SUPERCARS: Tasmania Race Two
Lowndes took victory from the first time in nearly two years after converting pole to a win
Supercars legend Craig Lowndes took a long awaited win in race two in Tasmania, stepping on the top step for the first time in 623 days.
After converting P4 on the grid into a P2 yesterday, Lowndes looked to take full advantage of his start from pole for race two with his main competitior from race one, Jamie Whincup back on the second row.
Lowndes duly obliged, getting off to a flyer into turn two.
As with race one, Richie Stanaway required garage repairs due to huge damage to the rear left that took him out of the race. Will Davison was turned around at the hairpin, as a shunt in the back from Michael Caruso saw him pointing the wrong way. Caruso received a 15 second penalty for his trouble.
Shane Van Gisbergen was the first front runner to stop, coming into the pits on lap 16. A couple of set up changes, fresh tyres and fuel saw him nearly drop a lap to Lowndes and Whincup but he just made it out ahead.
Scott McLaughlin made his stop a lap later, making it back out ahead of SVG. Lowndes would stop after 23 laps, rejoining just behind McLaughlin after taking on more fuel than the Shell V-Power Ford Falcon, giving him a net P1 early on.
Whincup would be last of the front runners to box, coming in alongside Fabian Coulthard and Jack LeBrocq. The Red Bull driver to 20 litres more fuel onboard over Lowndes.
The battle between LeBrocq and Coulthard heated up after the pit sto, with a huge moment for LeBrocq around turn one was well saved but let Coulthard get right onto the bumper of the young driver.
On lap 29, McLaughlin's pit stop gamble lost effectiveness, with Lowndes making a great move down the inside of the Falcon into the hairpin.
Chaz Mostert made a move down the inside of Van Gisbergen late in lap 32, before LeBrocq and Coulthard also overtook Van Gisbergen, with Red Bull Holden revealing a throttle problem that was upsetting the Holden Commodore as the reason for SVG's struggles.
Onto lap 35, LeBrocq made a move up the inside of Mostert on the hairpin, but the latter's Falcon got a better drive out than the former's Commodore. However, in the run into the kink LeBrocq hit back getting his nose in front round the outside. However, Coulthard was in the slipstream of the pair, getting right onto the bumper of Mostert despite losing control in the dirty air.
Onto lap 36, Mostert locked up as he tried to take back fifth, doing well to avoid collecting LeBrocq into the hairpin but taking himself out of the battle for the time being.
SVG's Commodore was fast becoming undriveable, as he spun on lap 37 coming into the hairpin before running wide on lap 40 in the same spot. The throttle run on was making it hard for him to brake and change down through the gears.
Coulthard, who was running in sixth position, needed to pit on lap 44, as the wheel nut worked its way off left rear early in the lap. He managed to nurse the car back to pit lane where he did his stop earlier than planned.
McLaughlin and James Courtney pitted on lap 47 and 48 respectively with their order not changing.
Lap 49 saw the front two pit. Lowdnes, from first, lost time in the pits but despite going wheel-to-wheel on exit Whincup couldn't force his way through. And things got worse for Whincup as McLaughlin made his was through as into a net P2, splitting Lowndes and Whincup as they rejoined the circuit.
In lap 56, Van Gisbergen, who was yet to pit, got mixed up with the leaders. Lowdnes tried to force his way past before the kink, coming millimetres away from collecting his struggling team-mate.
SVG continued to play a part in the podium battle, as he held up McLaughlin, forcing him back towards Whincup. However, McLaughlin eventually made his way past but Whincup had to wait until the hairpin to get past, allowing him McLaughlin to regain the gap.
With 16 laps of the 84 remaining, the rain started. Despite quite a heavy initial fall, it quickly stopped but brought uncertainty about what the final few laps would bring.
Despite the weather scare, the rain held off as Lowdnes stretched his lead to take his 106th career win and his first since September 2016. Jamie Whincup held onto the final step of the podium with Scott McLaughlin splitting the Triple Eight Racing pair. Young driver Jack LeBrocq brough his Holden home in fifth, taking his first top five finish since Bathurst 2016 and his first ever solo top five finish.
Race eight of the championship also saw a change in championship leader. A 71 point swing after Van Gisbergen's awful weekend saw Red Bull Holden team-mate Whincup take top spot in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
A special shoutout to Lowndes and Whincup for a 100 metre sprint after the race as they chased Lowndes' race engineer John 'Irish' McGregor with the champagne from the podium celebrations.