Lockwood Racing’s Fabian Coulthard was the first Holden home at the final race of the Coates Hire Ipswich 360, turning around a weekend that soured early.
Heading to Brad Jones Racing’s test track Winton Motor Raceway for the next event, Coulthard – who now sits fifth in the Championship – says there’s no such thing as a home track advantage, despite two of the three race wins over the weekend being taken by drivers who test at Queensland Raceway, in Jamie Whincup and Chaz Mostert.
In Championship Race 22, the first of the event, Coulthard was caught up in an incident between Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom – in fact, Lowndes initially blamed Coulthard post-race, before he was issued a two grid spot penalty.
But Coulthard accepted it was just something you had to put behind you.
“Those things happen – you have to move on,” he said. “It was just bad luck, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Sunday was a better day, the Lockwood Racing Holden Commodore strong enough to qualify fifth for Race 23.
“I raced all the way to fourth!” Coulthard said.
“In fairness though, the track is very hard to pass on.
“You’re always trying your best to look after the tyre but we just didn’t have the pace in the end to match the guys in front of us.”
Qualifying wasn’t as strong the second time around, the Kiwi managing 12th, but it was a battle through the field to fifth, behind winner Chaz Mostert and the Ford Performance Racing Falcons of Will Davison, Mark Winterbottom and David Reynolds, making him the first Holden home.
“There’s no reason to be disappointed about that in such a competitive field,” he said. “We got the car to somewhere we can fight and pass people.”
The jump in the Championship for both Brad Jones Racing cars – including teammate Jason Bright – was the big positive Coulthard took out of the weekend.
It’s not been enough of a points haul for BJR to jump back up into second in the Team’s Championship, after losing a place at the conclusion of the Sucrogen Townsville 400, eclipsed by Pepsi Max Crew FPR – but both Coulthard and Bright have improved two positions in the Driver’s Championship since the standings after Saturday’s run at Queensland Raceway.
There has been plenty of drama for Coulthard this season, from a DNF at the opening event the Clipsal 500, his first win in a V8 Supercar at the Australian Grand Prix, first Championship race win in Tasmania, to a post-race penalty at the Austin 400 after he had won off-shore.
But he was proud to see his Kiwi compatriot Scott McLaughlin score his second V8 Supercars career win over the weekend, sending him a message with an emoticon of a trophy.
“I know what it feels like to have a race win – I had one not long ago.”
