39 Enforcer News:

Supercheap Auto Racing’s Enforcer Russell Ingall on podium Sunday, sets new Queensland Raceway lap record

Date: 27th August 2009

In a strong showing of performance for the Supercheap Auto team, the veteran also set a new race lap record for the 3.12km Queensland Raceway circuit, re-setting the mark to 1m 10.7640s – 0.1308s quicker than the previous record set by team-mate Tim Slade just yesterday.

The event’s final day got off to a strong start for Ingall, qualifying his #67 Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore eighth quickest during this morning’s 20 minute all-in session, Slade also producing a season’s best qualifying performance of 14th.

After running Saturday’s entire shorter 33 lap race on the control tyre, Ingall again chose to start today’s 65 lap (200km) race on the standard rubber, keeping his new set of soft tyres for a final run to the chequered flag.

Banking on a late race Safety Car, Ingall’s race ran almost perfectly to plan with the veteran pitting just over 20 laps before the end to switch to the faster rubber, emerging from the pits in ninth position and picking off six cars in the race over the ensuing laps – the only missing element, the yellow flags and the Safety Car.

Ingall was also badly hampered, courtesy of Mark Winterbottom’s ailing Ford Falcon, by a windscreen totally covered in oil, with vision at a minimum – the Enforcer later earning praise from team owner Paul Morris just for keeping the SCAR Commodore on track.

At the end of 65 laps, Ingall finished third just three seconds behind second placed Craig Lowndes, race winner Will Davison of the Toll Holden Racing Team 16 seconds ahead.

After his first top 10 finish of the season yesterday, Slade came into today’s race on a high and the 23 year old produced the goods, running nose-to-tail with his team-mate in the early part of the race and well inside the top 10.

Disaster struck for Slade on his second and final stop; first the onboard air jack system in his Supercheap Auto Commodore failing, then the fuel hose blowing off the nozzle while his car was being refuelled and spilling fuel around the team pit area – after losing a lap in the pits, Slade returned to the track to eventually come home 22nd.

Ingall’s weekend sees him move to eighth in series points, while Slade is now 27th and moving forward – reigning champion, Triple Eight/Team Vodafone’s Jamie Whincup extending his lead over Davison.

The series now switches to enduro mode with the L&H 500 at Phillip Island on 11-13 September before the season’s biggest race, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama, on 8-11 October.

Russell Ingall, #39 Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE:

“Third’s a good result, so thanks to Paul [Morris] and all the boys on the Supercheap Auto Racing team, Supercheap Auto, Castrol, Holden and all of our supporters. Our strategy had us planning for a late race Safety Car but it just didn’t eventuate. How long’s it been since we’ve gone 60 ... 80 ... 100 laps – it sure felt like 100 laps – without a Safety Car? We went through all the scenarios before the race and we wondered which way to roll. We’re not in the championship; we’re in it for all the glory and champagne, so we rolled the dice when we saw how Davison and Lowndes went out by just going the opposite way. It would have worked, but no one crashed! That’s the downside... On the upside, third is a terrific result for me and the Supercheap Auto Racing team.”

Tim Slade, #67 Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE:

“After yesterday’s top 10 we came into today pretty pumped; we had good qualifying this morning, 14th, then an excellent start to the race re-using the soft tyres. We pressed on to get the most out of them then came in to swap over to the control tyre. We weren’t too bad, maybe struggled a little when they went off, but then we came in again and had an issue in the stop. The air jacks blew themselves to pieces – the car wouldn’t go up, then it did, then the guys put it down and tried to lift it again, but it wouldn’t go up so they had to pick it up – and then the fuel hose popped. We lost a heap of time and that was the story for the day. Once we were back out onto the track and I settled down again we were back on the pace of everyone else. I learnt a lot today and this weekend; it’s good to be up there mixing it with the best. Today didn’t end well for me personally, but overall it was a good weekend for me, Russell and the team. Russell’s podium today was great for everyone.”

2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series, Race 16 – Queensland Raceway

1. Will Davison, Toll Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE

2. Craig Lowndes, TeamVodafone Ford Falcon FG

3. Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE

4. Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon FG

5. Paul Dumbrell, Team Autobarn Holden Commodore VE

6. Michael Caruso, Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VE

7. Steven Richards, Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon FG

8. James Courtney, Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon FG

9. Jason Bright, Fujitsu Racing Ford Falcon FG

10. Rick Kelly, Jack Daniels Racing Holden Commodore VE

22. Tim Slade, Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE

2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series Points (after 16 of 26 races): 1. Whincup 2007; 2. Davison 1824; 3. Tander 1479; 4. Lowndes 1478; 5. Johnson 1374; 6. Winterbottom 1332; 7. Holdsworth 1269; 8. Russell Ingall 1187; 9. Courtney 1154; 10. Caruso 1134; 27. Tim Slade 513.