TeamVodafone’s one-two crush at Hamilton
Lowndes edged team-mate Whincup for the top spot
TeamVodafone has crushed its opponents at the end of the opening day of practice at the ITM400 Hamilton.
In a feat closely mirroring that of Red Bull Racing in Formula One, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup streaked ahead of the field, taking the top two spots.
Local hero Shane van Gibergen (SP Tools Racing) finished third in his Stone Brothers Racing Falcon ahead of Jason Bargwanna (Jana Living Racing).
Paul Dumbrell (The Bottle-O Racing) finished fifth, but was one of a small number of drivers to taste a tyre barrier. The Falcon driver collected the tyres, damaging his car and putting it out of the session.
Lee Holdsworth (Fujitsu Racing), Alex Davison (IRWIN Racing), Michael Caruso (Fujitsu Racing), Garth Tander (Toll HRT), and Tony D’Alberto (Wilson Security Racing) rounded out the top 10.
With light rain falling during some of the session, Dumbrell’s moment was the only one of concern.
Stratco Racing’s David Reynolds also had a drama, belching smoke thanks to a loose oil line.
See below for the results from the final practice session
| 1 | TeamVodafone | Craig Lowndes | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:22.8070R | |
| 2 | TeamVodafone | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:22.9604r | 0:00.1534 |
| 3 | SP Tools Racing | Shane Van Gisbergen | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.0899 | 0:00.2829 |
| 4 | Jana Living Racing | Jason Bargwanna | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.1303 | 0:00.3233 |
| 5 | The Bottle-O Racing Team | Paul Dumbrell | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.1470 | 0:00.3400 |
| 6 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Lee Holdsworth | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.1549 | 0:00.3479 |
| 7 | Irwin Racing | Alex Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.2283 | 0:00.4213 |
| 8 | Fujitsu Racing GRM | Michael Caruso | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.2550 | 0:00.4480 |
| 9 | Toll Holden Racing Team | Garth Tander | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.3115 | 0:00.5045 |
| 10 | Wilson Security Racing | Tony D’Alberto | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.3625 | 0:00.5555 |
| 11 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Russell Ingall | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.3691 | 0:00.5621 |
| 12 | Toll Holden Racing Team | James Courtney | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.3700 | 0:00.5630 |
| 13 | Team BOC | Jason Bright | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.4267 | 0:00.6197 |
| 14 | Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.4275 | 0:00.6205 |
| 15 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Todd Kelly | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.4530 | 0:00.6460 |
| 16 | Lucky 7 Racing | Tim Slade | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.4713 | 0:00.6643 |
| 17 | Mother Energy Racing Team | Jonathon Webb | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.4738 | 0:00.6668 |
| 18 | Jack Daniel’s Racing | Rick Kelly | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.5279 | 0:00.7209 |
| 19 | Jim Beam Racing | Steven Johnson | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.5828 | 0:00.7758 |
| 20 | Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing | Karl Reindler | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.6690 | 0:00.8620 |
| 21 | Trading Post FPR Falcon | Will Davison | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.6692 | 0:00.8622 |
| 22 | Bundaberg Racing | Fabian Coulthard | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.6754 | 0:00.8684 |
| 23 | Jim Beam Racing | James Moffat | Ford Falcon FG | 1:23.7189 | 0:00.9119 |
| 24 | VIP Petfoods | Steve Owen | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:23.7252 | 0:00.9182 |
| 25 | Pepsi Max Crew | Greg Murphy | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:24.3401 | 0:01.5331 |
| 26 | Stratco Racing | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:24.4763 | 0:01.6693 |
| 27 | Gulf Western Oil Racing | Warren Luff | Holden Commodore VE2 | 1:24.7050 | 0:01.8980 |
See below for Speedcafe.com’s ITM400 Hamilton Race Guide