this lap out of Van Gisbergen.

00:27:01And with the air temp going up a couple of degrees in this one and with the knowledge of the previous event now,

00:27:08I think there will be some conservative throttle treatment and general carb treatment and behaviour

00:27:14because you're going to need to make sure you've got firepower at the end of this.

00:27:17If you pull the trigger now and use up everything aggressively in the front part of the race,

00:27:21it's going to be really hard work at the back end, no doubt.

00:27:24Because they were doing 22 and a halves last race, they're doing 23 and a halves in this race.

00:27:29So some of that black treatment of the road has changed, the grip level has changed, but they've all learnt from it.

00:27:35They were all pioneers before.

00:27:37So what you're saying, I totally agree with.

00:27:39You've got to drive the car more conservatively early and think about the end of the race,

00:27:43which is I'm standing here with Roland Dain and Jeremy Moore and Craig Lowndes,

00:27:47and that was the message to Craig.

00:27:49Just think about the end.

00:27:51Just be real conservative early.

00:27:53And think about what happened at the end of race 7 for a guy like Lowndes.

00:27:57He was in the 130s. It just dropped off the cliff.

00:28:01So Mark Winterbottom continues to hound.

00:28:04Shane Van Gisburgh in car 97.

00:28:06A little bit of damage on the back of the VIP Pet Foods Commodore.

00:28:10Aside from the big Russell England drama and his push through the field,

00:28:14the guy that you're riding with right now had a ripper race earlier.

00:28:17It started from 23rd and got up to 7th.

00:28:19Remember, he got some front left damage in the contact, came back in through pit lane.

00:28:24They fixed that. They didn't give him new rubber.

00:28:26If they did, he would have speared through the field.

00:28:30Yeah, Matty, there was a lot of drama up and down pit lane.

00:28:33None more so than here in the Volvo pit.

00:28:37Scott McLaughlin having to have an engine change.

00:28:39They reckon it was a head gasket situation after the engine got very hot

00:28:43when he was dragged back here by the tow vehicle.

00:28:46Those guys worked, obviously, incredibly hard to get that car back out there.

00:28:50Everything so far reports from everyone in here is that the car is going good.

00:28:54No issues to show for them.

00:28:55It's amazing, isn't it, Berth?

00:28:57They have all that time and it takes them right up until they have to grid up for them to get that.

00:29:03He's on him.

00:29:04Look at how close he is now, Matty.

00:29:06Kooltard's made a lot of ground even in this last half lap.

00:29:09I suspect there might have even been a little error here from McLaughlin.

00:29:14And Holdsworth is closer now as well.

00:29:17So he is really in a perfect position here at the moment to capitalize if either of these two misstep.

00:29:24So let's have a look here in the braking area at turn 11.

00:29:28Holdsworth fastest to the second timing intermediate.

00:29:30The best lap of the race so far at 23.1.

00:29:33Jason Bright with a new lap record in the last one of the 22.5.

00:29:37Kooltard is now menacing.

00:29:39In fact, just clarifying my earlier remarks about that starter motor stuff,

00:29:43it was Red Bull Racing querying these guys at Lockwood about the way in which their car started.

00:29:50Well, not just in pit lane, but actually on the warm-up lap.

00:29:54Yeah.

00:29:55Because it wouldn't engage the starter motor and they've got to be able to start it with their own steam.

00:29:59So that was a little bit of controversy which Fabian didn't really need

00:30:04because he had enough drama going already.

00:30:06Now, Fabian's going to have a sniff up the inside in between six and seven.

00:30:10If he can get close enough through this left-hander, he's not quite close enough at the moment.

00:30:14He's actually just lost a bit of margin, Murph.

00:30:16Hey guys, you're not going to believe this, but K33,

00:30:18even though it's out there leading the race right now, has got a problem

00:30:20and it looks like it's coming to pit lane.

00:30:21The guys have just cleared a space in the garage for Scott McLaughlin.

00:30:25Oh, you're kidding me.

00:30:27Gee, good luck, aren't you, Murph?

00:30:29You're in that garage for a minute.

00:30:30You just reported everything was great.

00:30:31You're there for one more lap and it's over and out.

00:30:33What have I done to my bro?

00:30:35What have I done?

00:30:37Let's see how long it can stay out there.

00:30:40So, Gary Rogers and the crew who've worked so hard to get this operation up and running in 2014,

00:30:50it's started to pay dividends straight away when they announced their arrival with a bang at Eclipsell 500.

00:30:58He's out with engine drama in race seven.

00:31:01They replace it.

00:31:02They get him back out there on the front row of the grid.

00:31:05Now it looks as though he's going to find himself back in the garage.

00:31:09He's pressed off.

00:31:10So, there's obviously further discussion going on.

00:31:12I'm trying to scan them at the moment to figure out what's happening.

00:31:16Marco?

00:31:17Well, you know, these ones, mate, this might be the one where it's not an engine problem.

00:31:20The problem will be that the driver's radio leads now popped out.

00:31:24When you're leading the race, it's a hard call to cop.

00:31:27Did he pop out or did he pop it out?

00:31:29Exactly.

00:31:30He might not want to hear that message.

00:31:31He wouldn't do that.

00:31:32He's a professional.

00:31:33But that's the last thing you want to hear when you're in a commanding position that there's something else outside your control.

00:31:39Just have a really close look here for a second and have a listen because the steering feedback looks okay.

00:31:44So, it doesn't look like a power steer problem.

00:31:48Engine note.

00:31:50Sounds okay.

00:31:51And on the previous run, we saw the straight line performance versus Fabian.

00:31:56Also not an issue.

00:31:59Let's listen for the changes.

00:32:07At the moment, there is a bit of that fume, which they did.

00:32:11Scott was aware of based on the new exhaust headers going in and some of the heat treatment on those headers coming out as fumes in the heat of the day.

00:32:21They might be seeing some big numbers on something back in the garage in the telemetry.

00:32:25I'll tell you what it does do well.

00:32:26It turns well.

00:32:27His wheel work is minimal.

00:32:29He's having a very comfortable run turning the car in, picking the throttle up off the corner.

00:32:34He still leads the race.

00:32:35He's got half a second margin over Fabian Coulthard.

00:32:38Lee Holdsworth is tucked right behind.

00:32:40Sorry, mate.

00:32:41You serious?

00:32:42Yeah, mate.

00:32:43You're going to have to bring it in again.

00:32:44Sorry, mate.

00:32:45Coming to the garage.

00:32:46Welcome back.

00:32:47That's the drama.

