Getting the team off to a flying start and leading from the front was reigning National Top Bike Title holder Troy McLean who headed straight to the top of the time sheets on his first run and stayed there throughout the entirety of Qualifying on the SP Racing Nitro Harley.
Troy McLean – SP Racing Top Bike
“The SP Racing Nitro Harley felt really good this weekend, I’m really happy with how I performed Top Qualifying, taking home both the ET and mph bonus points and running a personal best top speed of 213.78 mph (344.05 kph),” McLean said.
“We had all brand new untested ignition systems on our Top Bikes so to be running these numbers straight up is very encouraging for the future.”
“I think things will only get better as the season goes on.”
SP Tools Racing will celebrate the 2008 ‘Season of Endurance’ with a charity auction to raise much-needed funds for the Brisbane Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.Brisbane-based company SP Tools has produced a striking one-off SP Tools Racing tool box, wrapped in V8 Supercar imagery and signed by the Stone Brothers Racing team.
The tool box contains a full range of SP hand tools and also comes with a Bosch ROCK Box and a ride in the SP Tools Racing Falcon with Shane van Gisbergen.
Estimated to be worth up to $10,000, the SP Tools Racing package will be open for bids from Friday 12 September 2008 until 5:00pm on Wednesday 15 October 2008.Bids can be made in person at SBR Merchandise at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island from 12-14 September 2008 or at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama from 9-12 October 2008.
For those that can’t make it to the track, bids can be placed online via the Stone Brothers Racing website www.stonebrothersracing.com.au or via email auction@stonebrothersracing.com.au. The current highest bid will be displayed on the home page of the SBR website throughout the auction.
To find out more about SP Tools and their range of hand tools and tool boxes, visit http://www.austechindustries.com.au. The one-off SP Tools Racing tool box can be viewed at the SBR pit garage at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and at SBR Merchandise at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama.
All proceeds from the charity auction will go to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation (RCHF) which is the fundraising arm of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane - Queensland’s leading paediatric critical care facility, which touches the lives of more than 100,000 sick kids every year.Funds from the RCHF assist with groundbreaking medical research and equipment to find better treatments and cures for childhood illnesses.
Round 6, SKYCITY Triple Crown, Hidden Valley, Darwin, NT
Stone Brothers Racing drivers have made a gutsy comeback in the third and final race at round six of the V8 Supercar Championship Series in Darwin this afternoon after taking a battering in race two this morning.
SP Tools Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen recovered to take ninth for the round, closely followed in the points by team-mate JELD-WEN Motorsport’s James Courtney in tenth.
Courtney produced a brilliant drive in race three to take seventh position after starting from a lowly 24th on the grid.
Race two was forgettable for Courtney, the JELD-WEN Motorsport driver looked certain to hold on to eighth position until he lost the rear end of his SBR Falcon and slid into the tyre wall at turn eight two laps from the chequered flag. Courtney was able to finish the race, but dropped to 24th position.
Courtney was in need of a clever strategy in race three and he got one, the JELD-WEN Motorsport driver holding off on his compulsory pit stop until lap 25, providing him with a clear track to pump out consistently fast lap times and make ground on the rival pack.
The JELD-WEN Motorsport Falcon rejoined the 42-lap race in tenth position, Courtney passing team-mate Shane van Gisbergen the following lap to claim ninth.
Following the safety car period on lap 30, Courtney made a move on Jamie Whincup for eighth and picked up one more positio n when Craig Lowndes retired from the race on the final lap suffering an engine problem.
Like his team-mate, SP Tools Racing’s van Gisbergen was also showing good form in race two until he made contact with Will Davison at the hairpin, turning the number 18 Falcon around. The resulting drive-through penalty saw the SP Tools Racing driver drop from eighth position down to 23rd.
In the closing laps of the race, van Gisbergen was able to push on and pick up seven positions to finish in 16th place.
Race three produced a hectic start and van Gisbergen slid to 20th place on the opening lap but he quickly put his head down to regain three positions before his compulsory pit stop on lap eight.
