V8 Supercars - Queensland Raceway: 105th victory for Craig Lowndes
Craig Lowndes is the winner of the main race of the Ipswich Supersprint at Queensland Raceway. The victory in Sunday’s 200-km race is the 105th career V8 Supercars win for Lowndes. It was also his 80th victory with Holden, which equals him with Mark Skaife as the most successful Holden Supercars drivers. At Queensland Raceway, it was Lowndes’ 12th victory since 1999.
Craig Lowndes started from the second place on the grid. He made a perfect start and jumped to the lead ahead of Jamie Whincup. In the next 66 laps, his lead wasn’t jeopardized and he crossed the finish line with 2.6015 gap ahead of Whincup, who again missed to catch his 100th V8SC/ATCC victory, after he finished second in Saturday’s race too.
Saturday’s winner Shane van Gisbergen finished 12th on Sunday, after a wrong pitstop strategy which forced him waiting behind Whincup. Prior to that, he was third. Prodrive finished with two drivers in the Top 5 – Chaz Mostert was third, Mark Winterbottom was fifth. Nissan’s Michael Caruso split two Ford drivers.
In the championship standings, Jamie Whincup is still the leader, with 110 points more than teammate Van Gisbergen. Winterbottom is further ten points down, with Craig Lowndes fourth, 150 points behiind Whincup.
The next V8 Supercars race is scheduled for August 26-28 at the Sydney Motorsport Park. It would be the final sprint round before endurance races at Sandown, Bathurst and Gold Coast.
Check the full results of the Ipswich Supersprint at Queensland Raceway
Photos: Craig Lowndes