Holden Racing Team WIN Race 27 and PIRTEK Enduro Cup

It was a thrilling finish to the V8 Supercars endurance season on the Gold Coast with Garth Tander and Warren Luff not only winning the PIRTEK Enduro Cup but also claiming 3rd in the final race. James Courtney made a stunning comeback to racing after injury taking the top step on the podium with Jack Perkins in Race 27.As if that wasn’t enough, Warren Luff today became the only driver to win the PIRTEK Enduro Cup twice and the Holden Racing Team has moved into 2nd place in the Team Championship.Qualifying was the first session of the day with Car #2 placing 7th and Car #22 11th for the 300 km endurance finale. It was a race that again saw few safety cars, the first was called when two cars went into the wall on just lap 8.

The second safety car, which was called on lap 54, was a pivotal point in the race. Both HRT cars pitted which meant Courtney was forced to double stack behind team mate Tander. The two cars would again need to pit before the end of the race for fuel.

Alistair McVean, Head Engineer for Car #22 made a call that, if successful, would ultimately see Courtney and Perkins win the race. He opted to pit for a second time while still under the safety car for a quick top of fuel. If Courtney could conserve fuel and no other safety cars were called, they would be in a position to win the race as other cars ahead would have to stop. The strategy couldn’t have been better scripted with Car #2 taking chequered flag honours.

Blake Smith, Head Engineer for Car #2 chose a different option and waited as long as possible before stopping for fuel. Tander stayed out, kept his head down and used the clear air to pull a gap that would ultimately see him emerge from his final stop in front of his main rivals. It too paid off and Car #2 crossed the finish line in 3rd, and in doing so also secured the PIRTEK Enduro Cup.

The next V8 Supercars event is at Pukekohe Raceway, Auckland, New Zealand in just two weeks’ time.