Supercars 17 - Sandown R19

Our first endurance race of the season took place at Sandown last week.  Things were looking good through practice as everyone was more or less getting to grips with the track.  Qualifying was in the shade and lead to Gurton Buster on the pole and everyone else well back through the field.

After a mulligan, we got going in a big pile of smoke.

Buster mostly tore away with only Whincup in tow.  The first lap was a little hair-raising while he leaned heavily on cold tires in the first turns.

Several places back, I got into Winterbottom on the back half of the course as he checked up early.

I can't say I'm too sad about the results.

My good driving would be rewarded with a slight lockup and touch from Lowndes, sending me off into the gravel and dropping me nearly to last.

Then, as I was catching Webster, there was contact from a poor read of the braking zone and he was sideways.  To my credit, I did set him back right again.

I then carried on not giving too much room to the competition around me as I slugged back up the order.

Zack's miseries would continue after some touchy conditions when Whincup felt the need to dump him at turn one.

And then Sandy later down the backstretch.

They nearly came together a second and third time after rejoining.

As the race wound on past the first set of stops, Sandy had his second major run in with Scott McGlaughlin.

Just behind them, Lee Holdsworth was coming out of the pits right into the side of Caruso.

He then joined the car park out in the litter.

Coming out of my first stop for the race and Tim Slade pulled the exact same move on me, ruining new tires and dropping me back some more.

Further along, Will Davidson was getting around Zack Webster, who at this point had lost 3rd and 4th gears.  He showed little regard for the Webster's situation.

When I caught Slade, there was a small rubbing as I moved to pass, although this was somewhat of an extreme reaction.  Seriously, I barely tapped him.  REALLY!

Getting through the second set of stops around lap thirty, Darrel was coming out and also had re-entry trouble.  As he and the Volvo got together, Hamilton lost a tire.

While trying to limp back to the pits, he was a sitting duck as the leaders caught him.

Unable to provide room and take the corner with his damage, he stuck it out in the dirt and called it there.

Zack would suffer a similar fate as his care was too distraught and down in laps to make up positions.  It's really too bad as he was doing a great job with lap times, even with half a transmission.  Oh well, at least he had his Eldora.

With about five to go, I was around Tim Slade again and we got together while I was moving past on the back stretch.

It seemed like he'd spin harmlessly but he managed to hit me on the rotation, sending me to the outside wall...

...and smashing into the tire barriers as he somehow recovered and went on for a top ten.  My car would go for another lap before dying completely, trading a second place finish for a DNF.  This will not be forgotten.

And adding to his already long list of wins, Gurton Buster takes yet another, leisurely checkered flag in first, rounding out the worst averaging finishing race for the league contenders.

We'll be off for two weeks before heading to Bathurst for the second endurance round of the season.  Hopefully it turns out better for the human competitors.  Although it's the toughest and longest track on the calendar so...probably not.  But at least it has a view.

Race 1

Track: Sandown Park National Circuit

Session: Practice

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	008	J Zolecki	1:04.197
2	013	T Nadz	1:04.559
3	14	F Coulthard	1:04.966
4	6	C Mostert	1:05.037
5	1	J Whincup	1:05.173
6	9	W Davison	1:05.186
7	888	C Lowndes	1:05.290
8	5	M Winterbottom	1:05.312
9	2	G Tander	1:05.600
10	8	J Bright	1:05.655
11	97	S Van Gisbergen	1:05.818
12	15	R Kelly	1:05.831
13	16	S Pye	1:05.864
14	33	S McLaughlin	1:05.954
15	023	Z Webster	1:06.052
16	21	D Wood	1:06.052
17	47	T Slade	1:06.081
18	55	D Reynolds	1:06.095
19	222	N Percat	1:06.269
20	18	J Perkins	1:06.311
21	22	J Courtney	1:06.417
22	360	J Moffat	1:06.423
23	23	R Ingall	1:06.532
24	4	L Holdsworth	1:06.724
25	17	D Wall	1:06.788
26	061	D Hamilton	1:06.890
27	34	R Dahlgren	1:07.033
28	7	T Kelly	1:07.102
29	36	M Caruso	1:07.381
30	021	T Bear	1:07.860

