STORMING SIXTH NETS VAN GISBERGEN FOURTH OVERALL IN SYDNEY
A storming drive through the field from 19th place to sixth capped off a dramatic weekend for SP Tools-backed Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon driver Shane van Gisbergen on the second day of competition at the season-ending Sydney Telstra 500 V8 Supercar race meeting on Sunday.
With a tenth place finish in Saturday's similar 250km race round the punishing new 3.45 km street circuit the 20-year-old Kiwi finished fourth for the round, and with it 12th overall in the 2009 season points standings
Young gun van Gisbergen was very much the comeback kid of Sunday's thrill-a-minute 74-lap season finale, making it back up to sixth place after an average qualifying result (19th), a drive-through penalty and going down a lap earlier on. Teammate Alex Davison also finished the year in good form crossing the line in ninth place.
Shane van Gisbergen – Driver, SP Tools Racing Car #9
“I had a bit of an incident at the start of the race with Steven Richards, and we were penalised for it which I don’t feel was right. He just simply ran me off the road when I was outside him and there was nothing I could do.
“We made a bit of a mistake on our pit call and went down a lap and lost a bit of time there, but we got it back when the leaders pitted and we got a few lucky safety cars thrown in there as well and suddenly we were back in it. To finish sixth was a great effort by the whole team, it was an awesome recovery considering what happened in the race.
“There have been plenty of ups and downs this year but as a group we are really gelling together, it’s a great team. Yesterday was a classic example where we had all the potential in the race but we just got caught up in other people's mistakes so next year we will just keep our heads down, keep it smooth and the results will come.”
Over 180,000 race fans turned out to watch the V8 Supercars in action at Sydney Olympic Park over the weekend. The V8 Supercar fraternity will now enjoy the Christmas break before returning to race in 2010 at the first season event in Abu Dhabi.
Sydney Telstra 500, Race 2 250kms (74 Laps) – RESULTS
1. James Courtney
2. Michael Caruso
3. Mark Winterbottom
4. Russell Ingall
5. Fabian Coulthard
6. Shane Van Gisbergen (SP Tools Ford Falcon)
Qualifying (Race 2)
1. Lee Holdsworth 1:29.3047
2. James Courtney 1:29.4040
3. Rick Kelly 1:29.4306
4. Mark Winterbottom 1:29.4418
5. Greg Murphy 1:29.5560r
6. Michael Caruso 1:29.6110
19. Shane van Gisbergen (SP Tools Ford Falcon) 1:30.1529
2009 V8 SUPERCAR SEASON POINTS – FINAL
1 Jamie Whincup 3349
2 Will Davison 3044
3 Garth Tander 2916
4 Craig Lowndes 2592
5 Mark Winterbottom 2414
6 Steven Johnson 2255
7 James Courtney 2192
8 Rick Kelly 2162
9 Russell Ingall 2048
10 Lee Holdsworth 2006
12 Shane Van Gisbergen (SP Tools Ford Falcon) 1970
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