LIVE DIARY: IPSWICH SUPERSPRINT

Sunday 24 July

RACE WRAP –

Jamie Whincup – Car #88 Qualifying Race 2 – First (Fastest Lap: 1:09.4113) Race 2 – Second (Fastest Lap: 1:10.6455) Championship position – First – 1821 points Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97 Qualifying Race 2 – Fourth (Fastest Lap: 1:09.6041) Race 2 – Twelfth (Fastest Lap: 1:10.7095) Championship position – Second – 1711 points

Jamie Whincup – Car #88 “Look, an up and down day. Getting pole was great, but then I had a pretty bad start with locking the wheel and going through the gravel trap, so I could have done better with that. Not my finest day in the car, but the team really stepped up today. It is my best Sunday result this year, it was a solid day and we got some good points. Unfortunately for Shane (Van Gisbergen) he had to stack, which we have done this year many times due to just poor timing. Great points, but some work to do.” Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97 “We qualified fourth which was pretty good and the race started off well. The car felt very promising, but we had no tyre life. We struggled today when it came to race pace and we ended up where we did. An unlucky call made by me when I saw Scott (Pye) go into the wall and I assumed a safety car would follow, which it didn’t.  So that saw us double stack, which screwed us up in a major way. It was a tough day and it is always nice to end the weekend on a high. I go to Europe next weekend, then come back and focus the rest of the year on Supercars.”

12:00mid – POLE BABY! JDub takes home today’s pole position with SVG in P4 ahead of this afternoon’s 200km race.

9:30am – It’s all happening on the grid!

8:30am – Don’t forget to head out to the grid for the True Colour Track Walk!

7:03am – Early morning pit stop practice on a Sunday never looked so good.

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Saturday 23 July

8:33pm – We are still at the track putting the finishing touches on the bulls ahead of tomorrow. We are also mildly celebrating. #workandplay

RACE WRAP – 

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97 Practice 3 – 10th (Fastest Lap: 1:10.6104) Qualifying Race 1 – Fifth (Fastest Lap: 1:10.2152) Race 1 – FIRST (Fastest Lap: 1:10.9169)Jamie Whincup – Car #88Practice 3 –  First (Fastest Lap: 1:10.1028) Qualifying Race 1 – Third (Fastest Lap: 1:10.1515) Race 1 – Second – (Fastest Lap: 1:10.9600)

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97 “It was really close all throughout qualifying in the field, but we (Triple Eight) all ended up at the front of the pack. The race was pretty hectic at the start, we decided to go a long first stint and we had more grip at the end. It was a really cool race, lots of passing and great competition. I am really looking forward to tomorrow’s race, we need to work on our qualifying car, but as a race car, we are performing really well. It was a massive win for the team, not only did we get a one, two, three on the podium, but it was Triple Eight’s 100th win with Holden, and after claiming their 500th ATCC/VASC win at Symmons Plains, this one was icing on the cake.” Jamie Whincup – Car #88 “Obviously, first and foremost, a great win for the team. A one, two, three should never be taken for granted. My day in car 88 was an interesting one, we got a great start to the race and got preference with strategy. We elected to pit early, it was certainly the right way to go. We were in the box seat, we had track position, we just didn’t have enough pace. I was lucky to hold off Craig (Lowndes) for what was around 28 laps, I was literally holding him up. We race each other, I wouldn’t expect any different, everyone was great competition. Shane (Van Gisbergen) then came up the inside and claimed P1, he had fair pace and deserved the win. No hard feelings going on here, very happy for the team and its achievements today.”

1:48pm – It was a quick qualifying session but we laid some good pace, JW in P3 and SVG P5, front sector of the grid!

12:31pm – A fast-paced final practice session saw JW take P1 with SVG in P10. Glad out mate Scott Pye is out of his car safe and sound after a crazy finish to the session.

10:23am – JW FAST FACT – JW has an active streak of 95 consecutive VASC race finishes, an all-time championship record. Last DNF – Gold Coast 2013.

9:30am – It’s bring your family to work day here in the RBRA garage as we welcome crew members families and the extended Triple Eight family into the garage. A great bonus about a home round is that we get to finally share this crazy world of motorsport with our loved ones Also, all those brains that stay back in the office of a race weekend get to come out for some high octane fun!

8:23am – It is going to be a hot one today as winter temps get to an all time high. Sure beats the freezing cold QR we are used to (I am sure the drivers disagree!).