00:32:48Oh, okay.

00:32:49So Richard Hallway talking to Scott McLaughlin telling him that he has to come in this lap.

00:33:05That was the reaction.

00:33:06Are you serious?

00:33:07Are you serious?

00:33:08And then resignation.

00:33:10Oh, okay.

00:33:11He said.

00:33:12So something's off the charts back at home base here in the Gary Rogers Motorsport garage

00:33:19and the leader of the race.

00:33:21We'll now have to park it.

00:33:26It looks like it's a battery or a voltage issue because you see the guys go to work straight

00:33:34away here just alongside Scott right there.

00:33:38So maybe with a new engine, there's a little alternator problem or whatever.

00:33:42But other than the engine sensors telling the guys via telemetry that there's an oil pressure

00:33:48problem or an overheating problem that Scott's not aware of.

00:33:51It's got to be something like that now.

00:33:53What a disappointment.

00:33:55And what can you do?

00:33:57Meantime, the gap at the front's pretty tight still between Coulthard and Holdsworth.

00:34:02I know that Murph's down in the garage.

00:34:03Can you add?

00:34:04Yeah, you guys are pretty much all at this.

00:34:06They're not 100% sure, but it could be related, could be alternator.

00:34:10They go in for the battery, obviously, as you've seen.

00:34:12But Richard Holloway wasn't too keen to give too much information away.

00:34:16But there was a voltage issue that was dropping and they were worried about that.

00:34:19So they brought him in.

00:34:20Yeah, we saw him dive into the left rear corner of the car.

00:34:23Thanks for the update, Murph.

00:34:25Think about the pain and the anguish for Scott McLaughlin in that.

00:34:31To lead one of these races, you work your entire career to get to the top of the tree in V8 supercar racing.

00:34:37To get into a position to be in front and have to relinquish the lead, it's very disappointing.

00:34:41The upside of the story, though, is that they've got pace.

00:34:44If you're getting dragged in off the racetrack in your tail end, Charlie, it's double depression.

00:34:49But when you've got pace, at least you can look forward to applying it at some future opportunity.

00:34:54So the wait for Volvo to get their first championship win in 28 years is going to have to wait another day.

00:35:03Back to this battle that's been raging since the start.

00:35:06Van Gisbergen holding off Mark Winterbottom.

00:35:10The Giz on the podium earlier today.

00:35:13And this is for position four.

00:35:15So it's Coulthard Holdsworth in the Erebus Motorsport.

00:35:18Mercedes in second.

00:35:19Davey Reynolds in the bottle of Ford is third.

00:35:22And these two guys behind them is Moffitt, Slade, Chas Mostert, Scott Pye and David Wall.

00:35:31Our championship leaders, Craig Lowndes in 20th.

00:35:34Jamie Winkup 19th.

00:35:37The calibre of the people they're racing too.

00:35:39Courtney 16th.

00:35:40Rick Kelly 17th.

00:35:41Michael Caruso, he's a little bit further ahead in 15th.

00:35:44So there's a lot of guys that are really well buried down there.

00:35:47This is tightening up here.

00:35:49Looks like Frosty's got a bit of pace.

00:35:51He just can't quite make the gap at the moment.

00:35:54It comes from the front of the car.

00:35:56It turns so well compared to Van Gisbergen.

00:35:58So when Mark Winterbottom first turns the wheel, he gets a lot of turning done.

00:36:03Which makes the exit straighter.

00:36:05And therefore he can drive the car with more throttle on the exit.

00:36:08So you watch the trajectory of the car.

00:36:10Now inside the exit is versus Van Gisbergen.

00:36:15So he'll get by.

00:36:16He's just got to find the right moment.

00:36:18You see there he's half a car width inside the line of Van Gisbergen.

00:36:23So he's using less road with a straighter exit.

00:36:26Watch him again through this left-hander at five.

00:36:29It's the direction change at six.

00:36:30And there's a little short segment here.

00:36:32That's the end of five.

00:36:33Here's six.

00:36:34There's a little gap.

00:36:35You'll try to sneak up the inside.

00:36:37But he just couldn't get it done.

00:36:39If you're close enough you can make that fly.

00:36:41As Scott McLaughlin's repair work's been completed.

00:36:44And he rejoins at the tail into the field.

00:36:52See?

00:36:53Again.

00:36:54Much later apex.

00:36:56For Mark Winterbottom, much straighter.

00:36:59Check this also.

00:37:00Turns left.

00:37:01Gets it in.

00:37:03Much narrower.

00:37:04Much straighter exit.

00:37:06Yeah, you just get the feeling it's going to just be a matter of time

00:37:09before Frosty gets past Shane Van Gisbergen.

00:37:11But the Kiwi is not making it easy for him.

00:37:14Another Kiwi though.

00:37:15Continues to lead.

00:37:16Cool card ahead.

00:37:21Wint at 400 continues.

00:37:23A look in the Holman Racing Team bunker.

00:37:25In Pit Lane.

00:37:27This battle on the tractor also continues.

00:37:30And Mark Winterbottom,

00:37:32at stages throughout a lap,

00:37:34is only millimetres away from Shane Van Gisbergen.

00:37:37And this has been raging now for 14 laps.

00:37:42And the situation remains the same.

00:37:44The Gis is struggling in this car.

00:37:46That's clear.

00:37:47Mark has got pace.

00:37:49That's clear as well.

00:37:50He just can't find the spot to make a clean pass.

00:37:54I think it's the rear of the car that's giving him grief.

00:37:57I intercepted a radio message from Shane that said it's getting worse and worse.

00:38:01So we've been staring at the back of this car just watching it.

00:38:04I think he's trying to do his best to drive it straight.

00:38:07But there are a couple of spots around the track where he's really battling it

00:38:10and having to very carefully progress that throttle.

00:38:13Meantime, right in behind this,

00:38:16you've got a heck of a battle going on with those tucked in behind.

00:38:20Look at this.

00:38:21Also down the 18th, 19th, 20th position.

00:38:25That trio there, Windcup, Tander and Lowndes.

00:38:28Can you believe it?

00:38:29They've made no ground at all.

00:38:32Neil, you and I spoke about it this morning.

00:38:34We were actually having a chat about the depth of field, weren't we?

00:38:36I mean, out of 25 cars out there, we actually genuinely think,

00:38:39what, 23 of them on a day could win the race.

00:38:41So let's have a quick chat with Mark Datton, who's running team operations here,

00:38:44just over the shot.

00:38:45You can see Roland, who used to, team owner, is down the back there,

00:38:48staying out of everyone's way.

