Surfers Paradise: SBR Sunday notes

GOLD COAST, NO PARADISE FOR SBR

It was a frustrating end to the Gold Coast SuperGP event for Stone Brothers Racing today after both cars failed to finish in the top ten in the two 150kms races. SP Tools Racing's Shane van Gisbergen finished the Nikon Gold Coast SuperGP in 12th place overall, with IRWIN Racing's Alex Davison in 16th.

Although the day started positive with Shane van Gisbergen qualifying 8th for the first race things quickly turned sour for the SP Tools Racing driver when he made contact with a tyre bundle on lap 25, forcing him to make a second pit stop after Race Control enforced a black flag. Van Gisbergen re-entered the race in 20th place after being as high as 7th but finished 19th after Championship leader, Jamie Whincup crashed on the final lap at turn 10.

It was deja vu for Alex Davison today when he relived another day fighting for position in the back half of the field. The IRWIN Racing Falcon started this morning's race from 25th position, Davison battled with understeer and grip during the 34 lap chase.

Davison pressed on and was sitting in position 15 when Tim Slade spun out in front of him and Car #4 was left with nowhere to go but head on into the tyre wall. Luckily the contact was only minor and Davison was able to continue on, finishing 16th.

The SBR team's woes continued in the second race. Mayhem was unleashed on the first chicane of the opening lap when Ingall and Bargwanna made contact after Lowndes pulled a desperate move on the pole sitting Sprint Gas car. The cars behind were forced to scramble in order to make it cleanly through to the next turn. Alex Davison managed to avoid the mess and was off to a stellar start making up six positions to sit in 10th.

A controversial call from race control that followed threw the field into disarray when they ordered all cars to return back to their starting positions under a Safety Car as a way of rectifying the incident.

After van Gisbergen and Davison had made their compulsory pit stops a third Safety Car was deployed on lap 18 to remove Steven Richards and Bargwanna wrecked cars after an incident at turns 8 and 9.

At the green flag van Gisbergen and Davison were in 11th and 17th respectively, both cars holding position until the chequered flag.

SBR will now return directly to the workshop to prepare the IRWIN Racing and SP Tools Racing Falcons for Races 21 and 22 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series in Phillip Island in a fortnight.

-credit: sbr