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In what was an action packed Bathurst 1000 race for 2010, Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife lead TeamVodafone to a record-making win at yesterday’s great race.

Lowndes provided an epic stint at the wheel of the Holden for an incredible 79-laps of the iconic 6.2km Mt Panorama circuit on Sunday to secure his fifth Bathurst crown and Skaife’s sixth.

It got even better for Team Vodafone with the No.1 car of Jamie Whincup and Steve Owen crossing the line second in the first one-two finish at Bathurst since 1984.

“It’s a dream come true really for us,” Lowndes told the press after the pair finally cracked the title they couldn’t win as teammates at Holden Racing Team a decade ago.

“Not to be able to do it back then and come so close, so many times, and then to have a 10-year break and to get the old band back together – it’s pretty special,” Lowndes said.

Skaife, who has only returned to the sport as a co-driver for endurance races after retiring from the main game in 2008, said the victory was as sweet as any of his other triumphs at the track and he paid full tribute to Lowndes for his unbroken 489km effort.

Lowndes made a new record in the process crossing the line with a fastest race time of six hours 12mins 51secs following the 161-lap great race that was slowed by four safety car periods.

The previous record was held by Jim Richards and Mark Skaife when they won in six hrs 19 min 14.8s in the Nissan GT-R in 1991.Skaife has now taken his record at Mount Panorama to a mighty six wins and stands equal with Larry Perkins and one short of Jim Richards to sit third on the list of most wins behind the legendary Peter Brock (nine wins).

It was also the fifth time that Craig Lowndes has clapped his hands on the trophy, which is now named in honour of Brock.

TeamVodafone executed its plan to start Skaife in the race when it was known that conditions were dry. Skaife smartly stayed just off the pace behind leader Lee Holdsworth until lap 24 when he came in and handed it over to Lowndes who did 24 laps before it was Skaife’s turn again.

Lowndes then completed the last 79 laps of the race in a demonstration of tremendous concentration and staying power at one of the most demanding racetracks in the world.

Jamie Whincup proved himself a true champion as he successfully defended the honours at the ITM 400 V8 Supercar event around the streets of Hamilton over the weekend.

The Team Vodafone driver again proved the class of the field in winning his second race of the weekend and retaining the Mark Porter Trophy.

He was able to extend his lead in the championship to nearly 200 points from Mark Winterbottom with James Courtney still third despite major issues in yesterday’s race.

While the kiwis were shut out of the reckoning on Saturday, there were fighting performances from Shane Van Gisbergen and Jason Richards, who finished eighth and 12th respectively.

Van Gisbergen, who came to Hamilton with high hopes on the back of two podiums this year, was shunted out on the opening lap on Saturday but after qualifying inside the top-10 and suffering a lengthy pit stop, the 20 year old battled well to finish eighth and retain sixth place in the championship. Richards produced a stunner yesterday for Team BOC Holden, to climb through the pack from 25th on the grid to finish an enterprising 12th.

“The places I made up were mostly through strategy because we didn’t have the brakes to pass people,” Richards said. “I managed to put a really good middle stint together, which gave us a bit of a leap into the pack after the stops and the car felt good but when the tyres go away you can’t make up any ground.

But it was all Whincup as he made it nine Holden wins in New Zealand in the last 10 years. Garth Tander, the inaugural Hamilton winner, got the jump from pole in yesterday’s second 200km race but Whincup was able to produce the telling pass at turn one to claim the lead and then stretched out to win in a canter.

“The car was as good as it has ever been. I just had to keep the thing straight,” Whincup said. “When the car is that quick you don’t have to work it that hard and then of course save the tyres. I was just making sure I didn’t slap the wall.”

Tander was also untroubled to finish second to match his result from Saturday and make further gains in the championship, now up to fifth.

“We are fighting back and I said we would. Where we sit in the championships is irrelevant, it is where we are to the leader that is important.

I think we can match him over one lap speed but his car has better longevity and the way Jamie drives the car, he clearly makes the tyre live longer than anyone else at the moment. We need to continue to work on that. Tander was super-impressed with the Hamilton event.

“This event has done a fantastic job in the three years of its existence. It gets compared to events like Adelaide and Adelaide’s been running for 20 odd years when you factor in the Grand Prix as well,” Tander said. “What they have done here in Hamilton in three years is a fantastic effort. The atmosphere and the buzz around the place over the course of three days is fantastic and I think they are to be commended for the work they do here.”

Despite concerns over slow ticket sales three weeks ago, the event attracted more than 100,000 fans over three days.

Following its shock announcement last July that it would defect to the Holden camp in 2010, the Vodafone-sponsored Triple Eight Racing team has just unveiled its new Holden V8 Supercar.

With V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup on board, Triple Eight Racing has announced its switch to Holden after Ford stripped the team of its factory backing last year.

V8 Supercars champ for the second year, Whincup said he was very excited about the switch.