00:38:50Mate, you must be perplexed, because I can tell you, we sure as hell are.

00:38:53Your cars are faster than this.

00:38:55What's going on?

00:38:56Yeah, exactly.

00:38:57We struggled here last year, and we came here with high hopes of doing a better job.

00:39:01And today, in one quality, we did a pretty good job with Triple Eight.

00:39:05But, yeah, we haven't lifted our game enough this year compared to last.

00:39:09I know it's hard to be specific, mate, but I guess for the benefit of people at home,

00:39:12when you say you can't work it out, it's hard for people to understand,

00:39:15you know, what is it that you can't work out?

00:39:17I know you're not going to give us a shock number, but what's the problem?

00:39:20Yeah, exactly.

00:39:21So the track was just remarkably faster than it's ever been here,

00:39:24and we didn't tune to the condition.

00:39:27Engineers, manager and drivers all together,

00:39:30we didn't do a good enough job compared to the rest of the field.

00:39:33Wow, it just shows how tough it is, eh?

00:39:35Oh, it's very tight.

00:39:36That's like you said, anyone can win.

00:39:38It's tough down the order here as well.

00:39:42And look, finally, Winterbottom's got through on Van Gisbergen,

00:39:44and Moffat's joining the party.

00:39:46So at turn four, James Moffat is right behind Shane as well,

00:39:50has really got his hands full.

00:39:52So James Moffat speedy.

00:39:54Meantime, it's a 1.2-second gap.

00:39:56Coulthard to Holdsworth.

00:39:58And five manufacturers in the top six.

00:40:02Holden, Mercedes, Ford, Ford, Holden, Nissan.

00:40:10Right behind there is Slade.

00:40:12Look at that.

00:40:13That's a lot of pressure that James is applying to the back of Shane Van Gisbergen.

00:40:18He's going to do the criss-cross.

00:40:19Come back the other side.

00:40:22Got a good exit.

00:40:23Hey, guys.

00:40:25I tell you what, Neil Crompton, you should have been a race car driver.

00:40:28You were spot on with the Gisbergen situation, the rear of the car.

00:40:32He's complaining about it being quite loose.

00:40:34He's just not able to get the car through the centre and off the corner as good as those other guys.

00:40:40He's doing a pretty good job under the brakes to try and hold these guys off.

00:40:43But as you said, you know, Winterbottom was always going to get past him.

00:40:46Thanks, Berth.

00:40:47And what happens a lot is that when the rear tyre goes away, it doesn't just go away in the corners.

00:40:52It goes away under brakes.

00:40:53So that performance that you see, he's actually battling it the whole time.

00:40:57From the time he puts his foot on the brake to the time he gets out of the corner, he is struggling.

00:41:02Betty Clemenco in race seven today.

00:41:04You were crocheting.

00:41:05The crocheting has been put away.

00:41:07How is your heart rate?

00:41:08What's going through your mind right now?

00:41:09Lee Holdsworth sitting in second position.

00:41:11My husband said I've never been this quiet in my life.

00:41:15I feel ill.

00:41:16I don't think I have a heart.

00:41:19It fell out about ten minutes ago.

00:41:21God, listen to me.

00:41:22I sound like a normal human being.

00:41:24You know what?

00:41:26I'm just standing here and every single ounce of belief that I've ever had in my cars,

00:41:31my drivers, the engines, everything else is just going around this track at the moment.

00:41:36And I have loose pimples.

00:41:38Pimples.

00:41:39Oh, God.

00:41:40I have no idea what I am saying anymore.

00:41:43I'm sorry.

00:41:46She can't talk.

00:41:47It's too much for her.

00:41:48But we hope that Lee can get on the podium for this one.

00:41:50I'm going to tap Tim Edwards on the shoulder, mate.

00:41:54Tim, it didn't start off a great weekend, but you're starting to come on strong.

00:41:59You've got two cars now in the top four, mate.

00:42:00The track's coming to you.

00:42:01The cars have moved forward.

00:42:02Look, I think we always knew we had good race pace.

00:42:05You know, it's the same in Taz.

00:42:06We had gross race pace.

00:42:07Our issue at the moment is qualifying.

00:42:09You know, we're a bit up and down.

00:42:10I mean, other people are suffering from the same thing.

00:42:13You know, the whole field's so tight.

00:42:15You've only just got to be a little bit off your game in qualifying.

00:42:18And you're either a hero or zero.

00:42:20So we've got to sort it out.

00:42:21You know, the car's great in race pace.

00:42:23You know, Frosty still was, you know, punching in some good lap times at the end of the last

00:42:26race.

00:42:27So, you know, I think we're looking all right.

00:42:29Very hard question to answer, mate, but I'm going to ask it anyway.

00:42:31What do you do to improve qualifying?

00:42:34Well, there's not one thing.

00:42:35I mean, it is lots of little things.

00:42:37You know, we're not looking for seconds.

00:42:39We're looking for tenths.

00:42:40And, you know, if you find half a tenth in every corner, you know, half a tenth is nothing.

00:42:43But add that up over 12 corners, that's a hell of a lot.

00:42:46So we kind of know where we're going wrong.

00:42:49But, you know, it's not easy.

00:42:52Cheers, mate.

00:42:53Thanks, mate.

00:42:54So they've currently got Davey Reynolds in third on the podium.

00:42:58Mark Winterbottom's behind him.

00:42:59Chas Mostert is also in the top ten, so they've certainly turned it around.

00:43:03It's like Paul try and chase Fabian Coulthard, who's trying to close out back-to-back wins

00:43:08Supercars Saturday.

00:43:14Welcome back.

00:43:15It wasn't too long ago, earlier today, that Shane Van Gisbergen was hounding Fabian Coulthard

00:43:20and ended up on the podium.

00:43:22But now he is the hunted man here, and they're all lining up to have a crack at him

00:43:26because he is losing control of car 97.

00:43:31And James Moffitt is waiting and waiting and ready to pounce.

00:43:35Look at the great train behind him.

00:43:37Slade's there.

00:43:38Wall.

00:43:39It just shows you how much Van Gisbergen is holding up the field.

00:43:44And I think that David Wall actually grabbed a spot on that last lap too, Matt, over Chas Mostert.

00:43:49But the interesting thing for me, they're all being told to manage the tyres.

00:43:53We're already into the mid to high 25s.

00:43:56So they're having to really work hard in these bright sunny conditions.

00:44:01The track condition has changed.

00:44:03The temperature's gone up.

00:44:04That's Rearwood from Windcup at the moment.

