MOTORSPORT: Lowndes and Holden on top in Tassie

Holden ZB Commodore driver Craig Lowndes has scored a popular result by winning his first Supercars championship race since July 2016 in the 200km race at Symmons Plains in Tasmania yesterday.

The circuit is almost always a happy hunting ground for the crowd favourite, who scored the win from his first pole since 2015, after claiming second place in Saturday’s 120km outing in his Autobarn Lowndes Racing Holden Commodore ZB.

He now sits sixth in the championship after entering the weekend 13th on the table.

It was an important result for Lowndes and engineer John McGregor, as the duo had come under increasing pressure after a winless 2016. The oldest driver in the field at 43, Lowndes had openly declared this could be his last full-time season if he didn’t perform.

“I’m relieved,” Lowndes said.

“It’s no secret last year was up and down and we’ve wanted to be more consistent. I said from the start that this car suits me and hopefully we’ve proven this weekend.

“It’s been a long time coming and I can’t thank the team enough.”

Lowndes’ strong results were a direct contrast with Triple Eight Race Engineering team-mate Shane van Gisbergen, who entered the Tassie meeting leading the championship and exited in fifth place after finishing sixth and 25th across the weekend.

On Saturday he claimed pole, but an early pit stop left him vulnerable to rivals on fresher tyres and he drifted down the order. On Sunday, he qualified second and harried Lowndes early in the Red Bull Commodore before running off several times because of throttle over-run under braking and driving conservatively to the finish.

That meant team-mate Jamie Whincup’s 1-3 result for the weekend was good enough to boost him from sixth place into the championship lead, nine points ahead of pre-season title favourite Scott McLaughlin in the DJR Team Penske Ford Falcon FG X and David Reynolds in the Erebus Penrite Commodore.

McLaughlin was only ninth on Saturday after the shift cut -- which allows flat-out upward gearchanges -- failed in the Shell Ford. But he was a strong second on Sunday and clearly the fastest driver not in a Holden.

McLaughlin’s team-mate Fabian Coulthard was fifth on Saturday but had a wheel come loose on Sunday, ending his chances of a decent result.

At least he had pace, which is something that can’t be said for Tickford Racing. The four-Falcon team could manage only one 10th place across the two races for Chaz Mostert on Sunday. His talented team-mates Mark Winterbottom, Cameron Waters and Richie Stanaway couldn’t get a sniff.

Mostert’s Falcon caught on fire in pitlane on Saturday, while rookie Stanaway can’t get through a race without drama.

“It was a brutal weekend, and we know we’re better than this, so we’ll be hard at work to bring our cars back up to speed,” said team principal Tim Edwards.

Meanwhile, the four-car factory Nissan team couldn’t get a single car into the top 10 in any qualifying session or race. Rick Kelly went 15-11 to be its best finisher.

The ZBs were dominant, with James Courtney completing the podium for the resurgent Walkinshaw Andretti United team on Saturday and fourth on Sunday. Rookie Jack Le Brocq qualified and finished fifth on Sunday in the Tekno Autosports entry, underlining his talent and the speed of the new Commodore.

All up, Holdens took eight positions in the top 10 on Saturday and another eight positons on Sunday. Just three championship events into its life, the ZB has won seven of eight races and six of eight pole positions. All Holden teams agree there is more pace to come.

The latest obliteration of the opposition came just days after Holden announced the development of a new twin-turbo V6 engine for the ZB was being suspended. With this sort of dominance for the established V8 version, why not save tour money?

The next championship outing is at Phillip Island on April 20-22.

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship pointscore:
1 Jamie Whincup Red Bull Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore ZB 658
2 Scott McLaughlin Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Falcon FG X 647
3 David Reynolds Erebus Penrite Racing Holden Commodore ZB 647
4 James Courtney Mobil 1 Boost Mobile Racing Holden Commodore ZB 624
5 Shane van Gisbergen Red Bull Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore ZB 618
6 Craig Lowndes Autobarn Lowndes Racing Holden Commodore ZB 597
7 Scott Pye Mobil 1 Boost Mobile Racing Holden Commodore ZB 589
8 Nick Percat Blackwoods Racing Holden Commodore ZB 505
9 Chaz Mostert Supercheap Auto Racing Ford Falcon FG X 494
10 Tim Slade Freightliner Racing Holden Commodore ZB 479