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Friday 22 July

RACE WRAP

Shane Van Gisbergen – Car #97 Co-driver practice – N/A – Driver overseas Practice 1 – Sixth (Fastest Lap: 1:10.4713) Practice 2 – Eighth (Fastest Lap: 1:10.0942) Jamie Whincup – Car #88 Co-driver practice – N/A – Driver overseas Practice 1 – 18th (Fastest Lap: 1:10.9453) Practice 2 – 19th (Fastest Lap: 1:10.3645)

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97 “It was a fairly good practice session, it’s such a different feeling than when we test here. We are running through the motions and seeing what the car requires. We are a little far away from the performance we require on the new tyres, but on the old tyres, we are very competitive. We have a bit of work to do on the new tyres, but I feel like the car is feeling good. Just a little bit of work to do.” Jamie Whincup – Car #88 “We went up and down with set up today. We didn’t quite have the balance. We have plenty of information on this track from over the years, so we need a chance to go back and look at our approach. We will look at what we had today and tune up the car against the information and data that we have got. The track is feeling faster than when I drove here on the test day. I feel like it is slippery, but that could just be my take on it  and how the car is handling. A fair bit of work to do tonight.”

3:20pm – A solid practice session to start off the weekend. It’s always key to get the car balance sorted and get a feel for the tyre. SVG in P6, JW P18, still one for session to go for the day.

12:34pm – Can we get on the track yet?

11:43am – Just in case you thought they may have been kidnapped, both PD and AP are busy globetrotting around the world currently – so they will miss todays practice session.

10:11am – TRACK TIPS WITH JAMIE – “There’s only six corners, but there’s a couple that are much more crucial than the others. Getting turn two right is really important to be able to get down the back straight; I think it’s the most important corner on the track.”

9:08am – FUN FACT – Triple Eight has won eight of the last 14 QLD Raceway races.

8:00am – We have arrived to a foggy QR this morning, but we know temps will start rising soon for a hot day on track.

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Thursday 21 July

2:30pm – Our T8M8 Members Area is back! If you’re a member and at the track this weekend, you must come check it out, it’s the place to be!

11:10am – We’re at the community day meeting the locals, come say hi if you’re around!

 

9:00am – Let’s take a squizz at the leaderboard…

 

Championship standings

1^st – Jamie Whincup, 1545 points

2^nd  –  Shane van Gisbergen, 1492 points

3^rd – Mark Winterbottom, 1470 points

4^th – Craig Lowndes, 1392 points

5^th – Scott McLaughlin, 1374 points

 

8:06am – FAST FACT – With the two race wins in Townsville, Triple Eight has now won 99 of its 150 race wins for Holden – the next will be the 100th win for Holden since the team changed manufacture back in 2010.

7:10am – We hit the track today to set up the garage and get everything in place for tomorrow’s practice sessions.

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Wednesday 20 July

10:12am – JW ON QR – “It’s a simple track and one we’re all very familiar with, but because of that simplicity, it makes it a highly technical track with so few corners where you can make a difference.”

9:02am – Don’t miss your chance to meet the drivers over the race weekend.

Date: Wednesday 20^th July

Time: 5:00 – 6:00pm

Location:  Autobarn Ipswich

 

Date: Thursday 21^st July

Time: 11:00 – 12:00pm

Location:  Coats Hire Ipswich

Note: Shane Van Gisbergen only

 

Date: Thursday 21^st July

Time: 5:00 – 6.00pm

Location: Wallace Bishop Ipswich

 

Date: Friday 22^nd July

Time: 1:05 – 1.25pm

Location: RBRA merchandise shop, on track

Note: Signing card required*

 

Date: Saturday 23^rd July

Time: 8.45 – 9.15am

Location: Back of team garage, on track

 

Date: Saturday 23^rd July

Time: 10.30 – 10.50am

Location: RBRA merchandise shop, on track

Note: Signing card required*

 

Date: Sunday 24^th July

Time: 9.25-9.55am

Location: True Colour Track Walk, starting grid

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Tuesday 19 July

4:58pm – SVG gives us a colourful interpretation of the QR track.

4:01pm – SVG ON QR – “QR is an interesting track, essentially set out like a giant paperclip! But, don’t let it’s simple design fool you, you’ve really got to get the corners right as they are great passing opportunities.”

3:36pm – Let’s kick this LIVE Diary off with a fast fact!