SATURDAY 4 AUGUST
2300 And here’s what the guys had to say:
Jamie Whincup – Car #1
Practice 2 – 16th (Fastest Time: 1:29.7788)
Qualifying – Fifth (Fastest Time: 1:28.1930)
Race – Second
Championship – Third (2,146 points)
“The car started which was very, very lucky. We had a flat battery at the start of the reconnaissance lap and I got push started, got enough charge up so the car started when it came around to the grid. We put a new AC Delco battery in which meant it would be fine for the race. The race kicked off, my car was good and I had good pace. I was pitting after 97 which meant they were four seconds up the road but we had good tyre life which meant we were able to come back. The good thing was that we didn’t race each other, we could’ve fought each other or short filled, all sorts of stupid stuff like that but it’s times like that where we just raced hard and we got the ultimate team result, a one two. We could’ve pitted early and been vulnerable at the end but the fact that we worked as a team means at the end of the day that’s what got us the one two. One hundred percent I think Supercars did a fantastic job, the first ever night event with lots going on, I thought they did a great job. Of course we can learn from it and make it better for next year or other events, but as I keep saying, while that’s important, we need to make sure we remember that the racing is the most important thing and all that other stuff should compliment the racing. We had a great race today because we had two teams battling it out hard, we had fierce competition and that’s what the weekend is all about.”
Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
Practice 2 – 21st (Fastest Time: 1:30.1280)
Qualifying – Third (Fastest Time: 1:28.1257)
Race – First
Championship – Second (2,490 points)
“I think in the end it turned out to be a great race, when the safety came out the race really came alive and hopefully we put on a good show for the fans. The front five cars were all on good tyres and had a close battle and were able to put on a good show, we hope everyone enjoyed it. Craig (Lowndes) and Scotty (McLaughlin) pitted early and I think we still could’ve run them down without the safety car, it still would’ve all come together. I just knew I had to get a good restart and get Craig as quick as I could because he was driving really well. Thankfully I passed him straight away and could focus on bringing the tyre in nice to attack Scotty. The battle with Scotty was epic, he got a bit of pick up and ran a little wide so we got a free pass there. The 300 points wasn’t on my mind during the race but it definitely was in preparation for the weekend. We just knew that we had to do a good job with no mistakes and get a good result which, as a team, is what we did.”
2200 An amazing battle at the front of the pack, SVG comes out as the WINNER and J-Dub in second for a huge team win! Head to our Twitter page for the LIVE UPDATES.
1700 Practice, qualifying and few lap records here and there and we are set for tonight’s race. SVG will start P3 and J-Dub from P5. Bring it on!
1000 After a wee little sleep in and a substantial breakfast, we hit the track for a big day. The atmosphere around here is pretty mega as everyone prepares for tonight’s race.
FRIDAY 3 AUGUST
1930 That was insane. In a nutshell, according to the drivers, it was pretty cool, too dark, interesting, and a spectacle. More below:
Jamie Whincup – Car #1
Practice 1 – Seventh (Fastest Time: 1:29.4531)
“It was good, something different and it was interesting. We weren’t as fast as we would’ve liked. Coming in P7, performance-wise we would’ve loved to be much better. As far as the experience goes, I really enjoyed it. The track would be nicer if it were lit up a bit more but it is what it is, and I think it is going to be a crazy spectacle. We’ll have 26 cars out there in the dark, it’s going to be great. You don’t know where anyone else is, you just see headlights. Normally you can look around and see where all of the cars are and which car is which, but now you just don’t know who is who so you’re out there just battling away – it’s going to be a long 300 kilometres tomorrow. I can see everything in the car well enough, the car setup is good, no issues there whatsoever, it’s just when you’re out on the track you don’t know what’s going on around you.”
Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
Practice 1 – Ninth (Fastest Time: 1:29.4786)
“I’m glad I know the track because it’s very dark, too dark, but it’s okay. Hopefully it’s a good show for everyone watching. The car feels awesome and everything looks awesome. We have a few adjustments to make in car, just to make it a bit better for tomorrow, but it’s all okay. I think it’s awesome we are doing something different but there’s a few tweaks we need to make as a team and as a series as well. My car feels pretty nice, we did a race run, we’ll tweak it to see what we can learn, and keep up with the track tomorrow because during the day it will be completely different.”
1800 We begin the first practice session under lights – for LIVE UPDATES head to our Twitter page here.
1400 We’ve got a wee bit of time up our sleeves so we’re answering all your questions on our Instagram page… Head there to get an insight into the team.
1245 A signing session going off down in Eastern Creek… Fans (and the drivers) are getting around the limited edition ‘Glow In The Dark’ merchandise… CLICK HERE to check it out here.
1000 A fairly quiet day for us today… We will try and keep the drivers occupied as they can’t get out there until 6pm tonight for the first practice session under lights.