Van Gisbergen pushed hard following his stop, a swag of passing moves earning him ninth place by lap 26. The young Kiwi relinquished only one position to team-mate Courtney, dropping to tenth before crossing the line in ninth position as he benefited from Lowndes? ?? retirement.
Both Courtney and van Gisbergen retain their positions in the V8 Supercar Championship standings, seventh and eleventh respectively. Stone Brothers Racing remains in fourth position in the teams championship.
Stone Brothers Racing will next race at their ‘home’ event in two weeks time when round seven of the V8 Supercar Championship Series returns to Queensland Raceway, 18-20 July 2008.
James Courtney, #4, JELD-WEN Motorsport
“It was good to finish the weekend on a positive note with a really solid race.
“The JELD-WEN Falcon was quite a handful at the start of the second race today but we ran around and worked our way into the race and got inside the top ten.
“With two laps to go I lost the rear at turn eight and there was no getting it back.
“In the last race the JELD-WEN Falcon was fantastic, easily the best it’s been all weekend. It was great to find that cha nge that made the difference and have some success with it.
“We were down on power in the last race with an engine problem from lap eight onwards so to have the pace that we did despite that shows that we really got on top of the car at the end.
“We have some good knowledge now of the tyre after the third race as well and we will have some good direction at Queensland Raceway.”
Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing
“It was a weekend full of ups and downs but in every race we had very good pace and we were able to pass a lot of cars.
“The handling and balance of the SP Tools Racing Falcon was good this weekend and the brakes were really strong when following other cars, they didn’t fade.
“The incident with Will (Davison) today was one of those things in racing; he moved over and I wasn’t far enough up. I went and apologised to him after the race as it affected both our races.
“We will have a new car at Q ueensland Raceway, James’ car from Clipsal, so we will be focusing on that in the next week and we hope that we can improve even further.”
Meeting Points
1. Steven Richards 284 pts
2. Mark Winterbottom 278 pts
3. Garth Tander 272 pts
4. Jamie Whincup 214 pts
5. Russell Ingall 212 pts
6. Will Davison 186 pts
7. Rick Kelly 180 pts
8. Craig Lowndes 154 pts 9. Shane Van Gisbergen 140 pts
10. James Courtney 138 pts
V8 Supercar Championship Points
1. Mark Winterbottom 1402 pts
2. Garth Tander 1344 pts
3. Jamie Whincup 1276 pts
4. Rick Kelly 1208 pts
5. Steven Richards 1123 pts
6. Craig Lowndes 1051 pts 7. James Courtney 949 pts
8. Will Davison 938 pts
9. Lee Holdsworth 876 pts
10. Todd Kelly 834 pts 11. Shane Van Gisbergen 832 pts
V8 Supercar Team Championship Points
1. Ford Performance Racing 2525 pts
2. Team Vodafone 2327 pts
3. Toll Holden Racing Team 2088 pts 4. Stone Brothers Racing 1781 pts
5. HSV Dealer Team 1774 pts
Race 3
1. Steven Richards
2. Mark Winterbottom
3. Garth Tander
4. Russell Ingall
5. Will Davison
6. Rick Kelly 7. James Courtney
8. Jamie Whincup 9. Shane Van Gisbergen
10. Greg Murphy
Race 2
1. Garth Tander
2. Steven Richards
3. Mark Winterbottom
4. Craig Lowndes
5. Jamie Whincup
6. Russell Ingall
7. Jason Richards
8. Mark Skaife
9. Rick Kelly
10. Will Davison 16. Shane Van Gisbergen
24. James Courtney
Round 6, SKYCITY Triple Crown, Hidden Valley, Darwin, NT
Stone Brothers Racing drivers were on the move in race one at the SKYCITY Triple Crown this afternoon, with JELD-WEN Motorsport’s James Courtney rounding out the top ten and SP Tools Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen finishing in 12th.
Van Gisbergen made an exceptional recovery from a disappointing qualifying session where under-steer and a failed shift cut made hard work for the 19-year-old, placing him in 22nd position on the grid.
