Holden heroes
JAMES Courtney has won a pulsating Clipsal 500, backing up his 2014 victory and leading home a Holden top three.
Courtney emerged victorious from pole, overcoming a relentless Shane Van Gisbergen and teammate Garth Tander for the 250km race win.
For the final 25 laps, the three shared a monumental battle for the race lead, with the Kiwi wedged between the Holden Racing Team duo.
Van Gisbergen overtook Courtney on lap 60 but gave back the lead in an act of sportsmanship.
The Kiwi driver said after hitting the Holden Racing Team man he didn’t feel right about claiming the lead.
“I could have driven off but I thought I’d give it back and do it cleanly,” he said.
“It was an epic race ... I really enjoyed it.” Courtney was grateful. “It’s a good race having good, hard racing with some- one that you respect,” he said.
“He was really quick and had a really good go.
“It was great sportsmanship when we had the coming together that he addressed it.”
The Kiwi driver tried several moves after their clash but Courtney was able to resist, becoming only the fourth man to win consecutive Clipsal 500s.
The final lap was marred by a major crash between Chaz Mostert (Ford) and James Moffat, (Nissan) with Jamie Whincup appearing to nudge the Ford man into the wall.
Spinning back into the racing line, Moffat was unable to avoid Mostert at speed and careered into car No.6. Both drivers avoided serious injury.
A post-race investigation is a certainty but it didn’t stop Mostert’s grief. “I am gutted,” he said. “To be on the last lap of the Clipsal 500 with a good bag of points in line and to get nothing is tough.
“I don't know if I didn't leave enough or if (Whincup) got into me, I have no idea after that as it got pretty crazy.”
Whincup was able to take fourth place in his Holden after climbing through the field, with Ford’s Mark Winterbottom using good pitstop strategy to finish fifth.
Scott McLaughlin’s weekend of misery continued, with a battery issue plunging his Volvo from contention to more than a lap behind.