The Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge was the 11th round of the 2008 championship held on the streets of Surfers Paradise. It was also Shane van Gisbergen’s first full year with Stone Brothers Racing. He finished 15th overall for the season with his best result a second place at Sandown. The Gold Coast round didn’t go too well for either van Gisbergen or his SBR team mate James Courtney. Here’s the team race report from 2008…..
Surfers Paradise home race unkind to SBR
Stone Brothers Racing had an unkind conclusion to its home race at the 4.4km Surfers Paradise Street Circuit this afternoon with both its BF Ford Falcons unable to finish the third and final race.
JELD-WEN Motorsport’s James Courtney finished the Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge in 14th place for the round, with SP Tools Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen in 21st place.
Courtney made a good start to the 27 lap race, moving up one spot to run tenth after the first lap.
On lap six, Courtney radioed to his crew that his engine was down on power and when he entered the pits for his compulsory stop on lap nine, it became clear that the JELD-WEN Motorsport driver would take no further part in the race.
The SBR team’s woes continued when Courtney’s team-mate, SP Tools Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen clashed with Jack Perkins at turn three on lap 12.
The young Kiwi driver reported damage to his steering after the incident and when he tried to rejoin the race his BF Falcon turned sharply to the right, hitting the wall and finishing his race.
Luck did not run Courtney’s way in this morning’s race either, the JELD-WEN Motorsport driver crossing the line in 11th position after starting ninth.
Courtney slotted into the queue at the first chicane and ran in ninth place until he took a pit option to complete h is compulsory pit stop on lap eight.
A safety car period was called one lap later when an incident between Greg Murphy and Fabian Coulthard blocked the track at turn 12. The safety car prompted the remaining cars to take their stops, the strategy working to their advantage as they jumped up the order, pushing Courtney to 13th position.
The JELD-WEN Motorsport driver was able to grab back a couple of places in the closing laps to be 11th at the flag.
Van Gisbergen had a better race in terms of positions gained but struggled with lack of grip in the SP Tools Racing Falcon much of the 27 lap race.
The 19-year-old started 17th courtesy of some post-race drive-through penalties applied overnight, and van Gisbergen took advantage of his good fortune, moving his way into 15th position at the safety car restart on lap 14.
“We had a pretty terrible race this afternoon,” commented Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing. “Jack (Perkins) and I were racing and we had a touch in the corner. I felt the steering go straight away but I thought it was only bent at first.
“I tried to get the SP Tools Falcon back to the pits but there was more damage than I thought and it turned hard into the wall and did more damage to the car.
“We have a really tight turnaround to get the cars ready for Bahrain and I’ve created more work for them. I will certainly owe them a drink or two once we get through this week.”
The SP Tools Racing driver held his position in the closing laps, moving up to 13th place by the line courtesy of a spin by Cameron McConville and a retiring Paul Dumbrell.
This round’s disappointing result for Courtney has seen him slip one place in the V8 Supercar drivers championship standings to eighth. Van Gisbergen is in 15th position.
“I got a good start to the final race today,” commented James Courtney, #4, JELD-WEN Motorsport. “We got squeezed at the first chicane and had no where to go but once we settled into the queue the JELD-WEN Falcon was going pretty good.
“Not far into the race we lost power and it seems that it was something pretty terminal in the engine department.
“It hasn’t been a great weekend for us; we’ll head back to the SBR workshop tonight, see what the problem is then get on with it and see what Bahrain brings.”
SBR remains fifth in the V8 Supercar teams championship.
Meeting Points
1. Jamie Whincup 300 pts
2. Garth Tander 276 pts
3. Mark Winterbottom 258 pts
4. Todd Kelly 218 pts
5. Russell Ingall 202 pts
6. Craig Lowndes 180 pts
7. Steven Johnson 178 pts
8. Will Davison 168 pts
9. Lee Holdsworth 168 pts
10. Seven Richards 154 pts
14. James Court ney 104 pts
21. Shane van Gisbergen 80 pts
Drivers Championship Points
1. Jamie Whincup 2616 pts
2. Mark Winterbottom 2514 pts
3. Garth Tander 2510 pts
4. Craig Lowndes 2103 pts
5. Will Davison 2033 pts
6. Steven Richards 1988 pts
7. Rick Kelly 1940 pts
8. James Courtney 1906 pts
9. Russell Ingall 1606 pts
10. Steven Johnson 1649 pts
15. Shane van Gisbergen 1240 pts
Team Championship Points
1. Team Vodafone 4383 pts
2. Ford Performance Racing 4342 pts
3. Toll Holden Racing Team 3732 pts
4. Jim Beam Racing 3402 pts
5. Stone Brothers Racing 3194 pts
Race 3
1. Jamie Whincup
2. Garth Tander
3. Mark Winterbottom
4. Rick Kelly
5. Todd Kelly
6. Russell Ingall
7. Steven Johnson
8. Steven Richards
9. Craig Lowndes
10. Will Davison
DNF Shane van Gisbergen
DNF James Courtney
Race 2
1. Jamie Whincup
2. Garth Tander
3. Mark Winterbottom
4. Lee Holdsworth
5. Steven Johnson
6. Rick Kelly
7. Todd Kelly
8. Russell Ingall
9. Craig Lowndes
10. Will Davison
11. James Courtney
13. Shane Van Gisbergen
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