Garth Tander has won the first race at Phillip Island, and the final 60/60 Super Sprint race of the year.
Ahead of Fabian Coulthard and Alex Davison, Tander led the whole second half of the race.
He inherited the lead after an incident between Mark Winterbottom and Craig Lowndes – Frosty had a run into the final corner, but made contact with Lowndes, resulting in his Red Bull Commodore running off track and rejoining in 15th.
“It was the last corner of the last lap of the last race that set up the win,” Tander said in reference to the first half of the split 60/60 Super Sprint.
However, it wasn’t all good news for the Holden Racing Team – James Courtney was involved in a massive accident with Alex Premat at the hairpin. There is extensive damage to both Commodores. The GRM car pummeled the driver’s side of Courtney’s, and he was immediately taken to the medical centre. Courtney is ok, but has some tissue damage and soreness in his right leg.
“I didn’t see Alex coming, so I couldn’t brace myself,” Courtney said.
“It’s probably a carbon copy of what happened to Jamie [Whincup] a couple of years ago, but bigger!
“I spoke with Alex in the medical car and (he) said he had a tyre go down. He didn’t mean to do that, no one would, so it’s just unfortunate.
“I think that may have ended it for my car though, it’s had a few big hits over the last three events … I think that was the end, the final nail.”
Courtney’s Commodore has now failed to finish the last four races with damage at the two races on the Gold Coast and at Bathurst with co-driver Greg Murphy behind the wheel.
Behind Tander, wars raged between the Championship contenders, with Jamie Whincup passing Winterbottom on the final lap and Lowndes passing Chaz Mostert by 33 ten-thousandths of a second over the finish line.
Whincup finished the race fourth, with Winterbottom, Tim Blanchard, Shane van Gisbergen, Lowndes, Mostert and Michael Caruso making up the top 10.
Click here for full results from the race.
Whincup has taken the lead of the Championship, leading Lowndes by 14, Winterbottom 88 behind, and 159 to Will Davison.
Click here for full Championship points.
