2008 Clipsal 500

V8 Supercar race report
Date = 22 - 24 February
Year = 2008
Race_No = 1
Season_No = 14
Location = Adelaide, South Australia
Course_name = Adelaide Street Circuit
Course_km = 3.78
Distance_laps = 156 (78 each race)
Distance_km = 500
Weather =
Pole_Driver = Jamie Whincup
Pole_Team = Team Vodafone
Pole_Time = 1:21.3301
First_Race1 = Jamie Whincup
First_Race1_time = 1:51:37.3538
First_Team_Race1 = Team Vodafone
Second_Race1 = Mark Winterbottom
Second_Race1_time = 1:51:39.1710
Second_Team_Race1 = Ford Performance Racing
Third_Race1 = Craig Lowndes
Third_Race1_time = 1:51:39.8187
Third_Team_Race1 = Team Vodafone
First_Race2 = Jamie Whincup
First_Race2_time = 2:11:45.5992
First_Team_Race2 = Team Vodafone
Second_Race2 = Lee Holdsworth
Second_Race2_time = 2:11:46.3828
Second_Team_Race2 = Garry Rogers Motorsport
Third_Race2 = Cameron McConville
Third_Race2_time = 2:11:47.2605
Third_Team_Race2 = Brad Jones Racing
First_Race3 = N/A
First_Race3_time =
First_Team_Race3 =
Second_Race3 = N/A
Second_Race3_time =
Second_Team_Race3 =
Third_Race3 = N/A
Third_Race3_time =
Third_Team_Race3 =
First_Driver = Jamie Whincup
First_Team = Team Vodafone
Second_Driver = Lee Holdsworth
Second_Team = Garry Rogers Motorsport
Third_Driver = Cameron McConville
Third_Team = Brad Jones Racing|

The 2008 Clipsal 500 was the first race of the 2008 V8 Supercar season. It was held on the weekend of February 21 to 24 around the inner city streets of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. The Adelaide 500 is a unique event where the round results are determined by the results from the second race, rather that the driver with the most points from the weekend. This means that the winner of the round does not necessarily lead the championship after the event.

Qualifying

Qualify was held on Friday February 22. Jamie Whincup broke the qualifying lap record to snare pole position. James Courtney put himself on the front row in second position with Mark Winterbottom completing a Ford top three. Defending champion Garth Tander fulfilled on early promise at his new team to be best Holden in fourth position.

Race 1

Race 1 was held on Saturday February 23.

Jamie Whincup was slow away, allowing Garth Tander and James Courtney to force the pace early with Courtney breaking away to a five second lead. Courtney's lead was squandered after a clash in the Senna Chicane while lapping Jason Richards saw a tyre cut and shredded. Tander later disappeared downfield with suspension damage. Mark Winterbottom led towards the end of the race until a late race safety car period, caused by a clash between HSV Dealer Team team mates Rick Kelly and Paul Dumbrell bunched the field up allowing Whincup, who had earlier had a voltage problem leading to a battery change after 12 laps, to charge through the field, passing Winterbottom with two laps to go to win. Team mate Craig Lowndes, hampered by a jammed anti-roll bar, finished third behind Winterbottom, with Lee Holdsworth the first Holden home in fourth place.

It was an excellent result for the three of the four senior Ford teams, Team Vodafone putting both cars on the podium, Ford Performance Racing were second and fifth, with sixth and seventh filled by Jim Beam Racing.

Courtney, who finished in tenth position, was overnight relegated by the stewards to 16th position because of the clash with Jason Richards, and another similar clash with the other Tasman Motorsport Commodore of Greg Murphy, which also cost him 31 series points.

Race 2

Race 2 was held on Sunday February 24.
Mark Winterbottom lead the race early on with Jamie Whincup moving into the lead before the compulsory pit stops began. Whincup resumed in the lead for much of the remainder of the race, but the minor placings became controversial after a number of overtaking incidents and clashes while overtaking punctuated the race, ending with a collision between James Courtney and Craig Lowndes on lap 55 as Lowndes was overtaking Courtney, the incident also eliminating Winterbottom. After the restart Steven Johnson was controversially assigned a driver-through penalty after overtaking Fabian Coulthard before the restart of the race, although Coulthard's car was slowing and retired to the pits the same lap. Garth Tander also was removed in an overtaking incident, after contact with Johnson sent the Ford driver wide and off track, Tander was glanced by Courtney after losing momentum leaving himself vulnerable to a pass from the following car. The glancing blow triggered a second suspension failure for the defending champion.

With several top runners removed Cameron McConville moved into second for many laps before losing the place with only a few laps to go to Lee Holdsworth. The two Holden racers completed the podium with Todd Kelly making three Holdens in the top four. Fifth place was a career best result for New Zealand teenager Shane Van Gisbergen who had only entering V8 Supercar late last year.

Results

Results as follows: [cite web | url=http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?24/02/2008.ADEL | title=Adelaide Parklands Circuit 24/02/2008 2008 Clipsal 500 Adelaide | publisher=National Software | date=February 24 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-24]

Qualifying

Notes

Ulladulla driver Ashley Cooper was involved in a high-speed accident on Saturday morning, after lap 11 in the second race of the Fujitsu series, the lead support category at the Adelaide 500, which utilises older V8 Supercars retired from the main series teams. The accident occurred at the notorious Turn 8 after Cooper clipped the barrier inside of the corners apex unsettling the car for the right hand bend and the car hit the wall on the outside of the corner broadside on. Cooper passed away on February 25 due to injuries sustained in the crash. [cite web | url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23262787-5001023,00.html | title=Clipsal 500 driver 'critical' | publisher=The Daily Telegraph (news.com.au) | date=February 23 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-25] [cite web | url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23272030-5006301,00.html | title=V8 Supercar driver Ashley Cooper dies after Clipsal 500 crash | publisher=Adelaide Now (news.com.au) | date=February 25 2008 | accessdate=2008-02-25]

Post race

Two incidents in the two races brought the attention of driving standards for the next round at Eastern Creek, the first was Jamie Whincup. During the first race he made contact with Mark Winterbottom with two laps to go. This gave Whincup the win and although race control looked at the incident, they decided that no action should be taken.

The second incident involved Craig Lowndes and James Courtney. On lap 56 Courtney was in second and Lowndes third. Coming into the hairpin (turn 9) Lowndes went straight down the inside of Courtney and going into turn 11 Courtney turned Lowndes around sending both into the wall. Mark Winterbottom was also caught up within the accident and all three were DNF'ed. The new Driving Standards Observer Tomas Mezera received plenty of criticism, because Lowndes already had done a similar move to Winterbottom and Lee Holdsworth a few laps before.

tandings

After Round 1 of 14

References

External links

* [http://www.clipsal500.com.au/2008-power10/ Clipsal 500 website]
* [http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?24/02/2008.ADEL Official timing and results]

V8 race report
Name_of_race = Clipsal 500
Year_of_race = 2008
Previous_race_in_season = 2007 Grand Finale
Next_race_in_season = 2008 Eastern Creek round of the V8 Supercar Championship
Previous_year's_race = 2007 Clipsal 500
Next_year's_race = 2009 Clipsal 500