00:44:0618th looking at Jack Perkins.

00:44:08And then it's Craig Lowndes behind.

00:44:10Just in front of Jamie is Rick Kelly, 17th, then Michael Caruso.

00:44:13So it's a mixed up field at the moment.

00:44:16They've made little or no progress in those Red Bull Holden Commodores.

00:44:21Remember Garth Tander was in that battle the last time we saw them.

00:44:24So Jack Perkins has got that spot and they've dropped Garth.

00:44:28He's two seconds back.

00:44:31So on target at the moment at Erebus Motorsport for best ever as a team in V8 supercar competition.

00:44:38We've had a fourth place last weekend in Tasmania and last year at Sandown.

00:44:43But great job here. Nice work.

00:44:46So great job, Lee Holdsworth.

00:44:48Currently in second and a terrific job also here.

00:44:51This little battle that we're watching as Moffat keeps making progress.

00:44:54So he's up to fifth.

00:44:55We're looking from the bonnet of Scotty Pye's Ford Falcon up into turn seven here.

00:45:01And Bright's actually been marching along nicely.

00:45:03So he's 10th.

00:45:04He's got a little bit of pace, but that's a very big traffic jam in front.

00:45:08Can you imagine the amount of hot air going into the front brakes on that car of Jason Bright?

00:45:12Oh, he almost had a little lunge down the inside of Mostert.

00:45:23These cars look like they're quite good.

00:45:25Neil.

00:45:27With Wall in eighth.

00:45:29Scott Pye in 11th.

00:45:32DJR.

00:45:33A couple of good young guys in this mix.

00:45:38And you can see there Bright running very wide at turn 11.

00:45:45Does have the makings of some drama this little pack.

00:45:50Did you see how he said that there?

00:45:52He's hoping for drama.

00:45:53Who's not?

00:45:54Our mate Mark here.

00:45:56So cool thought.

00:45:58Point six of a second is his lead.

00:45:59Can he hold on?

00:46:01Can he do the double?

00:46:02What about Lee Holdsworth?

00:46:03Davey Reynolds?

00:46:04We're going to find out after this.

00:46:08Welcome back and free to the finish of this race.

00:46:12The last 10 laps.

00:46:14Great effort from David Wall.

00:46:16The Wilson security Ford.

00:46:18Out of DJR.

00:46:20So he's up into sixth.

00:46:22It's all going on behind him as well.

00:46:24If he finishes sixth, by the way, that'll be his best ever.

00:46:27But look at this.

00:46:28You've got Mostert in here.

00:46:29You've got Bright in there.

00:46:30They're all changing positions because Van Gisbergen is really struggling with the rear of that car now.

00:46:34Will Davison is going to take a bite of this.

00:46:37Tim Slade in here as well.

00:46:39And there's Davo up the inside.

00:46:41Done.

00:46:42So now Shane is really vulnerable.

00:46:44James Courtney moving up on Scott Pye too.

00:46:47So if David Wall can stay in sixth.

00:46:50Just going back to that point.

00:46:51Trying to spit it out in the hurry because it's all happening behind.

00:46:54That improves on his previous best seventh.

00:46:56She achieved last year at the Gold Coast berth.

00:46:59Yeah, I'm down here at DJR with Steve Johnson who just described himself as the team polisher for some reason.

00:47:03Is that all you're doing these days, mate?

00:47:05Yeah, mate, that's it.

00:47:06Did a bit of sticker work between the races to tidy things up.

00:47:09Wally's doing a superb job.

00:47:10He really is driving sensational at the moment and moved up into sixth spot.

00:47:15Yeah, you know, they didn't qualify as good in the first race.

00:47:17Better this race.

00:47:18But in the first race, Dave's tyres lasted really well.

00:47:21And by the end of the race, he was quite quick.

00:47:23But he saw that unfortunate incident with God himself.

00:47:25So it put him back a little bit.

00:47:27But, you know, the tyres are working well this race.

00:47:29And, you know, the car's coming on.

00:47:30So I'm looking forward to the last eight or so laps.

00:47:32Well, it could be his best finish yet, as you guys said.

00:47:34So let's hope it goes that way.

00:47:36Don't put the mucker on me, mate.

00:47:39Because he qualified 12, so he's made up six spots.

00:47:44That's a very polite way of Stevie telling you to get out of the garage.

00:47:47But on board with Tim Slade.

00:47:50Isn't it amazing?

00:47:51Shane Van Gisbergen has long been in this race.

00:47:55A little cork in the bottle.

00:47:56And once it pops, away they go.

00:47:59So he's down to tenth.

00:48:00Both Erebus Motorsport Mercs are inside the top ten.

00:48:04And Lee Haltworth is closing in on Fabian.

00:48:07So it's half a second now.

00:48:10And look at the change in the championship.

00:48:12With both the Red Bull cars struggling.

00:48:14Wing Cup down in 17th.

00:48:16And Lowndes in 19th.

00:48:17If it finishes like this,

00:48:18Fabian Coulthard is just four points away from this series lead.

00:48:26Don't discount David Reynolds in this either.

00:48:29Because they've got to get these cars home on this rubber at the moment.

00:48:33So it's a car length or two between the two lead cars.

00:48:37Coulthard, Holdsworth.

00:48:38Then it's Reynolds.

00:48:39Then Winterbottom, Moffett.

00:48:40Look at this.

00:48:41Further back in the pack.

00:48:42This argument for just the positions beyond tenth.

00:48:46You've got Van Gisbergen, Slade, Pye, Wood.

00:48:50That's Dale Wood, the third and the last one.

00:48:52It's a bit of a tougher run in this one.

00:48:54He's got cars left, right and centre.

00:48:57Oh, this is going to be contact.

00:49:00Very late move by Pye.

00:49:01Good job from Van Gisbergen then because he had great presence in mind

00:49:05not to turn the car in.

00:49:06Both cars would have made contact then and he would have been spun.

00:49:10So good job, Shane.

00:49:13Check this out.

00:49:14Big slide.

00:49:15Check that for car control.

00:49:16Great save.

00:49:18That is a really good bit of driving.

00:49:20May have hurt the rear tyre a fraction.

00:49:23He does a bit of drifting,

00:49:24but he usually does it on other weekends than the V8 supercar weekends.

00:49:27But that is an awesome display of oversteer car control.

00:49:30There from Van Gisbergen up in turn seven on that replay.

00:49:33Cool.

00:49:34This is a wonderful story for Erebus Motorsport and Betty Klemenko.

00:49:38Ryan Madison to the right there, CEO.