“Like Craig [Lowndes], I started my career with Holden and although I haven’t won a race with the lion yet, I have set my goals high,” Whincup said in an interview at the new cars reveal. “To win a championship with both manufacturers will be the motivation we need to do the job.”

Craig Lowndes, three-time champion under the Holden banner, said the return created a new challenge.

“Knowing I have always had my best results in a Holden definitely gives me some added confidence.”

Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara said the manufacturer was “delighted” to welcome Lowndes and Whincup back to the Holden family.

“For Holden, the six months since the announcement of TeamVodafone joining our team line-up has been like a young child’s anticipation of Christmas morning and the opportunity to open their presents. The wait is now over and we are thrilled with what we see in the TeamVodafone Holden Commodores,” McNamara said.

TeamVodafone’s brand new Holden Commodore VE race cars will begin testing for the season at Queensland Raceway in just under a week.

Jamie Whincup wrapped up his second straight V8 Supercar Championship James Courtney celebrated success in the final round of the series at the new Telstra 500 street race in Sydney yesterday.

Whincup sealed the championship on the first race day with his fourth place in the first race for his Vodafone team, with Jim Beam’s Courtney winning today’s second race to go with his victory in the Townsville street race earlier in the season.

The champion could only manage 14th in a tough second race today but it was a strong day for the kiwis with Fabian Coulthard fifth, Shane Van Gisbergen sixth and Greg Murphy seventh in a brutal day when only 16 cars finished.

Whincup finished clear for his second successful championship ahead of Will Davison and Garth Tander. Best of the New Zealanders in the championship was the 20 year old Van Gisbergen who finished 12th overall in a strong season ahead of Steven Richards 13th, Jason Richards 14th, Coulthard 16th and Murphy 21st.

Whincup now moves to Holden from Ford in 2010 with Team Vodafone, something he sees as the next great challenge.

“That was definitely the toughest race of the year without a doubt,” Whincup said.

“This trophy means everything to me, I’m very glad to deliver Ford the Manufacturers Trophy as it means a lot to them and of course the Ford fans.

“I just do the best I can, I am only one of the team. I work hard for the team, hard for my family and hard for the people that support me.

“The biggest challenge is no-one has won a Championship with Ford and Holden — that’s by far the biggest challenge out there. Your motivation comes to you, you don’t go looking for it. It could be something in the press or something you encounter in life but definitely the motivation is to win a Championship in both makes. It’s a huge deal.

Whincup said he planned to stick around for a while in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

“You look at Valentino Rossi, Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer — they back up year after year. I’m not getting too far ahead of myself but the motivation will be similar.”

It was an unlucky day for Sprint Gas Racing’s Murphy who was pushing Courtney for the lead on lap 32 when he inexplicably locked the wheels, spun and slammed backwards into a tyre bundle, smashing the rear window.

There is a short turnaround before the 2010 season which opens with twin rounds in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain with the sole New Zealand races in the championship at the ITM400 set for round four on 16-18 April following Adelaide.

TeamVodafone’s Jamie Whincup lead a team of the next generation as the Clipsal 500 exploded into one of the best finishes in the 10-year history of the V8 Supercar Championship Series event raced in Adelaide today.

The young gun led home Lee Holdsworth who held it together despite losing both his cool suit, designed to cool the core of his body in extreme temperatures, and the air intake into his helmet that pumps fresh air into his face. Holdsworth was on the brink of collapse at race end.

And Team BOC’s Cameron McConville, the grossly under-rated one in the pack, scored his team an incredible result for the Albury team up against the much larger factory-backed outlets.

There were some big results for New Zealand drivers led by teenager Shane Van Gisbergen who finished a superb fifth in race two for Stone Brothers Racing and sixth overall. Tasman Racing’s Greg Murphy was seventh in race two and seventh overall, his team-mate Jason Richards eighth today and ninth overall, Steven Richards (Ford Performance) 15th in race two and eighth overall, Fabian Coulthard (Glenfords Ford) 18th today and 14th overall with Team Kiwi Racing’s rookie Kayne Scott 14th today and 17th overall.

After a lean time last year, it was a strong start for the New Zealand contingent.

All three top placegetters today were either groomed by Garry Rogers Motorsport, or in the case of Holdsworth still races for the best talent spotter in the sport. Current Champion Garth Tander also cut his teeth in the Garry Rogers stable.

Whincup scored the double to become only the third driver alongside greats Mark Skaife and Marcos Ambrose to win dual Clipsal 500s — arguably the most grueling event of the V8 Supercar Championship Series outside of the famous Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

He shone to lead from start to finish and left carnage in his wake. The race exploded on lap 56 of 78 when James Courtney and Craig Lowndes exited in high drama.

“It was an amazing weekend — one of those ones that as a kid you dream of. There was never a dull moment. I was always pushing hard and giving the 88 car a real push,” Whincup said.

