- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
For Garth Tander, there was success. For Jamie Whincup, satisfaction. For James Courtney, soul-searching as his V8 Supercar championship defence threatens to unravel early.
Holden Racing Team’s Tander emerged victorious from a thrilling opening race of strategy and smashes at the Clipsal 500.
Whincup, who finished second, extended his championship lead.
But Courtney’s Ford-to-Holden defection has so far had more teething problems than a day care nursery and they continued on Saturday.
Courtney put his new Commodore deep into a tyre wall on lap 20 of a time-shortened 76-lap race, sustaining extensive damage to the left front of the car.
It left him trundling around at the rear of the field several laps down, and he also picked up a black flag for cutting a chicane to put him further adrift.
He eventually finished 24th.
All with the backdrop of HRT teammate Tander grabbing pole position with a far faster top 10 shootout lap, then going on to perform flawlessly in the race.
Courtney also failed to figure in the opening round in Abu Dhabi.
He is well outside the championship top 10 and will need a huge performance in qualifying for Sunday’s race two and a good finish to keep in touch with Whincup.
The Team Vodafone driver’s quest for a third championship in four years remained on track as he moved to a 123-point overall lead over Ford’s Mark Winterbottom.
Tander won both races at the Clipsal 500 last year and continued a love affair with the Adelaide street circuit he jokes he’d like to race at every week.
And he had no problems with a race shortened because of three extended safety car periods after Steve Owen, James Moffat and veteran Russell Ingall turned their cars into smoking wrecks.
“You know going into the race it’s going to be 78 laps or a certain amount of time, and that’s one of the strategy cards you have to play,” Tander said.
It was one of several setting up an enthralling fight to the finish between Tander and Team Vodafone’s Whincup, with Craig Lowndes eventually third.
Both teams employed similar fuel strategies but, until Moffat’s crash, it looked uncertain whether either car would have enough juice to reach the finish.
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.