00:49:41So Betty's put a heart and soul into this project.

00:49:45The second year of the operation.

00:49:47They walked away from Tasmania with Will Davison getting their equal best finish of fourth.

00:49:52And now it's car number four, Lee Holtzworth, who had a tough preparation for this one.

00:49:57He had a house intruder where he had to chase out of his Gold Coast home.

00:50:01And it was a scary encounter.

00:50:03He comes to the race weekend, puts all that behind him.

00:50:07And now he's fighting for the lead at the back end of this race with Fabian Coulthard.

00:50:12The last pole position, sorry, the last podium finish that Lee had was at this circuit two years ago.

00:50:18So what do you do, Crombo? Do you have a lunge?

00:50:22You've got to have a lunge.

00:50:23You've got to have a lunge.

00:50:24Exactly.

00:50:25Also, you'd have to know who you're racing.

00:50:26And one of the things that Fabian does is he just locks up and runs wide.

00:50:29He'll be vulnerable when they get to three.

00:50:31Fabian's into making sure that he gets points.

00:50:33He's not a win or bust, Birchan.

00:50:35He's vulnerable here and there's a change for the lead on, but it didn't quite eventuate.

00:50:40That was close.

00:50:42But Fabian's not one of those guys who necessarily wins or bins.

00:50:46And Lee will probably know that.

00:50:48There's some stress in the garage at Erebus Motorsport.

00:50:50That little lock brake moment was costly for Coulthard

00:50:54and it's probably affecting the front end performance of the car right now.

00:51:00So what Lee's got to do is use his brain and work out the spot where he's got a little gain over Fabian.

00:51:07It looks like he's got a good gain coming out of turn two up to turn three.

00:51:12He's passed a lot of cars over the course of the weekend there.

00:51:16He was very strong in the previous race at that spot.

00:51:19And this other end of the track, he doesn't look like it's quite good enough.

00:51:23So we're really going to focus on what was the old turn one at turn three now.

00:51:27It looks like he's got a little bit of wheel spin in the really slow stuff.

00:51:31So these 90 degree corners don't necessarily suit him.

00:51:34Where the car flows better, he's got better car speed.

00:51:38You can see there the angle of look at that.

00:51:41This is some replay down the inside.

00:51:43He was probably up far enough then to got to have got that done.

00:51:46Dave Stewart.

00:51:48He was he was willing Lee on here.

00:51:54The guys have worked so hard on this program.

00:51:57Remember, this is the X Stone Brothers team.

00:52:00Converted into Erebus Motorsport.

00:52:02They've gone from Ford to AMG E 63 Mercedes Benz chassis.

00:52:07This has been an amazing program and he has got car speed.

00:52:12Bet he could hardly talk when Rihanna was interviewing her not too long ago.

00:52:17So the Erebus garage, the Brad Jones racing garage,

00:52:21who already have two trophies for the weekend, a first and third and a fourth, by the way,

00:52:26in the earlier race.

00:52:28All nervous.

00:52:30So Lee hasn't won a race for four years.

00:52:33He's only won two in his career.

00:52:35This would mean so much to Erebus and to Betty.

00:52:39It already does to be on the podium at this stage.

00:52:43He's got everything to gain by having a look anywhere he can against Fabian.

00:52:48And one slight mistake.

00:52:51He saw it earlier.

00:52:52A little lock up was all he needed to have a look.

00:52:55But Fabian was up for it.

00:52:57The fastest guy on the track by a mile is Mark Winterbottom.

00:53:01He's a second faster than the leaders to the second sector on this lap.

00:53:06And just a whisker under five seconds from the lead of the race.

00:53:13That wouldn't be a good sound when you're in the lead of the race.

00:53:17Oh.

00:53:20Much rather here one or two to go than five.

00:53:22You're going to have to nurse these ties through.

00:53:24Lee's in a better position at the moment with car speed,

00:53:26but he can't afford to slip up either.

00:53:28David Reynolds, the watching brief.

00:53:30There's Mark Winterbottom just behind in position four.

00:53:33He continues to narrow the margin by about half a second a lap.

00:53:37And those two are going to be on these guys in a heartbeat.

00:53:39Oh, understeer.

00:53:40Big understeer there for Fabian through turn four.

00:53:43He had a second stab at the steering and reset the car.

00:53:46Throttle and hands.

00:53:48And he just allowed Lee to get that little bit closer again.

00:53:51Winterbottom was 1.3 seconds faster than these two guys on the previous lap.

00:53:56On lap 30 out of 34.

00:54:01Now armor all pole sitter.

00:54:03Fabian Coulthard.

00:54:05Scott McLaughlin got the jump on him at the start.

00:54:08But McLaughlin.

00:54:09Oh, here we go.

00:54:10Forced into the lane.

00:54:11Oh, here we go.

00:54:12And now more action at the back of the pack involving both Red Bulls are here.

00:54:16These guys.

00:54:19Top three in the championship.

00:54:20Two of them.

00:54:22And now they're mixing it in the danger zone.

00:54:25I said to Craig at Tasmania, what's it like racing down there?

00:54:28He said, mate, they play for keeps down there.

00:54:30Those boys.

00:54:31This is serious.

00:54:34So this battle to the death is in position 18, 19 and 20 at the moment.

00:54:40And it's Michael Caruso is the meat in the sandwich back to the lead of the race.

00:54:44And it's those two Fords lurking in third and fourth that are creating a bit of concern up front

00:54:49because they've tightened the margin.

00:54:51Winterbottom's now three seconds from the lead of the race.

00:54:53There he is.

00:54:54Left hand side of frame.

00:54:56There's third place David Reynolds.

00:54:58This is building to a very big finish.

00:55:00Will it be a Holden?

00:55:02Will it be a Mercedes?

00:55:03Or will it be a Ford?

00:55:04Look at the way that Coulthard has to glide that car through there.

00:55:11Just tippy toes and slides the car through four.

00:55:15These are the days when if you've got the car that's good enough to win the race,

00:55:18you must win the race now.

00:55:20So for Holdsworth, this is good enough.

00:55:22The car's good enough to do what I would have called now a good sensible manoeuvre in the closing laps here.

00:55:28He's got to put one of these manoeuvres on.

00:55:30Just when you were selling that to me, he had a big lunge Lee Holdsworth up the inside at seven.

00:55:36He had the back of the car step out on him momentarily.

00:55:39So that was a little moment for him.

00:55:41Meantime, these other guys are getting closer.

00:55:43Bet he can't watch.

00:55:45Husband Daniel, she just cannot handle it.