“Winning the Barry Sheene (best and fairest medal) last year was a big eye opener but now to win back-to-back Clipsal 500s is a great feeling. To join the greats of the category makes me really proud.”

Holdsworth stuck in for second in an incredible display of courage. He admitted that at some stages he was almost too fatigued to keep pushing.

“My cool suit ran out after about lap 20 so it was just circulating hot water around my body and the air intake on my helmet failed. It was incredibly hard,” Holdsworth said.

“But to be here is unbelievable. I felt at the start of the year that I could be a top ten contender and it’s such a great feeling going into the rest of the year knowing we can perform.”

Similarly McConville, who switched from the PWR outfit, scored a great third for Team BOC in their first weekend with a Holden Commodore. Not only that, he started from 28th on the grid.

“It’s unbelievable to think that we started 28 and last on the grid,” McConville said.

“All credit to Team BOC who are such great strategists. My aim was to finish top 15 from there. You always keep hoping that you are going to get back up here and I worked really hard over the off season.

“Still it’s hard to believe we are here.”

The accident that started the final chain of events came when Lowndes attempted a tough move around the outside of Courtney but squeezed him too hard, ending with both slamming into a wall simultaneously.

Amazingly it left Whincup still in the lead but Team BOC’s McConville and Valvoline’s Holdsworth in second and third racing for the trophy. Both had incredible days and were in the mix the whole way when the break came.

The Lowndes/Courtney bingle also trapped Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom who got stuck in the melee. Winterbottom’s day was also over having finished second yesterday.

But it was a grim day for current Champion Tander.

Tander tore through the field from the start skipping an amazing 10 places in the first three laps. By lap eight he was ninth and still moving forward. But the bad luck of the day before returned on lap 31 when Tander and Courtney came together.

“James Courtney pushed me out of the way pretty aggressively which appeared to cause some damage,” Tander said. “We’ll see how we go and look at turning it around at Eastern Creek.”

Tander returned under safety car which helped him catch the tail of the field but he was eight laps down and only scrambling to get any points he could.

Jim Beam Racing’s Will Davison was also an early retirement with clutch damage as was Supercheap Auto Racing’s Russell Ingall in his new Holden with some form of front end damage. Ingall’s team-mate Paul Morris also struggled early with a mechanical problem.

Source: V8 Supercar Press Release

TeamVodafone has just unveiled its aggressive new Ford Falcon livery for the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Vodafone’s eyecatching ‘rocket red’ paint is again presented in striking contrast to a reflective chrome lustre, and the addition of bold black highlights finishes off a stunning evolution from the revolutionary 2007 design.

In addition to its existing major partners Vodafone, Ford, Dexion and Toshiba, TeamVodafone is pleased to announce that global mobile handset and communications specialist Nokia has thrown their support behind the team.

The addition of Nokia further strengthens the team’s opportunity for cross-promotion and the provision of exclusive content and promotions via the Vodafone network, including the popular ‘Garage Cam’.

Nokia will also seek to cross-promote its handset navigation technology with the team and drivers. Fans may even find themselves doing a double-take as a Nokia car kit and a navigation handset appears on in-car camera vision throughout the season’s telecast.

The brilliant blue of the Nokia logo pairs perfectly with Ford, and sets off a stunning livery that will command its share of attention on-track.

But drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes, second and third in the 2007 series respectively, said rival racers couldn’t expect to see much of the #88 and #888 Falcons in their rear-view mirrors in 2008.

“This is set to be the strongest year yet for Triple Eight,” said Lowndes. “Continuity and momentum is everything – both Jamie and I plan to head the field from the outset in our new Falcons!”

“The new livery is stunning; the car maintains its strong visual concept from 2007 but has been beefed up with the addition of even more chrome and striking black lines, as well as a mean looking front guard.”

Whincup was equally pleased with the updated livery, and said the only thing amiss was the absence of the #1 plate on the windscreen and windows.

“TeamVodafone and Triple Eight are the hardest working operation in the field, and finishing runner-up three years in row has motivated everyone to step up a notch and grab that elusive series title,” he said.

“Everyone is refreshed and ready to go – myself and Craig included. This is sure to be our strongest year and we have a great bunch of people and team partners behind us to help us do the job.”

Team Principal and co-owner Roland Dane said the 2008 season looked set to be the best chance yet for a TeamVodafone championship win.

“In establishing the team as a leading force in V8 Supercars we have surrounded ourselves with the best possible sponsorship partners and hard-working crew, and the synergy amongst all is very positive,” said Dane.

“We return in 2008 with Craig and Jamie at the helm again, fit and focused and well-poised to challenge for the title from the word go.”

“The new look of the TeamVodafone cars symbolises a greater hunger for victory in this competitive category, the one I believe is the toughest touring car series in the world.”

Fans can get a first look at the TeamVodafone Ford Falcons in their new warpaint at the official V8 Supercars Testing and Fan/Media Day at Queensland Raceway on Thursday February 14 from 8am.