Jim Beam Racing News
The day it all came together for Courtney
12 July 2009
The final day of the Townsville Dunlop 400 proved to be the day that Jim Beam Racings James Courtney stood up and let his driving speak for itself.
After a tough day with mechanical failure ending his Race 11 after just 5 laps, Courtney put Car #18 in fourth position on the grid for Race 12 after the Team replaced an engine overnight to get the car ready for today.
"I was really happy with the Car in qualifying and as I said yesterday, it’s pretty quick straight out of the box", said Courtney.
That statement was again verified when Courtney jumped into P3 after a flying start to the race, which allowed him to settle into his rhythm. But it wasn’t to long before Courtney moved ahead of Will Davison to sit in P2 for the first half of the gruelling 200km Race.
While Courtney had great pace, it was not until lap 29 after a slick pit stop that he managed to get ahead of Jamie Whincup after a safety car period. That then gave Car #18 a clear run in front for what turned out to be to the end of the Race. This is Courtney's first Race win for Jim Beam Racing, and his first win for 2009.
"I have waited for this moment and I am so glad its here", said Courtney on the podium after the race.
"The Team at Jim Beam Racing have really stuck by me, and without Jim Beam, JELD-WEN, the Team and the Fans.. thank you and that monkey is finally off my back!"
Courtney also spoke about the magnificent event that Townsville hosted for the past three days.
"Everywhere we have been we have been welcomed and the fans have been fantastic. Thank you for making this an amazing event".
This is Courtney's first Race win since Queensland Raceway in August 2008.
But the day didn’t stop there...
Steven Johnson was battling a virus and prior to qualifying for Race 12 needed medical attention to treat the symptoms. With a short 20 min qualifying session to contend with, Johnson was clearly not in the right zone as he qualified in P22 for Race 12. But as with all great fighters, it didn’t take long after the start of Race 12 for Johnson to make his way through the field and end up, after an incredible driving effort, in 5th place.
"The car had good pace and I knew that I had to focus hard on doing what I needed to do. It's important for the Team that both James and I finish as high up in the field as we can, and I was really happy with how the race turned out. It was a great effort by James (and by the Team) and I really proud of him and the way that he has handled some of the interesting comments that have been said about him. But at the end of the day we race for points and the Team did pretty well today".
Courtney also made comments to his critics at the Media Conference after Race 12 when asked about how he felt about some of the things that had been said.
"You can choose to either sit in the corner and cry about it, or get up and show them what you can do. I chose the latter".
And he certainly did.
Jim Beam Racing Team Co-Owners Dick Johnson and Charlie Schwerkolt were both ecstatic about the performance of both drivers today.
"James had a tough day yesterday and I really felt for him as a driver. It's soul destroying when you know your car has pace and you are in the pocket to produce some fast times... but when something goes wrong under the bonnet that you can’t control... what do you do? But credit to him as he got back behind the wheel and really took it up to the field today... I am really proud and very happy for our Team" said Dick Johnson after the race.
Schwerkolt also praised Steve Johnson's performance today.
"Steve did an amazing job today. He was not 100% this morning before qualifying and we just had to make sure that he had plenty of time to recover before Race 12. But then to come up from 22nd to 5th.. wow... amazing.. he is a very capable driver and his performance today under what he had to endure proved that...Well done mate."
Not only did The Team do well, but mention needs to be made of the people of Townsville who have put on one of the best Events of the Racing calendar so far. With over 160,000 people attending over three days, it’s a credit to V8 Supercar Events, the City of Townsville and all of the Businesses and people of Townsville for what they have achieved.
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