After six seasons, 81 rounds and 185 races as a V8 Supercar team, Tasman Motorsport, competing as Sprint Gas Racing, closed its doors on Friday December 18, 2009.
The team was formed back in 2004 out of what was Lansvale Racing Team, entering that season with one Holden VX Commodore driven by Kiwi driver, the late Jason Richards.
Highlights over the past six years include two podiums at Bathurst – second in 2005 and 2008, the team’s first ever podium at Sandown in 2005, third at Indy in 2007, the race win at Winton in 2006 and Jason Bargwanna’s pole in race three at the 2009 SuperGP on the streets of the Gold Coast.
In 2005 they expanded to a two car team with a young Jamie Whincup landing his first full-time V8 Supercars drive with the team. It was a season of some solid results including third at the Sandown 500 and second in the Bathurst 1000.
2006 saw their first V8 race win at Winton Motor Raceway with Jason Richards. Whincup had moved on and it was Andrew Jones who piloted the second car for the season.
2007 saw Greg Murphy joining Richards with the team finishing 13th and 14th respectively and again nearly wining the Bathurst 1000. Fourth place and the highest placed Holden.
Sprint Gas joined the team as principle sponsor in 2008 with a supposed three-year deal and by the end of 2009 the team cited a lack of funding as the key reason for closure. By this time Bargwanna had replaced Richards and again in 2009 both cars finished in the top six at Bathurst.
Bargwanna signed with his new team Kelly Racing and four-time Bathurst winner Greg Murphy went on to race for Paul Morris Motorsport in 2010.
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