00:55:50And you know what happens?

00:55:51Because the art of this is the awareness.

00:55:54So Holdsworth is looking in the mirror and he's seeing Dave Reynolds and Mark Winterbottom coming at him.

00:55:59He knows that if he doesn't get on with this, you don't just miss out on winning it.

00:56:04You go backwards.

00:56:05What do you reckon, turn three?

00:56:07A look at turn three.

00:56:08So Holdsworth, have a look down here through the S's.

00:56:12He'd be looking to sneak up the inside if he can get through the S's cleanly and come off too strongly.

00:56:17This is one.

00:56:19Direction change for two.

00:56:20He's hoping that Fabian will slide a bit.

00:56:22If he gets a sniff of that slide, he'll dart up the inside when they get to the braking area at three.

00:56:27And does it.

00:56:28Yes.

00:56:29Great move.

00:56:32Incredible.

00:56:33Erebus lead the race on lap 32 out of 34.

00:56:38A huge move from Lee Holdsworth.

00:56:40And you've got to get your head down now, Matt.

00:56:42Do not look in the mirror.

00:56:44Get your brain around it.

00:56:45A couple of laps to go.

00:56:46Do not make a mistake.

00:56:48Winterbottom on Reynolds.

00:56:49The battle for thirds on.

00:56:50Frosty up the inside of his teammate.

00:56:52Got it.

00:56:53Good job.

00:56:54David leaves some space.

00:56:55So Frosty's on the march here.

00:56:57It's got Fabian firmly in his grasp at the moment.

00:57:00He could grab another spot.

00:57:03Holden's have won the last 12 races going to the back end of last year.

00:57:08And now we find ourselves with an E63 AMG Mercedes-Benz driving into the history books

00:57:14in the V8 Supercars Championship.

00:57:16It was winter last year for Nissan's first win in over 20 years.

00:57:21I don't know how long ago it is since Mercedes-Benz won.

00:57:24Never.

00:57:25Well, that's a reward for pure patience of Lee Holdsworth.

00:57:32And you guys were right.

00:57:34He had to make a call sooner or later.

00:57:36Two to go.

00:57:37Two to go.

00:57:38Just not to get the threat from behind.

00:57:39Get it to the end, mate.

00:57:40But he waited until he knew that there was as much risk taken out of the move as possible.

00:57:47One minute 27.3 for Holdsworth.

00:57:4928.5 after being passed Kultar.

00:57:5227.5 for Winterbottom.

00:57:5429.1 for Reynolds.

00:57:56The gap across the first three at the moment.

00:57:591.9 seconds at the control line.

00:58:01There they are.

00:58:03And Kultard will be vulnerable.

00:58:05Here's the replay down into turn three.

00:58:07Fabian's going to be vulnerable up into turn seven and the replay and the reaction in the garage.

00:58:12It's mega.

00:58:13It's great.

00:58:14So look for Kultard to be under threat when they get up here in the braking zone at seven.

00:58:18Not quite close enough, but not far for Frosty.

00:58:21He's going to snip him for sure.

00:58:23We haven't made much of this, but David Wall in fifth is also doing a really good job, Croppo.

00:58:28Career best in a V8 supercar by two positions.

00:58:31Look at the back of the car and the lock would hold and it's sliding around.

00:58:35Frosty will try the crisscross.

00:58:37He's got much better traction.

00:58:39Oh, I don't want to be on the outside at turn 10.

00:58:41Does he dive to the inside?

00:58:42He does look, but he can't make it stick.

00:58:44Eleven is now an opportunity for him.

00:58:47So he'll try the crisscross down here.

00:58:49He's got a great exit and Fabian's gone.

00:58:52You know what?

00:58:53I'd rather finish than end up in the paddock.

00:58:54So he lets him go.

00:58:57Both these guys are in serious championship contention, aren't they?

00:59:00So they've got to be smart.

00:59:02They've done that.

00:59:03Fabian sidestepped him.

00:59:04Winterbottom through.

00:59:05That's a very good performance from Mark Winterbottom.

00:59:08It's not done yet.

00:59:09It's not done.

00:59:11Look at the speed for Frosty relative to Holdsworth.

00:59:14So the Pepsi Max Ford Falcon is blazing at the moment.

00:59:18It's officially 1.9 seconds, but those meters are disappearing fast between them.

00:59:25Last lap.

00:59:29So can Lee hold on?

00:59:32Can Frosty mow him down?

00:59:34It's going to be an extraordinary emotional day this will be.

00:59:43The Erebus Motorsport headed by Betty Clemenco.

00:59:48A two-car operation this year.

00:59:50Already Will Davison showing us some good form in Tasmania.

00:59:54This man was solid at sand down.

00:59:58He was fourth with Craig Baird last year.

01:00:01And he's only half a lap away now.

01:00:04Bring it home.

01:00:05From delivering what they came into this sport to do.

01:00:10Shake the cage and win races.

01:00:13Don't start that stuff.

01:00:14Do not start that stuff.

01:00:15He's got a couple of turns to go.

01:00:16Turn 11.

01:00:17Frosty will be in the picture.

01:00:18There he is.

01:00:19Turn 12.

01:00:20And you listen and watch the celebrations.

01:00:21Mercedes-Benz win in the V8 supercars for Erebus Motorsport.

01:00:23And Lee Holtzworth drives into the history books.

01:00:25Oh, man.

01:00:26Hey, where are we going?

01:00:27Do I pull up up here or what?

01:00:28No, no.

01:00:29Just kidding.

01:00:30Well done.

01:00:31I will, mate.

01:00:32I will.

01:00:33I will.

01:00:34I will.

01:00:35I will.

01:00:36I will.

01:00:37I will.

01:00:38I will.

01:00:39I will.

01:00:40I will.

01:00:41I will.

01:00:42I will.

01:00:43I will.

01:00:44I will.

01:00:45I will.

01:00:46I will.

01:00:47I will.

01:00:48I will.

01:00:49I will.

01:00:50I will.

01:00:51I will.

01:00:52I will.

01:00:53I will.

01:00:54I will.

01:00:55I will.

01:00:56I will.

01:00:57I will.

01:00:58I will.

01:00:59I know it's going to be hard to say much, Betty, but tell us what you can.

01:01:02I know it was hard to talk earlier.

01:01:04What does this mean to you?

01:01:05I got a long walk.

01:01:07She means up to the podium.

01:01:09But you've got involved in a great team that was Stone Brothers Racing.

01:01:13You had a mission.

01:01:14You've brought a new car in.

