It was a mixed bag of results for the Red Bull Racing Australia team on day two of the GC600.
A solid qualifying session set all drivers up with a place in the Top Ten Shoot Out.
Lowndsey and Richo secured P6 in the shoot out, with JDub and PD locking in P7.
Race one kicked off to a flying start, but an altercation on track saw car ones front end severely damaged.
There was no option but to visit the garage for repairs, keeping it off track for fifteen laps. JDub and PD continued to soldier on, managing to finish the race against all odds.
Lowndesy and Richo continued to dominate the track, making their way to the front of the pack and keeping on the tail of car #55 right up until the finish line.
Finishing in P3, the boys graced the podium for a second time since Bathurst.
Tomorrow kicks off at 11.55am local time with qualifying, followed by the final race of the Enduro season. Check out the TV guide here.
WHAT THEY SAID:
JAMIE WHINCUP / PAUL DUMBRELL (VF Holden Commodore, Car #1)
Qualifying: 2nd (Fastest Lap – 1:11.1046) *Whincup
Top 10 Shootout: 7th (Fastest Lap – 1:12.3124) *Whincup
Race One: 24th
Jamie Whincup:
“It was a tough day today. We can’t take a trick at the moment. We were confident we had a quick car, but unfortunately when you don’t qualify right up the front you’re exposed to incidents in the pack. We fell short early in the race and that put us behind the eight ball. The strategy from there on in was just to conserve tyres for a later date.”
Paul Dumbrell:
“I made a mistake early and I put my hand up. The move wasn’t on and obviously it ruined our race which is really disappointing. At least Lowndesy got third which is good. We’ll make sure we battle back tomorrow.”
CRAIG LOWNDES / STEVEN RICHARDS (VF Holden Commodore, Car #888)
Qualifying: 9th (Fastest Lap – 1:11.4646) *Lowndes
Top 10 Shootout: 6th (Fastest Lap – 1:12.2588) *Lowndes
Race One: 3rd
Craig Lowndes:
“I’m delighted it’s always a great feeling when you’re on the podium at a place like the Gold Coast. It was a tough day and Richo got a reasonable start, but he was swamped heading into the first chicane. He stayed out of trouble and his stint showed the car had great pace. When I got in the car I struggled a little bit with traffic mid race, but once I got into some clean air the guys did a great job with the strategy to get me to the front. A late safety car bunched the field and then I had a great battle with Dave Reynolds. We had better speed, but on a circuit like this it’s always hard to pass. I kept pressuring him but he didn’t make any mistakes. To end up third is great for the championship.”
Steven Richards:
“We did it pretty hard today. We had a few dramas in the first stint, but we battled on. These races are great because you have to battle hard to get through it and get a result. Craig drove faultlessly and here we are on the podium. Today’s result is as good as a win.”