Weather: Clear, 52 °F, South 3 mph

Session: Qualifying

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	008	J Zolecki	1:03.852
2	1	J Whincup	1:03.940
3	888	C Lowndes	1:04.283
4	9	W Davison	1:04.330
5	6	C Mostert	1:04.482
6	5	M Winterbottom	1:04.517
7	8	J Bright	1:04.586
8	97	S Van Gisbergen	1:04.681
9	013	T Nadz	1:04.761
10	14	F Coulthard	1:04.771
11	21	D Wood	1:04.835
12	55	D Reynolds	1:05.041
13	2	G Tander	1:05.090
14	15	R Kelly	1:05.161
15	16	S Pye	1:05.479
16	33	S McLaughlin	1:05.648
17	18	J Perkins	1:05.773
18	47	T Slade	1:05.786
19	222	N Percat	1:05.814
20	22	J Courtney	1:05.971
21	360	J Moffat	1:06.022
22	4	L Holdsworth	1:06.103
23	23	R Ingall	1:06.175
24	7	T Kelly	1:06.531
25	17	D Wall	1:06.579
26	36	M Caruso	1:06.848
27	023	Z Webster	1:07.099
28	34	R Dahlgren	1:07.316
29	021	T Bear	--
30	061	D Hamilton	--

Weather: Cloudy, 52 °F, North 2 mph

Session: Happy Hour

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	6	C Mostert	1:04.202
2	9	W Davison	1:04.235
3	013	T Nadz	1:04.307
4	888	C Lowndes	1:04.779
5	2	G Tander	1:04.813
6	16	S Pye	1:04.859
7	97	S Van Gisbergen	1:04.892
8	55	D Reynolds	1:05.002
9	5	M Winterbottom	1:05.094
10	1	J Whincup	1:05.215
11	18	J Perkins	1:05.254
12	21	D Wood	1:05.297
13	15	R Kelly	1:05.405
14	8	J Bright	1:05.474
15	33	S McLaughlin	1:05.723
16	14	F Coulthard	1:05.766
17	23	R Ingall	1:05.896
18	222	N Percat	1:05.950
19	360	J Moffat	1:06.006
20	34	R Dahlgren	1:06.146
21	22	J Courtney	1:06.369
22	36	M Caruso	1:06.441
23	17	D Wall	1:06.467
24	4	L Holdsworth	1:06.562
25	7	T Kelly	1:06.595
26	47	T Slade	1:06.757
27	008	J Zolecki	1:12.312
28	021	T Bear	1:16.968
29	061	D Hamilton	1:17.350
30	023	Z Webster	1:17.700

Weather: Cloudy, 57 °F, Northwest 5 mph

Session: Race

F	S	#	DRIVER	INTERVAL	LAPS	LED	POINTS	STATUS
1	1	008	J Zolecki	103.197	41	40*	185	Running
2	4	9	W Davison	-38.60	41	1	175	Running
3	3	888	C Lowndes	-45.76	41	0	165	Running
4	8	97	S Van Gisbergen	-47.76	41	0	160	Running
5	2	1	J Whincup	-48.92	41	0	155	Running
6	7	8	J Bright	-51.31	41	0	150	Running
7	15	16	S Pye	-1L	40	0	146	Running
8	10	14	F Coulthard	-1L	40	0	142	Running
9	14	15	R Kelly	-1L	40	0	138	Running
10	16	33	S McLaughlin	-1L	40	0	134	Running
11	18	47	T Slade	-1L	40	0	130	Running
12	20	22	J Courtney	-1L	40	0	127	Running
13	23	23	R Ingall	-2L	39	0	124	Running
14	5	6	C Mostert	-2L	39	0	121	Running
15	22	4	L Holdsworth	-2L	39	0	118	Running
16	11	21	D Wood	-2L	39	0	115	Running
17	24	7	T Kelly	-2L	39	0	112	Running
18	19	222	N Percat	-2L	39	0	109	Running
19	25	17	D Wall	-2L	39	0	106	Running
20	6	5	M Winterbottom	-2L	39	0	103	Running
21	21	360	J Moffat	-2L	39	0	100	Running
22	26	36	M Caruso	-2L	39	0	97	Running
23	13	2	G Tander	-3L	38	0	94	Valve
24	9	013	T Nadz	-4L	37	0	91	Accident
25	17	18	J Perkins	-4L	37	0	88	Accident
26	12	55	D Reynolds	-4L	37	0	85	Accident
27	28	34	R Dahlgren	-5L	36	0	82	Running
28	29	021	T Bear	-5L	36	0	79	Running
29	30	061	D Hamilton	-12L	29	0	76	Puncture
30	27	023	Z Webster	-19L	22	0	73	Accident

Caution Flags: 0 (0 laps)

Lead Changes: 2 (2 drivers)

Weather: Cloudy, 56 °F, Northwest 7 mph

Pitstop Frequency: 3x

AI Strength: 92%