Jim Beam Racing News
JIM BEAM RACING OFF TO BRILLIANT START FOR 2010
19 February 2010
JIM BEAM RACING OFF TO BRILLIANT START FOR 2010
JIM Beam Racing has kicked off the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series in style with three Dick Johnson Racing-run Falcons finishing in the top 11 positions in the opening race of the season.
James Courtney narrowly missed a podium finish in his #18 Falcon, while reigning Fujitsu Series champion Jonathon Webb performed brilliantly on full-time debut with DJR to finish eighth and Steven Johnson ended up in 11th position.
Held on the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi over 43 laps (200-kilometres), the race began in the late afternoon light and ultimately concluded at night under the massive lighting system that makes the 4.7-kilometre circuit stand out as a world leader in motorsport.
Courtney’s day began strongly by qualifying fourth fastest in the Top 10 Shootout, however he would move up one position to third on the grid after second-fastest qualifier Garth Tander was excluded due to a pit lane indiscretion.
With the change to smaller fuel tanks (75 litres) for 2010, both Courtney and Johnson (who qualified 13th) decided to pit early in the race that would require two stops for fuel for all drivers, while Webb opted to run longer before his first fuel stop – a strategy that would pay off later in the race.
Courtney made the best of the early running despite losing his clutch on the line to settle into fifth place before bumping his way past Lee Holdsworth on lap 2 of 47.
Fearing a penalty would be issued for the move, he let the Holden driver back in front on the pit straight a lap later.
Courtney changed rear tyres at the end of lap 10 and continued to fight, passing Will Davison for third place on lap 24 with a brilliant move into the final corner.
Not even a small stall leaving the pits from his second stop could slow Courtney as he re-joined in fourth place, a position he kept to the chequered flag.
Webb enjoyed a solid race in the #19 Dick Johnson Racing Falcon in his debut as a full-time championship driver. The Gold Coaster qualified 15th and ran until lap 15 before making his first stop after a great dice with Jason Bargwanna.
He found himself in eighth place after completing his final stop on lap 34 and despite feeling the effects of tonsillitis, still managed to finish strongly and record a great first-up result.
Johnson, meanwhile, ended up finishing 11th despite a cramping right calf muscle, a by product of the #17 pilot switching back to right foot braking after three years using his left foot in a bid to improve fuel consumption over last year’s figures.
He qualified 13th and pitted on laps 11 and 28 before running home just seven-tenths of a second away from a top 10 finish.
2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series
Race 1 Results – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
Pos No Driver Car
1 1 Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Commodore
2 888 Craig Lowndes TeamVodafone Commodore
3 5 Mark Winterbottom Orrcon FPR Falcon
4 18 James Courtney The Team Falcon
5 33 Lee Holdsworth Fujitsu Commodore
6 9 Shane Van Gisbergen SP Tools Falcon
7 55 Paul Dumbrell Bottle-O Falcon
8 19 Jonathon Webb DJR Falcon
9 4 Alex Davison IRWIN Falcon
10 15 Rick Kelly Kelly Commodore
11 17 Steven Johnson The Team Falcon
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