Supercheap Auto Racing’s Russell Ingall has produced a stunning drive to come from rear of grid to finish today’s final race seventh at Winton Motor Raceway.
Team-mate Paul Morris recorded his season’s best result with 12th overall for the round, the eighth in the 14 round 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series.
Eighth yesterday in Race 1, Ingall earned another place when Lee Holdsworth was penalized by stewards overnight for an unrelated incident.
Starting Race 2 seventh this morning, the former V8 champion and dual Bathurst winner was taken out on the first lap in an incident involving Steven and Jason Richards, contact with the former’s Falcon tearing the left front wheel off Ingall’s #39 Supercheap Auto Commodore.
The car stranded in the middle of the circuit until race’s end and with just one hour until Race 3, the SCAR team pulled off a miracle to have Ingall’s Commodore repair in time for the weekend’s final contest.
Starting 27th with fresh tyres, Ingall ran long, stopping just before the pit window closed on lap 27, the strategy allowing him to return to the track in eighth position - the SCAR Commodore gaining another position before the chequered flag to finish seventh.
Morris struggled with car set up today, reverting in the final race to an early pit strategy to overcome a severe understeer problem with his #67 Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore.
Morris finished this mornings first race in 12th, and the final 40 lap race in 15th to claim 12th overall for the round.
The Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander won the round from Ford drivers Jamie Whincup and Will Davison.
Ingall finished 13th overall, but remains tenth in series points, Morris 22nd with six rounds remaining.
The next round of the championship is the L&H 500 at Phillip Island on the 12-14 September, with the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama following on 9-12 October.
Two-time British Touring Car Champion Matt Neal and American road racing specialist Boris Said will join the Supercheap Auto Racing team for the annual V8 Supercar enduros.
Russell Ingall, #39 Supercheap Auto Racing Team Commodore: “Race 3’s result was a real credit to this Supercheap Auto Racing team; they did a great job under pressure considering the left front got torn off completely. They had about half an hour to fix it, get the wheels back on and aligned and prepped for the race - it was an awesome job. To then have the fastest car in the race was a pretty big achievement. That race was for them.”
Paul Morris, #67 Supercheap Auto Racing Team Commodore: “Today we really struggled with the front end and had way to much understeer - it was just pushing too hard. Overall I’m reasonably happy with the weekend, although we seem to be a bit behind getting the car right, right from the start - maybe the rain Friday didn’t help. Race 2 was disappointing for Russell and the team after the promise they showed, but his final race and our recent results show that heading towards the enduros, especially the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, we are hitting form at the right time. Right from the start we’ve been working towards Bathurst and I think we will throw a few cats amongst the pigeons. “
2008 V8Supercar Series, Rd 8 - Winton (Race 3)
1. Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE
2. Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF
3. Lee Holdsworth, Valvoline/Cummins Holden Commodore VE
4. Will Davison, Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon BF
5. Rick Kelly, HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VE
6. Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF
7. Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE
8. Paul Dumbrell, Autobarn Racing Team Holden Commodore VE
9. Fabian Coulthard, Glenfords Racing Ford Falcon BF
10. Jason Bright, Fujitsu Racing Ford Falcon BF
15. Paul Morris, Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE
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