01:01:16Did you think you'd win this early?

01:01:22I knew that Lee had it in him.

01:01:24I knew the car had it in him.

01:01:26And every single...

01:01:27I just want to thank every single one of those people out there that is supporters,

01:01:31all the fans and all the people that have stood in the reign for us.

01:01:34I couldn't have done it without them.

01:01:36I'll tell you a really nice thing.

01:01:37I saw all you boys.

01:01:38They're over here now.

01:01:39Look at this.

01:01:40Arms around each other.

01:01:41Wes McDougal.

01:01:42Some tears there, mate.

01:01:43Well done.

01:01:44Beautiful stuff.

01:01:45This is a great, great effort.

01:01:48Fantastic scenes.

01:01:49And that's the changing face of our sport.

01:01:53Well, Mark Winterbottom's applauding the efforts of those around him and Lee Holdsworth.

01:01:57But you've got to applaud his drive as well because it was another stunner.

01:02:01And he was there.

01:02:02Another lap.

01:02:03Putting a heck of a lot of pressure on Lee Holdsworth who now lets the E63 lose.

01:02:10And have a look at the industry reaction.

01:02:13The guys all pulling up alongside.

01:02:15Mark Winterbottom up alongside.

01:02:16Moffat stopped alongside to stop and wave.

01:02:17And he's made Michael Caruso as well.

01:02:18They're good buddies.

01:02:19So, really good.

01:02:20Certainly reward for extremely hard work.

01:02:21He's a great character.

01:02:22He's good for the sport.

01:02:23And he would have gone through some tough times last year when this was an early development.

01:02:40Yeah.

01:02:41Oh, man.

01:02:42And it's hard to keep the faith sometimes, isn't it, when that's going on.

01:02:47Kevin Fitzsimmons there from Dunlop.

01:02:49He knows, as a keen industry person, the level of effort that's gone in to get these cars to the front of the field.

01:02:56And what an incredible day at Winton for Lee Holdsworth and everybody at Erebus Motorsport.

01:03:03Great job, Frosty, too.

01:03:06Damien White there from Viet Supercarp.

01:03:10Giving the guys a clap.

01:03:11Actually, that was a really high-quality race.

01:03:13And those three guys drove those cars so well.

01:03:16Remember, they're almost four seconds slower at the end than at the start.

01:03:24Solid turnaround from Ford Performance Racing to have Mark Winterbottom on the podium.

01:03:28David Reynolds in fourth.

01:03:30Chas Mostert inside the top ten.

01:03:32Best career placing for David Wall in fifth.

01:03:38He touched on his efforts throughout this race.

01:03:41James Moffitt, who won here last year, is in sixth.

01:03:45That's the moment for Erebus Motorsport V8 that they've been waiting for.

01:03:51A year and a half in the making.

01:03:53And all the hard work that went into creating this team out of Stone Brothers Racing.

01:03:58Getting into the AMG E63 chassis.

01:04:02And now they've delivered.

01:04:04Ha, ha, ha.

01:04:06Ha, ha, yes.

01:04:07Well done, Lee.

01:04:08Great reaction.

01:04:09Great reaction.

01:04:10The only one you've got to feel sorry for is Scott McLachlan.

01:04:13After leading the race in the Volvo S60 and coming in with some electrical drama.

01:04:18So, for this young man, what a form guide.

01:04:23And look at Fabian.

01:04:24Straight up.

01:04:25It's great, isn't it?

01:04:26Great sense of comradery with some of the best drivers in the world at the front of this field.

01:04:32Now, he's always got a great smile anyway, Lee Holdsworth.

01:04:35He was just born with that good smile.

01:04:37It'll be beaming after that performance.

01:04:40So, you have to go back to Sydney Olympic Park in 2010 to find the last time that he won.

01:04:45So, all those years without victory and now this one's a really special one.

01:04:50Lee Holdsworth, congratulations.

01:04:52Just pop that on your head.

01:04:53Just tell me, I know how tough it has been for you the last 12 months.

01:04:57What is going through your mind right now?

01:04:59I'm not going to be talking.

01:05:02Pretty emotional.

01:05:03It's been such a hard last 12 months and what's going on through the week hasn't helped.

01:05:09So, yeah, I want to say happy birthday, Mum.

01:05:12It's been a good day for her as well as me.

01:05:15So, I'm so proud of my boys at Erebus.

01:05:17You know, we're looking for a sponsor at the moment and this is the best way we can try and find mine.

01:05:23Thanks to the crowd.

01:05:24I saw everyone cheering the last couple of laps.

01:05:27I was stoked.

01:05:28We're up the front.

01:05:30We're here to stay, I think.

01:05:31I've had conversations with you throughout last year.

01:05:34You got really down at points.

01:05:36I know Alana was concerned about you, your wife at home, because it was such a difficult year for the team and for yourself.

01:05:42And Betty, she's just arrived.

01:05:44You guys have the longest way to get up here.

01:05:47But what does it mean?

01:05:48But what does it mean for Betty Klimenko.

01:06:01Betty, I'm so sorry, because I know you want to speak to Libra.

01:06:03speak to Lever what's going through your mind right now I love this boy I'm sorry Alana I love

01:06:08you oh to every single fan and person who has stood in the rain with me for this guy who believed

01:06:17in himself the whole way through last year and all those people that believed in him thank you

01:06:22so much we'll let you continue on with your celebrations and we can't forget Mark Winterbottom

01:06:30as well what a charge that was in those last few laps for you to get past and get right up there

01:06:37to get on the podium yeah it was uh it was a big fight back but um awesome to get second it was

01:06:42I think the gap was about eight seconds at one stage but uh good to see different winners it's

01:06:47um you know it's good for the sport and I'm wrapped it was a big fight back so um got to qualify better

01:06:52and we'll see how tomorrow goes of course this is technically a home track for you guys Renee your

01:06:56wife's behind you and the two little kids what's it like to race when your whole family can be here

01:07:01it's more pressure there's no doubt about that so when you perform it's all right but uh when you

01:07:06qualify 24th it's a bit hard to go back and see the family so um no we're going good we um we've got

01:07:11some good points today we had uh you know a good run home track we haven't tested here yet this year

01:07:15but uh it is a home track so um we'll tweak her up go again tomorrow and Fabian Coulthard once again

01:07:22on the podium for a race you couldn't quite get the double win but getting on the podium

01:07:26congratulations in third position yeah look we've had a fantastic day you know two poles two podiums

01:07:31it's not a bad day at all but congratulations to the guys at Erebus you know Lee drove a great race

