Coulthard earns win for Penske
DJR Team Penske has announced its arrival on the Supercars stage, claiming a historic one-two at Symmons Plains yesterday in testing conditions.
A day after his shunt was deemed to have caused a 12-car pile-up, Fabian Coulthard claimed victory at the drenched Tasmanian circuit ahead of teammate Scott McLaughlin.
Coulthard’s success at Symmons Plains broke several droughts.
It was Ford’s first win in Tasmania since 2012, the first for the team since Roger Penske’s investment, and a first one-two for Dick Johnston Racing in 19 years.
The victory was historic but it was anything but straight-forward. Rain, mixed strategies and four safety cars brought several drivers to the lead on a helter-skelter day.
Chaz Mostert led most of the race but went wide with less than 20 laps remaining to spoil his chances of a race win. And championship leader Shane van Gisbergen saw his hopes of a fourth-straight win end when he was served a 15-second penalty for striking Todd Kelly.
Jason Bright, Tim Blanchard, Lee Holdsworth and Kelly’s trips off the track all brought yellow flags, while Alex Rullo also failed to finish.
At the front, the Falcons of Coulthard and McLaughlin steered clear of the drama.
“I didn’t think it was possible after qualifying,” Coulthard said, who started from sixth. “It’s been a great day. I think we should leave here pretty rapt. One-two for the team — it doesn’t get much better.”
Polesitter Jamie Whincup was edged out to third, with Craig Lowndes fourth.
Coulthard is denied the overall series lead due to a 35-point deduction for his role in the Saturday crash.
His bump of Rick Kelly was the first action in a concertina-style crash that drew in 12 cars and ruled out Will Davison, James Courtney, Taz Douglas and Rick Kelly from Sunday’s race.
The 34-year-old responded in style in the 200km classic, holding his nerve in dicey racing conditions to claim his first regular-series win for his new team.
Van Gisbergen leads Coulthard in the championship standings by 20 points, with Whincup third and McLaughlin fourth.
Mostert, who finished seventh, rued his late race misfortune.
“I lost a victory for the boys and I’m pretty gutted,” he said. “The boys did everything right [yesterday]. One little lock, touch a little bit of water and you fall off the back of the curb.”