Surfers Paradise: SBR weekend summary

Surfers Paradise home race unkind to SBR

Stone Brothers Racing had an unkind conclusion to its home race at the 4.4km Surfers Paradise Street Circuit this afternoon with both its BF Ford Falcons unable to finish the third and final race.

JELD-WEN Motorsport's James Courtney finished the Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge in 14th place for the round, with SP Tools Racing's Shane van Gisbergen in 21st place.

Courtney made a good start to the 27 lap race, moving up one spot to run tenth after the first lap.

On lap six, Courtney radioed to his crew that his engine was down on power and when he entered the pits for his compulsory stop on lap nine, it became clear that the JELD-WEN Motorsport driver would take no further part in the race.

The SBR team's woes continued when Courtney's team-mate, SP Tools Racing's Shane van Gisbergen clashed with Jack Perkins at turn three on lap 12.

The young Kiwi driver reported damage to his steering after the incident and when he tried to rejoin the race his BF Falcon turned sharply to the right, hitting the wall and finishing his race.

Luck did not run Courtney's way in this morning's race either, the JELD-WEN Motorsport driver crossing the line in 11th position after starting ninth.

Courtney slotted into the queue at the first chicane and ran in ninth place until he took a pit option to complete h is compulsory pit stop on lap eight.

A safety car period was called one lap later when an incident between Greg Murphy and Fabian Coulthard blocked the track at turn 12. The safety car prompted the remaining cars to take their stops, the strategy working to their advantage as they jumped up the order, pushing Courtney to 13th position.

The JELD-WEN Motorsport driver was able to grab back a couple of places in the closing laps to be 11th at the flag.

Van Gisbergen had a better race in terms of positions gained but struggled with lack of grip in the SP Tools Racing Falcon much of the 27 lap race.

The 19-year-old started 17th courtesy of some post-race drive-through penalties applied overnight, and van Gisbergen took advantage of his good fortune, moving his way into 15th position at the safety car restart on lap 14.

The SP Tools Racing driver held his position in the closing laps, moving up to 13th place by the line courtesy of a spin by Cameron McConville and a retiring Paul Dumbrell.

This round's disappointing result for Courtney has seen him slip one place in the V8 Supercar drivers championship standings to eighth. Van Gisbergen is in 15th position.

SBR remains fifth in the V8 Supercar teams championship.

SBR will now return directly to the workshop to prepare the JELD-WEN Motorsport and SP Tools Racing Falcons for round 12 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series in Bahrain 6-8 November 2008.

James Courtney, #4, JELD-WEN Motorsport

"I got a good start to the final race today. We got squeezed at the first chicane and had no where to go but once we settled into the queue the JELD-WEN Falcon was going pretty good.

"Not far into the race we lost power and it seems that it was something pretty terminal in the engine department.

"It hasn't been a great weekend for us; we'll head back to the SBR workshop tonight, see what the problem is then get on with it and see what Bahrain brings."

Shane van Gisbergen, #9, SP Tools Racing

"We had a pretty terrible race this afternoon.

"Jack (Perkins) and I were racing and we had a touch in the corner. I felt the steering go straight away but I thought it was only bent at first.

"I tried to get the SP Tools Falcon back to the pits but there was more damage than I thought and it turned hard into the wall and did more damage to the car.

"We have a really tight turnaround to get the cars ready for Bahrain and I've created more work for them. I will certainly owe them a drink or two once we get through this week."

-credit: sbr