V8SC - Sandown 500

[bt52b]

The grid:

Pos Drivers Car
1. Mark Winterbottom/Matt Halliday Ford Falcon BF
2. James Courtney/David Besnard Ford Falcon BF
3. Todd Kelly/Nathan Pretty Holden Commodore VE
4. Garth Tander/Craig Baird Holden Commodore VE
5. Jamie Whincup/Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon BF
6. Steven Richards/Owen Kelly Ford Falcon BF
7. Will Davison/Steven Johnson Ford Falcon BF
8. Rick Kelly/Paul Radisich Holden Commodore VE
9. Jason Richards/Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VE
10. Russell Ingall/Luke Youlden Ford Falcon BF
11. Lee Holdsworth/Dean Canto Holden Commodore VE
12. Max Wilson/Michael Caruso Ford Falcon BF
13. Alex Davison/Andrew Thompson Ford Falcon BF
14. Richard Lyons/Allan Simonsen Ford Falcon BF
15. Steve Owen/Tony D'Alberto Holden Commodore VZ
16. Cameron McConville/Paul Dumbrell Holden Commodore VE
17. Jason Bright/Adam Macrow Ford Falcon BF
18. Shane Price/Jack Perkins Holden Commodore VE
19. Greg Ritter/Cameron McLean Holden Commodore VE
20. Glenn Seton/Tony Longhurst Holden Commodore VE
21. Jason Bargwanna/Grant Denyer Ford Falcon BF
22. Marcus Marshall/Kayne Scott Holden Commodore VE
23. Shane van Gisbergen/John McIntyre Ford Falcon BF
24. Andrew Jones/Simon Wills Ford Falcon BF
25. Paul Dumbrell/Paul Weel Holden Commodore VE
26. Paul Morris/Steven Ellery Holden Commodore VE
27. Warren Luff/Alan Gurr Ford Falcon BF
28. Jonathon Webb/John Bowe Ford Falcon BF
29. Fabian Coulthard/Chris Pither Holden Commodore VZ
30. Mark Noske/Jay Verdnik Holden Commodore VE
31. Damien White/Christian Murchison Ford Falcon BF

Includes to ex-btcc drivers.

Go GT

[Ranger]

Shame Skaife couldn't drive... but if it's of any benefit he doesn't have to put up with Seton's bad qualifying performance.

It'll be a long race. Hopefully James Courtney can win it though. He was on the money in both Clipsal 500 races and would have won both had it not been for his atrocious starts there.

Though I think Kelly/Pretty, Tander/Baird or Lowndes/Whincup will win it.

[Iain]

Be nice to see Paul Radisich get one last win.

A shame that there aren't more European drivers taking part nowadays. Or does that show the strength in depth there is in Australian racing that they don't need many imported drivers to race?

[racer69]

A shame that there aren't more European drivers taking part nowadays. Or does that show the strength in depth there is in Australian racing that they don't need many imported drivers to race?

Abit of both i think.

The cars are quite specialised these days driving style wise. As we saw in today's race, unless you are driving in the main series all year, you just can't get onto the pace for two weekends a year, no matter which hemisphere you are from. The cars are just becoming too hard to drive at the main pace without a heap of practice, something i think they should look at in the future

The other factor is that the WTCC and DTM rounds have clashed with Bathurst and/or Sandown in recent years, meaning former Bathurst regulars like Andy Priaulx, Yvan Muller, Alain Menu etc... haven't been able to compete.

A shame people like Rickard Rydell or Jason Plato weren't called up, as the BTCC doesn't clash. I recall Tom Chilton tested one of the Triple 8 Falcon's at the start of last year, but it didn't lead anywhere. I'd particularly like to see how Colin Turkington would go, i've heard he has expressed some interest in the past.

A real shame it's become such an 'Australiasian-only' race in the last few years, i was having a look at Bathurst 1982 the other week, and the commentator mentions what a shame it was that year that only 7 overseas drivers (not including the New Zealanders) had come out for the race that year....... 7 would be a dream these days.