The SP Tools Racing driver had a steady start, picking up three positions in the opening laps. A lightening quick stop by the SBR pit crew on lap seven gave van Gisbergen the advantage he needed to make his way to 13th.
Van Gisbergen hustled Mark Skaife for a number of laps before the HRT driver slid off the track with a flat tyre leaving the way clear for the SP Tools Racing Falcon to cross the line in 12th place.
Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing
“We had a good start to the race today but I got pushed out at the first corner so we lost what we had gained.
“The SP Tools Falcon was really good and we made up places early.
“Once I got behind Skaife I didn’t have enough to pass. This track is not great for passing but we tried our hardest and made up some spots so it was good. Ten places from 22nd is pretty satisfying.
“We found the tyres went away quickly after the pit stop. It seems to be a characteristic of these new tyres and everyone will be experiencing the same thing. We will learn from that and be ready for it tomorrow.”
Round 6, SKYCITY Triple Crown, Hidden Valley, Darwin, NT
SP Tools Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen has had his first taste of Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway, hitting the track for today’s two-and-a-quarter hour practice session in the SP Tools Racing Falcon.
The 19-year-old Kiwi had a steady debut, posting the 11th fastest time after using the first 30-minute rookie session to learn the track and get a feel for the new Dunlop tyres.
Van Gisbergen enjoyed his first tour of the 2.9km circuit, adapting quickly to the new track and hot conditions.
Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing
“I was out there on a new track with new tyres early today, there was a fair bit going on!
“I didn’t find the track too hard to pick up and it wasn’t too long until we were able to get stuck into tuning the SP Tools Falcon.
“We didn’t notice too much of a difference with the new tyres but we’ve only had a short time on them so it is hard to know what to expect.
“To be up there close to the top ten is a good start to the weekend for us.”
Round 5, Midas 400, Sandown International Motor Raceway, VIC
Stone Brothers Racing Falcons raced into the top ten in the opening race of the Midas 400 at Sandown International Motor Raceway today, the JELD-WEN Motorsport Falcon placing sixth and the SP Tools Racing Falcon finishing in ninth position in the 39-lap race.
Both SBR Falcons recovered from a tough qualifying session this morning where JELD-WEN Motorsport ’s James Courtney just missed the top ten, setting the 11th fastest time, and SP Tools Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen forced to settle for 17th on the grid.
A strong start was essential and both Courtney and van Gisbergen were up to the task, the pair gaining two and three positions respectively on the opening lap.
The SBR pit crew provided seamless stops for both cars, enabling Courtney to emerge in eighth position and van Gisbergen in tenth.
As the compulsory pit stops played out, Courtney moved up to sixth position, moving away from Rick Kelly in seventh and gaining ground on Garth Tander in fifth. In the end, the JELD-WEN Motorsport driver ran out of laps to catch Tander, crossing the line in sixth.
Van Gisbergen looked settled in tenth until Lee Holdsworth hustled past him on lap 34. The young Kiwi driver settled in behind the Garry Rogers Motorsport car and waited for an opportunity to regain his position.
The chance came on lap 38 , when Mark Skaife made an error and in turn held up Holdsworth, giving van Gisbergen the opportunity to slide up the inside of both to claim ninth position.
The SP Tools Racing driver grabbed his chance and held position until the chequered flag.
Courtney and van Gisbergen will be on track on tomorrow’s Queen’s Birthday public holiday at 12:15pm for race two, following by race three at 4:05pm.
In the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, Stone Brothers Racing’s Jonathon Webb qualified in sixth position following this morning’s top 50% session.
Webb remained consistent in today’s 15-lap race, bringing the Tekno Autosport Falcon home in sixth position.
James Courtney, #4, JELD-WEN Motorsport
“We had a few issues with traffic in qualifying; it was pretty hard to find a clear lap.
“We made some changes to the car that we didn’t like but with the way that qualifying is now, you don’t have time to change back so we had t o make do with what we had.