01:07:35and you know I had nothing for him so today was his day but look you know thanks for everyone coming

01:07:40out here my guys at Lockwood Racing have done a great job and now we're pretty happy this championship

01:07:45fight is well and truly on it is it is um but look you know it's a long way to go and I've spoken

01:07:51about this you know time and time again that you know it's not won or lost in the first few rounds

01:07:55but having a good few first few rounds um you know has a has a huge impact on the season so

01:08:00it's all good congratulations good chat Fabian all right good chat well plenty of euphoria around at

01:08:07the moment a little bit more down here in Dick Johnson Racing uh David Wall position five let me

01:08:11shake your hand mate terrific great drive tell us about it because it's hard to understand sometimes you

01:08:15know when you pop in there and drive so well and finish p5 what did you do differently today

01:08:20yeah look I really tried to look after the tires early on uh engineer Chris was really uh hard

01:08:24on me early on you know don't not yet mate not yet no you know just trying to look after the tires

01:08:28and uh really paid dividends in the end uh the first race we were doing the same thing but uh

01:08:32unfortunately it got turned around uh but you know definitely have good pace in the car and looking

01:08:35forward to tomorrow for sure shows the importance of a good engineer but well done mate a great drive

01:08:39thank you uh hello to Amy and Ryan and the girls at home thanks

01:08:42well what an eventful day stories left right and center it's hard to get a read on everything so

01:08:49let's run you through the results one two and three as you know and there's David Wall in fifth so

01:08:55James Moffat inside the top 10 James Courtney finishing in ninth so Craig Lowndes championship

01:09:01leader finishes in 16th Jamie Winkup who was second in the championship now third finishes in 19th and a

01:09:08tough day a tough weekend for Volvo with Robert Dahlgren and Scott McLaughlin so let's get to the podium

01:09:15sure to be plenty of emotion here Aaron Noonan it's time for the podium for race eight of the

01:09:20championship at the Winton 400 the winner for Erebus Motorsport V8 Lee Holdsworth

01:09:25in second place for Ford Pepsi Max crew Mark Winterbottom

01:09:30and in third for Lockwood Racing Fabian Coulthard

01:09:34and representing the winning team from Erebus Motorsport V8 Betty Clemenco

01:09:39to present the third place trophy John McMillan chief executive officer of Wilson security

01:09:47to present the second place trophy Warren Shee and vice president of the Benawa Auto Club

01:09:57presenting the winning team trophy Shane Howard chief operating officer of V8 supercars

01:10:07presenting the winner's trophy to Lee Holdsworth Richard Weston president of Benawa Auto Club

01:10:19there you have it your podium finishes in race eight of the championship at the Winton 400

01:10:30he's held in high regard by his peers Lee Holdsworth and we know that Betty Clemenco

01:10:36is a star in her own right in V8 supercars and she's been waiting for this moment

01:10:41she'll soak up every bit too not often you can get away with doing that to the team boss but

01:10:49Lee Holdsworth well he's done the job today so in terms of the championship you just saw there

01:10:53Craig Lowndes on top Fabian Coulthard only 19 points away and Tim Slade rounds out our top 10

01:11:00championship point sitters with another race to come tomorrow afternoon a 200 kilometer race

01:11:07oh she's a character isn't she and that breaks a 12 race winning streak by the Holden Commodores

01:11:16and isn't it amazing that it's a Mercedes that's done it what a what a weekend I mean it's hard to

01:11:21get a read on anything I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow mate oh I'm totally with you

01:11:25I mean how could you read it but it was a really high level start there was a lot of really good

01:11:31driving to get through that piece between turn one and turn two together and then the stress

01:11:36of this for Richard Holway and for young Scott McLaughlin and he was told to come in and his

01:11:41exact words were are you serious and for him and the electrical problem that they incurred in the

01:11:48lead of the race with the S60 obviously a very ordinary day for them and then a very high level battle

01:11:54at the front between Dave Reynolds in third Fabian Coulthard and Lee Holdsworth

01:12:02these guys just didn't come forward Cropper they just had no pace we talked about that on the

01:12:07walk down here to the pit garage scapey they just couldn't respond at all it's extraordinary from

01:12:13race to race but everywhere you look through the field it was on how's the battle here going on with

01:12:17James Moffat and Shane Van Gisberg and Shane I think actually did a mighty job with no rear grip at all

01:12:22he did everything he could to hang on but there was I mean he just could it was an avalanche and he

01:12:26just couldn't stop it in the end and they all beat him up on the way through this is a Scott Pye

01:12:31sneaking up the inside as well so by the time we got to this phase of the race he had nothing at the

01:12:37rear but it sure did look good that was an extraordinary bit of car control and then there was a couple of

01:12:43dives that one we thought he was through as Dave Stewart and Wes McDougal and everyone just urging

01:12:49Lee Holdsworth on and then this is the move check this out this is for the lead for Mercedes first

01:12:56win down the inside beautiful maneuver from Lee Holdsworth and the reaction from Betty and Daniel and

01:13:03the rest of the team was extraordinary I thought he was going off at that next lap I thought he was

01:13:08going off at turn one but it was a very high level drive very mature drove it right to the limit which

01:13:16was very important at the other end of the scale a very tough day for Red Bull Racing Australia

01:13:22Murphy you've got more yeah well I spoke to him before the start of the race he could hardly see

01:13:25the start finish line he made a few places forward but Lowndes that looked pretty hard well it is

01:13:31Murph I think that's the conditions of the circuit is quite difficult and of course you've got some

01:13:35grippy areas got some non-grippy areas you've got to find the best of the balance and of course we

01:13:38made some adjustments to the car car was better but of course still need to go further yet it's

01:13:43going to be a interesting day tomorrow I reckon yeah I reckon you're right mate and Lowndes still

01:13:48leads the championship but only by 19 points so Lee Holdsworth will head off to do his media duties

01:13:54and celebrate this success before he gets back to focus on a long tough day tomorrow 200ks but

01:14:00congratulations to Lee Holdsworth to Erebus Motorsport boys thanks for your time today can't

01:14:05wait to hook in again tomorrow so the story for tomorrow another 200 kilometers making up race

01:14:10nine the super sprint format like we said at Tasmania last weekend really delivered once again

01:14:15Fabian Coulthard taking out victory in the first race of the day Lee Holdsworth as you just saw

01:14:21claiming Mercedes first win in our championship make sure you join us tomorrow at 2.30 on 7 Sport we'll see

01:14:28you then at the Winton 400

V8 Supercars 2014 - Winton - Race 2

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