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The new Supercheap Auto Racing team has
rebounded from a difficult qualifying session earlier this afternoon to record
strong finishes in today's first race for Round 2 of the 2008 V8 Supercar
Championship Series, being held at Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway
Qualifying 21st, Russell
Ingall moved through the field to finish the 31 lap contest 12th in
the #39 Supercheap Auto Commodore, the Enforcer dropping one spot on the second
last lap.
Team-mate Paul Morris made an even
bigger improvement, the 'Dirty Dangerous Dude' struggling with the flu and,
despite qualifying 24th, starting from pit lane when a starter
solenoid failed, charged through the field to finish a strong
14th.
Both Ingall and Morris played the
waiting game with their compulsory pit stops, staying out in clear air while the
majority of their competitors pitted earlier, the colourful SCAR Commodores up
to third and fourth respectively at one-third race distance.
While not showing good 'one lap'
qualifying pace, the SCAR Commodores had consistent race pace, by the end of the
round of compulsory stops Ingall was 17th with Morris
22nd.
As the race wore on Morris and
Ingall came into their own, the pair maintaining a strong pace and gaining track
positions, a number of spinners also handing the two valuable points.
Just a lap before the end, Ingall
did lose one spot when he selected a wrong gear with the new sequential gearbox,
allowing Paul Dumbrell's Commodore through to 11th.
The Toll Holden Racing Team's Garth
Tander won the race from pole, leading from start to finish, with Ford drivers
Will Davison and Jamie Whincup claiming the final two podium
positions.
The round concludes with the two final
31 lap heats tomorrow.
Russell Ingall, #39 Supercheap Auto Racing Holden
Commodore VE (Qual: 21st, Race 1:
12th)
"When you start 21st you
don't do yourself favours, but we moved forward and mixed it up with a few guys
- we're making progress. I had a bit of a stuff-up at the end changing gears
which cost a spot and that was disappointing. There's still a lot of
improvement, but Paul's car looked fast today and if we can get that sort of
speed we'll both be hot tomorrow. We should be in the top 10, just how far we'll
find out."
Paul Morris, #67 Supercheap
Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE (Qual: 24th, Race 1:
14th)
"The starter solenoid failed and we
had to replace it, so I started from pit lane. The car was good, we ran long and
then had good speed so we were able to drive past a few cars. I probably stayed
out two laps too long before that. I'm personally feeling ok, while the car's
easy to drive so it's not as physically demanding."
V8 Supercar Championship
Series, Rd 2 - Eastern Creek (Race 1 Results)
1. Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing
Team Holden Commodore VE
2. Will Davison, Jim Beam Racing
Ford Falcon BF
3. Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone Ford
Falcon BF
4. Rick Kelly, HSV Dealer Team
Holden Commodore VE
5. James Courtney, Jeld-Wen
Motorsport Ford Falcon BF
6. Mark Skaife, Toll Holden Racing
Team Holden Commodore VE
7. Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone Ford
Falcon BF
8. Lee Holdsworth, Valvoline Cummins
Holden Commodore VE
9. Greg Murphy, Sprint Gas Racing
Holden Commodore VE
10. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Ford
Falcon BF
12. Russell Ingall,
Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE
14. Paul Morris, Supercheap
Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE
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