“The JELD-WEN Falcon struggled early in the race but from the mid-point on the car was great and we were as fast as the guys in the lead and catching (Garth) Tander in front of us. We could have done with a few more laps to get him.
“The guys will work on the car overnight to try and improve it in the early part of the race so that we are strong over the whole 39 laps.”
Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing Falcon
“We had a good race with a few guys today; (Lee) Holdsworth and (Mark) Skaife.
“So many of the cars in the field are so even and it is so competitive that it is hard to find a chance to pass.
“I had to sit and wait until Skaife and Holdsworth made a mistake and when they did I was able to dive up the inside and take them both.
“Once we got through the SP Tools car had the speed to keep ahead; it was good to get inside the ten.
V8 Supercars – Race 1
1. Jamie Whincup
2. Mark Winterbottom
3. Craig Lowndes
4. Russell Ingall
5. Garth Tander 6. James Courtney
7. Rick Kelly
8. Fabian Coulthard 9. Shane Van Gisbergen
10. Mark Skaife
V8 Supercars – Qualifying
1. Jamie Whincup 1:09.6987
2. Mark Winterbottom 1:10.0184
3. Will Davison 1:10.0328
4. Rick Kelly 1:10.0588
5. Fabian Coulthard 1:10.0800
6. Russell Ingall 1:10.1399
7. Steven Richards 1:10.1750
8. Todd Kelly 1:10.1754
9. Craig Lowndes 1:10.2646
10. Jason Richards 1:10.5183 11. James Courtney 1:10.3794 (time set in leg 2)
17. Shane Van Gisbergen 1:10.6738 (time set in leg 2)
Round 4, Bigpond 400, Barbagallo Raceway, Western Australia
Stone Brothers Racing drivers James Courtney and Shane van Gisbergen have carved their way through the field in the second race at round four of the V8 Supercar Championship Series at Barbagallo Raceway today, making up 30 positions between them in the 50-lap race.
The JELD-WEN Motorsport and SP Tools Racing Falcon’s clawed their way back to seventh and tenth respectively after starting from 20th and 27th on the grid courtesy of Courtney’s drive-through penalty and a bruising first-lap incident for van Gisbergen yesterday.
Courtney began his charge through the field early, a clean pit stop on lap 14 helping him into ninth position by lap 32. The JELD-WEN Motorsport driver continued to make progress following his stop, passing Andrew Jones and Todd Kelly on his way to seventh place.
Van Gisbergen also produced a fantastic drive to pick up 17 positions in the 50-lap race. The young Kiwi driver showed great speed, particularly in the wet conditions, crossing the line in 10th position.
Race three proved to be a little tougher, with both Courtney and van Gisbergen struggling to make headway in the pointy end of the field. Both drivers maintained their starting positions early but had to settle for eighth and 12th at the chequered flag.
JELD-WEN Motorsport’s James Courtney claimed eighth for the round while SP Tools Racing’s Shan e van Gisbergen was 17th, his race one retirement proving costly in the points haul.
Courtney is currently ninth in the V8 Supercar Championship standings; van Gisbergen is 16th.
Round five of the V8 Supercar Championship Series is at Sandown Raceway on the Queens Birthday long weekend, 7-9 June 2008.
James Courtney, #4, JELD-WEN Motorsport
“We had a big improvement in the JELD-WEN Motorsport Falcon today.
“The car was faster than a couple of the cars in front of me in the last race but this is a tough circuit to pass on.
“I could have had a lunge but there was a good chance that that would result in contact and I just can’t afford to do that.
“The drive-through yesterday killed our weekend; you get a good finish in race one and you can be up in the top five in race two and three. The result yesterday hindered us today.
“Still it was a good recovery today and we are slowly crawling back and chipping away at the championship. There is still a long way to go.”
Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing Falcon
“The SP Tools Racing Falcon was as good as new today with the repairs the guys did last night.
“We started third to last and came right through to tenth; the car was really fast in the rain. We picked up a lot of track position then.
