2008 V8 Supercars Manufacturers Challenge

V8 Supercar race report
Date = 13 - 16 March
Year = 2008
Race_No =
Season_No =
Location = Melbourne, Victoria
Course_name = Albert Park Street Circuit
Course_km =
Distance_laps = 69 (13 each race)
Distance_km =
Weather =
Pole_Driver = Garth Tander
Pole_Team = Holden Racing Team
Pole_Time = 1:58.2337
First_Race1 = Garth Tander
First_Race1_time =
First_Team_Race1 = Holden Racing Team
Second_Race1 = Will Davison
Second_Race1_time =
Second_Team_Race1 = Jim Beam Racing
Third_Race1 = Rick Kelly
Third_Race1_time =
Third_Team_Race1 = HSV Dealer Team
First_Race2 = Garth Tander
First_Race2_time =
First_Team_Race2 = Holden Racing Team
Second_Race2 = Will Davison
Second_Race2_time =
Second_Team_Race2 = Jim Beam Racing
Third_Race2 = Mark Winterbottom
Third_Race2_time =
Third_Team_Race2 = Ford Performance Racing
First_Race3 = Garth Tander
First_Race3_time =
First_Team_Race3 = Holden Racing Team
Second_Race3 = Will Davison
Second_Race3_time =
Second_Team_Race3 = Jim Beam Racing
Third_Race3 = Rick Kelly
Third_Race3_time =
Third_Team_Race3 = HSV Dealer Team
First_Driver = Garth Tander
First_Team = Holden Racing Team
Second_Driver = Will Davison
Second_Team = Jim Beam Racing
Third_Driver = Rick Kelly
Third_Team = HSV Dealer Team|

The 2008 Sprint Gas V8 Supercars Manufacturers Challenge was the third meeting of the 2008 V8 Supercar season. It was held on the weekend of March 13 to 16 at Albert Park Street Circuit, in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. The meeting was a non-championshp affair, conducted under a unique Holden vs Ford format. It was the lead support category for the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Thursday March 13. Mark Skaife was fastest as the Holden Racing Team continued its resurgence. Steven Richards shook off his car destroying crash at Eastern Creek to be second fastest ahead of Jason Richards in the Tasman Motorsport Commodore. The end of qualifying was nervous with the first top ten shootout of the season to be held the following day and while Russell Ingall scraped into the top ten, the unique Ford vs Holden rules for this event which demanded five of each manufacturer in the top ten saw Ingall, as the sixth Holden, relegated in favour of the fifth Ford, Steven Johnson. Michael Patrizi qualified 28th on the debut of both himself and his Ford Rising Stars Racing in the main game series.

Top Ten shootout

The top ten shootout, the first to be held in 2008, was held on Friday March 14. Garth Tander kept the Holden Racing Team atop the timesheets, picking off pole position, holding off a motivated Craig Lowndes for the position. Steven Richards was third fastest, but would be relegated to fourth on the grid as the Ford vs Holden format stated that the grid would be formed in alternating manufacturer order ahead of outright pace, meaning fifth fastest qualifying Rick Kelly would start third as the second fastest Holden.

Race 1

Race 1 was held on Friday March 12 immediately after the shootout.

Race 2

Race 2 was held on Saturday March 13.

Race 3

Race 3 was held on Sunday March 14.

Results

Results as follows: [cite web | url=http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?16/03/2008.APGP | title=Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit 16/03/2008 2008 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix | publisher=National Software | date=March 16 2008 | accessdate=2008-03-16]

Qualifying

Race 3 Results

ee also

2008 Australian Grand Prix

References

External links

* [http://www.grandprix.com.au/ Official site for Australian Grand Prix]
* [http://www.v8supercar.com.au/ Official site for V8 Supercar]
* [http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?16/03/2008.APGP Official timing and results]

V8 race report
Name_of_race = 2008 Eastern Creek round of the V8 Supercar Championship
Year_of_race = 2008
Previous_race_in_season = 2008 Eastern Creek round of the V8 Supercar Championship
Next_race_in_season = 2008 Hamilton 400
Previous_year's_race = 2006 Grand Prix Support
Next_year's_race = 2009 Grand Prix Support