1600 SVG’s been in a chirpy mood, J-Dub not too bad himself – perfect time to grab them and hear their thoughts on the race:
Jamie Whincup – Car #1
Qualifying – Seventh (Fastest Lap: 1:08.8165)
Race 2 – Fourth
Championship – Third (1,870 points)
“Today went to plan for us, we obviously had our back against the wall after a tough qualifying session. We made a decent start, our first good start in the last four which was nice. I think (David) Cauchi (Car 1 Race Engineer) did a good job strategy-wise to get us some clean air. We ran on long in the first stint, put a heap of fuel in so we were way back in the race, but then we got to fourth and chased Chaz (Mostert) down. We were very close to a podium this weekend but we’ll take two podiums from two for the team this weekend.”
Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
Qualifying – Second (Fastest Lap: 1:08.5382)
Race 2 – First
Championship – Second (2,190 points)
“The guys did an awesome job overnight, there was a lot of data to understand and go through. All three cars tried different things yesterday and we didn’t get the most out of it. We know our race pace is awesome this weekend, so qualifying was the biggest focus for us. Our start today was key, we went straight off the line and the thing just hooked up, it was amazing. To go two days in a row doing that is good so hopefully that carries on. The fight in the race was intense the whole way, we just kept calm and didn’t react when they pitted. I didn’t even notice my cool suit failed, I only realised how hot it was when they told me post-race.”
1530 There you have it folks, SVG took off with another spectacular start which set the story of the race. P1 for SVG, and a VERY close P4 for J-Dub.
1400 Five minutes until go time… SVG is on the front row, J-Dub not too far behind. Can we see another mega start from P2 for SVG?
1230 Fun session meeting all the race fans. This Craig bloke certainly can pull a crowd, and we get to have fun with it.
1100 We have an autograph session in one hour and the line is already 4km (there or thereabouts) long. All for that Craig bloke again… Joking, he’s obviously a legend!
1045 Qualifying is done. SVG clocks a 1:08.5382 to take P2 in the front row. J-Dub will start from P7. Must’ve been harder than we thought.
1000 Qualifying in T-40 mins. Drive fast and come through with the best time, easy right? Hmm…
0930 Our signing sessions are becoming more and more popular… Once again, fans are asking for some Craig bloke. We thought it was the new cologne we’ve been sporting.
0800 Rise and shine for our last day at our home track. Plenty of changes made overnight to all of our cars. Our aim today: qualify well (the rest will fall in place).