“We pitted late and had really good tyres because we didn’t finish the first race so that helped us too.
“In the last race we ran into a bit of a wall; it’s a lot harder to pass those guys who have close to the same pace as you.
“We had a slow stop which cost us a couple of spots but overall, I’ve had a pretty good first race here; a top ten in qualifying and good speed.”
Meeting Points
1. Mark Winterbottom 300 pts
2. Garth Tander 270 pts
3. Jamie Whincup 236 pts
4. Craig Lowndes 234 pts
5. Rick Kelly 210 pts
6. Will Davison 202 pts
7. Steve n Richards 200 pts 8. James Courtney 154 pts
9. Fabian Coulthard 138 pts
10. Andrew Jones 132 pts 17. Shane van Gisbergen 98 pts
Championship Points
1. Garth Tander 896 pts
2. Rick Kelly 882 pts
3. Mark Winterbottom 872 pts
4. Jamie Whincup 776 pts
5. Steven Richards 721 pts
6. Craig Lowndes 711 pts
7. Will Davison 640 pts
8. Lee Holdsworth 626 pts 9. James Courtney 577 pts
10. Fabian Coulthard 569 pts 16. Shane van Gisbergen 464 pts
Race 3
1. Mark Winterbottom
2. Garth Tander
3. Jamie Whincup
4. Craig Lowndes
5. Will Davison
6. Rick Kelly
7. Steven Richards 8. James Courtney
9. Fabian Coulthard
10. Cameron McConville 12. Shane van Gisbergen
Race 1
1. Mark Winterbottom
2. Garth Tander
3. Jamie Whincup
4. Craig Lowndes
5. Rick Kelly
6. Will Davison 7. James Courtney
8. Todd Kel ly
9. Steven Richards 10. Shane van Gisbergen
SP Tools Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen didn’t fare any better than his team-mate, taken out on the first lap by a spinning Michael Caruso.
Van Gisbergen put in a fantastic qualifying effort in his first Barbagallo appearance, claiming 10th on the grid.
The SP Tools Racing driver made a steady start only to be the innocent party in an incident involving Jason Bright, Michael Caruso and Greg Murphy at the last corner on lap one.
Van Gisbergen came straight into the pits for repairs but was unable to rejoin the race. The SBR crew will repair the SP Too ls Racing Falcon overnight in time for race two tomorrow.
The JELD-WEN Motorsport and SP Tools Racing Falcons will be back on track at 10:15am for race two before the third and final race at 2:00pm.
Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing Falcon
“The hit from Caruso took me by surprise.
“I was coming out of th e corner and had the power down and all of a sudden I got drilled.
“I spun around a few times and went straight into the pits but we couldn’t get the SP Tools Falcon back out on the track.
“It was a shame that we couldn’t carry on after a really good qualifying session. It was great to be in the top ten again.
“I guess I will have plenty of passing practice tomorrow.”
Race 1
1. Mark Winterbottom
2. Mark Skaife
3. Garth Tander
4. Steven Richards
5. Craig Lowndes
6. Rick Kelly
7. Jamie Whincup
8. Will Davison
9. Todd Kelly
10. Cameron McConville 20. James Courtney
DNF Shane van Gisbergen
SP Tools Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen made his Barbagallo debut at round four of the V8 Supercar Championship Series today, the young Kiwi also celebrating his 19th birthday.
The youngest driver in the field spent today’s two-and-a-quarter hour practice session learning the 2.42km circuit, eventually finishing with the 27th fastest time after experiencing some throttle problems throughout the session.
Team-mate JELD-WEN Motorsport’s James Courtney also had a debut today, the Gold Coast-based driver taking the new SBR BF Falcon for its first competition laps following the car’s shakedown at Queensland Raceway last Friday.
Courtney was happy with the JELD-WEN Motorsport Falcon’s progress early in the session but suffered problems with the balance in the new car once he moved to green tyres.
The JELD-WEN Motorsport driver was 14th fastest after practice and will work with his crew to find a good qualifying car for tomorrow.
