IRWIN/SP Tools Racing’s Alex Davison and Shane van Gisbergen had an afternoon of highs and lows, to finish 10th in the L&H 500 at Phillip Island.
Starting sixth, Davison jumped off the start to fourth place before moving to third on just the fourth lap of the race. The IRWIN Racing driver slotted in behind leaders Jamie Whincup and his brother Will Davison, before a loose wheel ruined any chance of a strong finish on lap 18.
IRIWN Racing's Alex Davison with race engineer Paul Forgie at Phillip Island September 11, 2009. (pic John Pryke)
“It started unbelievably for the IRWIN/SP Tools Ford. We got a great start, moved into third and looked set for a strong afternoon. We certainly had the pace to run with the leaders, but then we had a loose wheel,” said Davison.
Smoke from the right front wheel was the first indication of something going wrong before the tyre punctured heading into Lukey Heights. Davison drove the #9 IRWIN/SP Tools Ford slowly back to the pits before the team changed all four wheels and filled the car full of fuel. Davison returned to the track a lap down on the leaders and in 28th position before a safety car put him back on the lead lap.
“I first got an indication of something being wrong at turn 2 and then around the other side of the circuit it cut the tyre down,” said Davison.
Over the next 24 laps he charged back up the order to 10th place before handing the car over to team-mate Shane van Gisbergen on lap #51. Van Gisbergen was able to maintain the rage, but with no further safety cars for the remainder of the race he could not truly show the pace of the IRWIN/SP Tools Racing Falcon.
IRWIN Racing's Daniel Gaunt at Phillip Island (pic Scott Wensley)
“We will have to have a good look at what caused the wheel to become loose. It’s important to isolate the reasons behind it heading to Bathurst and make sure it doesn’t happen again. It was a 500km sprint this afternoon and it really turned into a hard day with no further safety cars to give us a leg up,” said team owner Ross Stone.
As well as finishing 10th in the race, the Davison/van Gisbergen Falcon finished ninth on points after scoring points in yesterday’s qualifying races.
The second #4 IRWIN/SP Tools Racing Ford of John McIntyre and Daniel Gaunt made a solid start to the race from 12th position. McIntyre steered clear of numerous incidents over the opening laps before handing the car to Gaunt on lap #55. Running in 24th position, Gaunt put his down for a solid 58-lap run through to the chequered flag to take a 17th place finish.
“It was a pretty hard afternoon and I certainly doubled my V8 experience. Although we had hoped for a final placing a little further up the order, it was important to finish. The car had pretty good pace and we passed and drove away from everyone around us,” said Gaunt.
With the qualifying points added, the #4 duo finished 16th for the weekend; an encouraging result for two non full-time V8 Supercar Championship Series drivers.
The IRWIN/SP Tools Racing team will now focus their energies on the Australia’s premier motor sports race, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on 8-11 October.
Race Results: L&H 500
1. #2 Will Davison/Garth Tander – 113 laps
2. #888 Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup
3. #6 Steve Richards/Mark Winterbottom
4. #17 James Courtney/Steve Johnson
5. #7 Rick Kelly/Todd Kelly
6. #18 Warren Luff/Jonathon Webb
7. #39 Russell Ingall/Tim Slade
8. #22 Craig Baird/Paul Dumbrell
9. #5 Dean Canto/Luke Youlden
10. #9 Alex Davison/Shane Van Gisbergen
17. #4 Daniel Gaunt/John McIntyre
Championship Points
After Race 17 of 26
1. Jamie Whincup 2007
2. Will Davison 1824
3. Garth Tander 1479
4. Craig Lowndes 1478
5. Steven Johnson 1374
6. Mark Winterbottom 1332
7. Lee Holdsworth 1269
8. Russell Ingall 1187
9. James Courtney 1154
10. Michael Caruso 1134
19. Alex Davison 1038
