James Courtney has won the Clipsal 500 in Adelade ahead of Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen. Photos / Holden Motorsport
James Courtney has won the Clipsal 500 in Adelade ahead of Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen. Photos / Holden Motorsport
Holden Racing Team pilot James Courtney has successfully fought off a spirited drive from Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen to win the final race of the opening round of the 2015 V8 Supercar championship - in turn claiming his second Clipsal 500 victory in two years.
"That was epic! The strategy and the way it played out [meant] we dropped back in the field and had to charge back through. Shane had a younger set of tyres at the end, and it took everything to keep him behind me," said Courtney of his 'back to back' win.
"Thank God I pulled it off - it's amazing!"
In a race which included a number of incidents and caution flags, strategy became important. Back to back caution flags on laps 30 and 32 shuffled the field - with entries taking a mixture of two-stop and three-stop strategies.
James Courtney racing his VF Commodore V8 Supercar during the Clipsal 500.
Having lead the opening segment of the race, Courtney made a late first stop. Resuming the race in the lead, he pitted again a mere 12 laps later on lap 32 - the team shifting to a three-stop strategy.
While Courtney was buried in the field, it looked like Kiwi's might dominate the results - Shane van Gisbergen, Fabian Coulthard and Scott McLaughlin leading at the mid-way point of the race. However, technical dramas would once again end McLaughlin's charge, and Coulthard faded in the last cycle of pit-stops.
Van Gisbergen became the pick of the drivers on a two-stop strategy. With impressive pace, the Tekno Autosports driver emerged as Courtney's main challenger.
The final 20 laps saw van Gisbergen, Courtney, and the other HRT car driven by Garth Tander dice for the lead. A dive on lap 60 from van Gisbergen actually saw the former NZ SuperTourer driver take the lead. However, predicting the contact incurred during the manoeuvre would result in a penalty, van Gisbergen let Courtney back past.
James Courtney racing his VF Commodore V8 Supercar during the Clipsal 500.
"I had one good look at him and slid into him a bit - my mistake, so I let him back through," said van Gisbergen of the exchange.
But despite van Gisbergen's best efforts and numerous dives at turn four, and both hair-pins on the Adelaide circuit, Courtney held off the Kiwi to take a nail-biting win.
"It makes up for yesterday's second race. I hope you enjoyed that, that was something pretty cool!" ended van Gisbergen.
Coulthard eventually finished 5th after a large last lap crash claimed two cars ahead of him. Kiwi team Super Black Racing finishing 21st with Andre Heimgartner after an eventful race.
Courtney now leads the championship. Coulthard and van Gisbergen are the best of the New Zealanders, poised in 2nd and 4th.
The series now heads to the Melbourne Grand Prix, where they will be the lead support class for the opening round of the 2015 Formula 1 championship.
