2008 BigPond 400

V8 Supercar race report
Date = 9 - 11 May
Year = 2008
Race_No = 4
Season_No = 14
Location = Perth, Western Australia
Course_name = Barbagallo Raceway
Course_km = 2.42
Distance_laps = 150 (3 x 50 lap races)
Distance_km = 360
Weather =
Pole_Driver = Mark Winterbottom
Pole_Team = Ford Performance Racing
Pole_Time = 0:56.4362
First_Race1 = Mark Winterbottom
First_Race1_time = 53:09.6602
First_Team_Race1 = Ford Performance Racing
Second_Race1 = Mark Skaife
Second_Race1_time = 53:12.2544
Second_Team_Race1 = Holden Racing Team
Third_Race1 = Garth Tander
Third_Race1_time = 53:15.5218
Third_Team_Race1 = Holden Racing Team
First_Race2 = Mark Winterbottom
First_Race2_time = 53:34.4946
First_Team_Race2 = Ford Performance Racing
Second_Race2 = Garth Tander
Second_Race2_time = 53:36.0974
Second_Team_Race2 = Holden Racing Team
Third_Race2 = Jamie Whincup
Third_Race2_time = 53:38.4684
Third_Team_Race2 = Team Vodafone
First_Race3 = Mark Winterbottom
First_Race3_time = 49:06.2004
First_Team_Race3 = Ford Performance Racing
Second_Race3 = Garth Tander
Second_Race3_time = 49:10.2879
Second_Team_Race3 = Holden Racing Team
Third_Race3 = Jamie Whincup
Third_Race3_time = 49:11.0365
Third_Team_Race3 = Team Vodafone
First_Driver = Mark Winterbottom
First_Team = Ford Performance Racing
Second_Driver = Garth Tander
Second_Team = Holden Racing Team
Third_Driver = Jamie Whincup
Third_Team = Team Vodafone|

The 2008 BigPond 400 was the fourth round of the 2008 V8 Supercar season. It was held on the weekend of May 9 to 11 at Barbagallo Raceway in Wanneroo, north of Perth, Western Australia.

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Saturday May 10. Mark Winterbottom snatched pole position away from Mark Skaife in the final seconds of qualifying, which had to that point looked like an all-Holden Racing Team front row with Garth Tander just behind his team mate. Craig Lowndes qualified fourth for Team Vodafone. James Courtney debuted a new Stone Brothers Racing Falcon in fifth place. Todd Kelly likewise made a stellar debut with a new car, qualifying eighth. Jamie Whincup racing the repaired Craig Lowndes car from the Clipsal 500 was a disappointing 22nd, starting alongside fellow points front runner Lee Holdsworth.

Race 1

Race 1 was held on Saturday May 10. Mark Winterbottom took his second race victory of the year, a surprisingly comfortable win ahead of the HRT pair of Mark Skaife and Garth Tander. Tander was pushed hard by Steven Richards and Craig Lowndes. A collision at race start saw Jason Bright touch Greg Murphy who in turn made contact with Michael Caruso, sending Bright and Caruso out of control towards turn 7, where crossing the track Caruso struck Shane Van Gisbergen. The incident triggered a safety car. Jamie Whincup and Will Davison charged through to seventh and eight positions from poor qualifying places. James Courtney was fighting amongst that group but fading rear tyres led Courtney to attempt defensive moves that raised the ire of race control, leading to first the bad sportsmanship flag, then a black flag drive through penalty which dropped him down field.

Race 2

Race 2 was held on Sunday May 11. Winterbottom backed it up with a second race victory, pushed all the way by Garth Tander. Jason Richards missed the start with engine problems. A slow start from Mark Skaife off the front row saw a collision with Steven Richards at turn 3 of the first lap. Skaife broadsided the wall but Richards attempted to continue with a punctured left rear tyre, limping back to the pits. Russell Ingall result was caused by a drive-through penalty for pit-lane speeding. Lee Holdsworth was pinged for a drive-through for an unsafe pitstop release, emerging onto the track as rain began to fall and made contact with Paul Dumbrell. Cameron McConville slithered into the stopped cars. Ingall, likewise put down-field by his penalty stop damaged his steering in a clash with race leader Jamie Whincup as Ingall was being lapped. Ingall later picked up a $5,000 fine for careless driving [cite web | url=http://www.v8supercar.com.au/content/latest_news/32679698-Stewards-update-5-summary-of-penalties/ | title=Stewards update 5 summary of penalties | publisher=V8Supercar.com.au | date=May 11 2008 | accessdate=2008-05-11] . Whincup stayed out during the brief rain squall, and took advantage of being able to pitstop at a better time, jumping back into the field in third place, right in front of team mate Craig Lowndes, the Team Vodafone pair race to the finish together. James Courtney recovered from race 1 dramas to finish seventh while Steven Richards recovered to ninth position falling just short of overtaking Todd Kelly. Shane Van Gisbergen's repaired Falcon just made the top ten.

Race 3

Race 3 was held on Sunday May 11. An early race clash between Russell Ingall and Jason Richards, saw Richards into the pits with a front left puncture and a flapping door for Ingall. Ingall then subsequently picked up his second pit lane speeding infringement of the weekend.

Results

Results as follows: [cite web | url=http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?11/05/2008.BARB | title=Barbagallo Raceway Wanneroo 11/05/2008 BigPond 400 - 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series, Round 4 | publisher=National Software | date=May 11 2008 | accessdate=2008-05-11]

Qualifying

Race 3 Results

References

External links

* [http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?11/05/2008.BARB 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 Hamilton 400
Next_race_in_season = 2008 Midas 400
Previous_year's_race = 2007 BigPond 400
Next_year's_race = 2009 BigPond 400