Courtney and van Gisbergen will be on track at 10:50am tomorrow for the three-leg elimination style qualifying session, followed by race one at 2:00pm.
James Courtney, #4, JELD-WEN Motorsport
“The new car was running really well on old tyres today.
“All the changes we were making were in the right direction and we made great progress quickly.
“As soon as we put new tyres on we lost all balance. We will have to have a good look into it tonight.
“We are in pretty good shape though. We have a great race car, just not the best qualifying car at the moment; we are looking to change that tomorrow.”
Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing Falcon
“With Barbagallo being a pretty small circuit there is not too much to remember. It’s pretty low grip and all the times are really close.
“We had a few problems in practice with the throttle sticking on. I also locked up and killed a tyre which hurt us in the end as we were without a full set to use.
“I was hoping to have a better day on my birthday but we have three good sets of tyres for qualifying tomorrow and we will be away again.”
Practice
1. Garth Tander 0:56.5381
2. Steven Richards 0:56.5758
3. Craig Lowndes 0:56.6550
4. Russell Ingall 0:56.7316
5. Mark Winterbottom 0:56.7590
6. Rick Kelly 0:56.8037
7. Mark Skaife 0:56.8309
8. Lee Holdsworth 0:56 .9129
9. Greg Murphy 0:56.9292
10. Jamie Whincup 0:56.9322
14. James Courtney 0:57.0421
27. Shane Van Gisbergen 0:57.6017
It was a case of ‘close but no cigar’ for Stone Brothers Racing’s V8 Supercar tyro Shane van Gisbergen at the New Zealand Formula First Association’s annual One-Hour race at Manfeild on Saturday.
The 18-year-old who drives the #9 SP Tools Racing Falcon for Stone Brothers Racing in the 2008 V8 Supercar championship, was in the leading bunch with just three laps to go when his car slowed suddenly then stopped w ith what turned out to be a pushrod problem.
It was an unfortunate end to the race for the young Kiwi, who had lapped the 3.33km Manfeild circuit up to 1.5 seconds quicker than any of the other drivers in the wet practice session on Friday and was one of three drivers vying for the win when his car’s engine cried enough.
The annual One-Hour race is one of the most popular fixtures on the New Zealand Formula First (nee Vee) Association’s annual fixture calendar and carries serious bragging rights - hence van Gisbergen’s desire to return from his new home on Australia’s Gold Coast to compete in it.
The 18-year-old got his career break in the New Zealand Formula First championship in 2004 after winning the annual SpeedSport magazine scholarship - which offers winners an all-expenses-paid season in the category in conjunction with top team Sabre Motorsport.
With fellow New Zealand young gun Andrew Waite and 2007 /08 recipient Richie Stanaway, he was one of three Speedsport Scholarship winners to return for the 2008 race.
Stanaway went on to win the race from Matthew Stubbs and Simon Evans. Evans’ younger brother Mitchell was also in the running but spun late in the race.
With the New Zealand Formula First Association celebrating its 40th anniversary over the weekend van Gisbergen was one of 18 drivers and over 100 current and former drivers and associates gathered in Feilding and Palmerston North for a weekend of activities.
Of the weekend van Gisbergen said;
“Overall it’s been a lot of fun and it’s been good to come back and see everyone. It was a bit of a shame the way the race panned out, but I guess that means I’ll just have to come back again next year! The three of us (van Gisbergen, Stanaway and the second of the Evans brothers, Mitchell) were pretty even and when the engine went I was just sitting back watching Ric hie and Mitch to see what they were going to do on the last lap.”
And of returning to his racing roots, in a car which could not be more different to the SP Tools Racing V8 Supercar he said;
“You’d think it would be easy but they’re just so different they take a bit of getting used to again, particularly the way they react. When the Supercar steps out it does so fairly slowly, but with these cars it all happens pretty quickly so you’ve got to be ready for it.”
Stone Brothers Racing’s young gun now heads back across the Tasman to prepare for the fourth round of the 2008 V8 Supercar championship at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway this weekend.
