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Race Result: Mark Winterbottom and Steve Owen have taken out the Sandown 500 to further strengthen their claim for the 2015 V8 Supercars championship.
After being in the hunt for the majority of the race, Winterbottom would take the lead during the final round of pit stops, to hold off his team-mate Chaz Mostert and Cameron Waters for victory.
Also contending with running out of fuel, because of strategy, the Prodrive cars were able to hold on after a late safety car for debris on the 132nd lap.
Rounding out the podium was Shane Van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb, who held off a late challenge from Garth Tander and Warren Luff who finished in 4th.
It was a day to forget for Red Bull Racing.
Jamie Whincup finished 15th with Craig Lowndes in 13th as both faced trouble throughout the day.
A puncture, during his 3rd to last stop, cost Whincup dearly as he was forced to complete another stop.
Lowndes just never got a good run in the race and was always down the field as strategy didn’t come to the team.
In the early stages though, it looked fantastic for Red Bull, as they led the first 111 laps of the race.
With 24 out of the 25 cars starting with their co-driver, Dumbrell got a perfect start, and led the field into turn 1.
He then built a gap, as others behind him fought for position.
At the first round of pit stops, from lap 14-23, Dumbrell stayed in the lead, and increased his margin to Webb in the Tekno Autosport Commodore with Van Gisbergen.
Webb was able to overtake Owen, who started in 2nd for the race, during the stops.
Dumbrell led by 6.6 seconds over Webb but the margin would be reduced over the next 30 laps.
As the co-drivers got close to completing their minimum laps required in the race, Webb closed the gap, as it became less than a second by lap 54.
Behind them, Waters was flying, as he had to overtake drivers in front of him after losing time by pitting later than everyone else.
The number 6 Prodrive car was able to move to 4th behind Dumbrell, Webb, and Owen, by the second stop.
Once lap 55 came up, almost everyone pitted, to get their co-drivers out.
Only Russell Ingall, Dean Fiore, and Chris Pither, stayed in the car after opting for early pit stops during the first ten laps.
This put Whincup in prime position to win the race and he held on to the lead for the next 60 laps.
Unfortunately for him, race strategy would eliminate him from the race.
On lap 76 the first safety car came out, which made everyone pit.
This put drivers right on the limit with their fuel to complete one more stop.
Whincup, on lap 112, blinked and pitted as he didn’t think the car could save enough fuel.
His race would be over as he suffered a puncture as he exited the pits.
He needed another stop, for a tyre, as it ended his chances of a win.
This put Van Gisbergen in the lead with Winterbottom in second after overtaking Mostert on lap 110.
When the final round of stops happened, between lap 119 and 121, Winterbottom was able to jump Van Gisbergen but there was doubt as to whether he could finish the race.
In fact this was a common theme among most of the teams as the laps dwindled down after the final stop.
There prayers for a safety car, which would allow them to conserve fuel, were answered on lap 132 as debris fell on the circuit.
A bolt in the middle of the track at turn 6 forced a safety car.
It allowed teams to breathe a sigh of relief, and get their cars home.
In the final few laps, it was a battle between Winterbottom and Mostert for the win, but Mostert couldn’t get close enough.
The championship leader held on to win at Sandown in an endurance event for the 2nd time in his career. It was the first Sandown 500 win for Owen.
Rounding out the top ten were David Reynolds/Dean Canto, Tim Slade/Tony D’Alberto, Lee Holdsworth/Sebastien Bourdais, Tim Blanchard/Karl Reindler, Russell Ingall/Jack Perkins and Rick Kelly/David Russell.
Tim Blanchard and Karl Reinder had the drive of the day, as they got inside the top ten for the first time this season.
It is their highest position in a 500 kilometre race as well.
Winterbottom now extends his lead in the championship to 198 points over Mostert. Reynolds is now third after overtaking Lowndes.
All eyes head to the mountain now. The Bathurst 1000 is the next event on the calendar with the Great Race on in four weeks time.
Race Preview: Today is race day as the Sandown 500 is run and won over 161 laps and 500 kilometres. Join The Roar for a live blog of the race and warm up from 12:00pm AEST.
With qualifying completed yesterday, the grid is now set, for the first endurance race of the season. It was a historic day yesterday, with Holden securing their 300th pole position in the category, as Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell took top spot for the race.
They took out both races for the grid yesterday, with Whincup winning the main driver race to secure their 2nd consecutive pole. The combination are looking for their third straight Sandown 500 win after taking both wins in 2013 and 2014.
It would be the first time that has happened in the 500 era with co-drivers.Peter Brock was the last person to win three straight races at Sandown as he won seven times from 1975 to 1981.
After yesterday, this combination showed they will be in contention, with both drivers strong in the car. Dumbrell in particular, who won the co-driver race by 7 seconds, showed just how valuable he will be today. He looks to be the best co-driver in the field.
Looking to stop these two will be the team that tried to take pole position from them yesterday. Prodrive, with its three pronged attack of Mark Winterbottom, Chaz Mostert, and David Reynolds, look strong today.
All of them have strong combinations and all were in the top 5 yesterday throughout the race yesterday. The big battle could come from within though as they fight each other for position.
They almost had a big incident in the final race with Mostert and Winterbottom making slight contact with each other.
With a championship on the line, for all three drivers, team tactics could become involved if they start to fight too hard.
Other combinations to look out for include the Tekno Autosport entry of Shane Van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb. They showed pace yesterday and have won endurance races before with success last year at the Gold Coast 600.
Another combination capable of winning is Luke Youlden and Fabian Coulthard. They kept out of trouble, and will start in 9th position. Good strategy, and a good car, could see them do well.
There are also plenty of dark horse combinations with Scott Pye and Marcos Ambrose among them. Both drivers are good in endurance races, and the car looks to be strong this weekend.
The team, DJR Penske, have also won big endurance races in the United States with success at the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500.
The Holden Racing Team are also dark horses because of what has happened in recent times. Garth Tander and Warren Luff are the best chance for the team but start in 12th.
The other combination, which are two co-drivers in Jack Perkins and Russell Ingall, showed form yesterday but ran into trouble in the final race of the day.
Contact with Craig Lowndes early, was followed by a crash involving Andre Heimgartner. They start 24th and have a long day ahead of them.
The same applies for Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards who start in 23rd. They can win the race but it will be tough to work their way through the field.
Two other dark horses are the Walkinshaw Racing duo of Lee Holdsworth and Tim Slade. Both showed pace yesterday and their co-drivers – Sebastien Bourdais and Tony D’Alberto – have been on the podium before.
Strategy will also be important today with a minimum of four stops to be completed by each team.
A safety car late on, with around 40-45 laps to go, could become important for teams if they have made three or four stops.
Also expect the co-drivers to start so the main drivers can be in the car at the crucial stages of the race.
Up to 15 combinations can win today and it could be a surprise winner like Bathurst last year.
I predict though that Dumbrell and Whincup will convert pole into a race win to keep his championship hopes alive.
It promises to be an action packed day of racing with all the action right here at The Roar.
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