The Crittenden Automotive Library

SBR FINISH SEASON WITH MIXED RESULTS

Topics: Sydney Telstra 500

SBR FINISH SEASON WITH MIXED RESULTS

Stone Brothers Racing
December 5, 2011

In another dramatic finale, Stone Brothers Racing have ended the 2011 V8 Supercar season with a mixed bag of results – the highlight being another podium for Shane van Gisbergen in the #9 SP Tools Racing Falcon.

Despite finally being denied third place in the series points standings - and with it the honour of being the first Ford driver home - by Sunday race winner Mark Winterbottom, van Gisbergen could hardly have had a better final round, finishing third behind Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander in the first 74 lap/250km race of the weekend on Saturday then third again in the second 74 lap/250km race - this time behind Mark Winterbottom and Craig Lowndes - on Sunday.

In both cases luck played a part - on Saturday when Michael Caruso ran out of petrol on the last lap and on Sunday when Will Davidson, Paul Dumbrell and Lee Holdsworth crashed in the dying stages of the race - but if van Gisbergen hadn't been right behind on both occasions he wouldn't have been able to take advantage.

Tim Slade also had a good weekend – securing ninth place in the Championship after another top-ten finish on Sunday. Slade exceeded the benchmark set by the Team at the start of the year and will now enjoy a well-deserved break before returning to the #47 Lucky 7 Racing Falcon for hopefully even bigger and better things in 2012.

Alex Davison in the #4 IRWIN Racing Falcon suffered a cruel blow in his last race for SBR, with contact between himself and Dean Fiore curtailing his race on lap 31. Electing to start the race on wet tyres, Davison was running in 21st position before the bad luck struck.

Final Championship standings:

4th Shane van Gisbergen

9th Tim Slade

11th Alex Davison

Shane van Gisbergen – Driver, SP Tools Racing Car #9

“We bent a roll bar quite early, then we broke the exhaust when Will Davison went past us so it was like driving a Massey Ferguson for the last two laps, but I'm happy to get third.”

Tim Slade – Driver, Lucky 7 Racing Car #47

“After poor qualifying session earlier in the day this morn, then couple of lengthy pit stops, we had a tough race ahead of us but starting on slicks helped us get back into the game when the first round of stops were made. We pushed on, stayed out of trouble and brought her home in 10th and ended up 9th in championship for 2011 which is a great result.”

Alex Davison – Driver, IRWIN Racing Car #4

“Steve Owen and Todd Kelly were crashing into each other and I got half caught up in this. I didn’t get a good run out of turn seven because of this and just moved over to cover my line and Dean Fiore hit me from behind and spat me into the fence. That damaged the car too much to repair. To say I’m shattered is an absolute understatement.”