2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint

Tasmania 2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint
Event Information
Round 2 of 14 in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship
Date 1–3 April 2016
Location Launceston, Tasmania
Venue Symmons Plains Raceway
Weather Friday: fine
Saturday: fine
Sunday: fine
Results
Race 1
Distance 50 laps, 120 km
Pole position Mark Winterbottom
Prodrive Racing Australia
51.1530
Winner Shane Van Gisbergen
Triple Eight Race Engineering
44:25.1871
Race 2
Distance 84 laps, 200 km
Pole position Mark Winterbottom
Prodrive Racing Australia
51.0773
Winner Will Davison
Tekno Autosports
1:20:51.7031

The 2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint was a motor racing event for V8 Supercars, held on the weekend of 1 to 3 April 2016. The event was held at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston, Tasmania, and consisted of one race of 120 kilometres and one race of 200 km in length. It was the second event of fourteen in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship and hosted Races 4 and 5 of the season.[1] The event was the 44th running of the Tasmania SuperSprint.

Defending series champion Mark Winterbottom started from pole position in both races, but was unable to take victory in either race. Triple Eight Race Engineering teammates Shane Van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup finished first and second in Race 4, ahead of Will Davison. Davison took victory in Race 5, passing both Van Gisbergen and Winterbottom in the closing laps after the latter pair went off the circuit due to oil dropped by Winterbottom's teammate Cameron Waters. Craig Lowndes finished second while Winterbottom recovered to take third. Van Gisbergen, after leading for most of the race, did not finish after getting stuck in a gravel trap. Davison's win elevated him to the championship lead, 15 points clear of Lowndes, with Whincup a further nine points behind in third.

Report

Background

The event was the first to feature the revised SuperSprint race format, which was introduced for the 2016 season. A single 120 km race was held on Saturday, with drivers required to make a pit stop to change tyres. The 120 km race replaces the pair of 60 km races which had been held on the Saturday of SuperSprint events in 2015.[2] It was also the first event held at the circuit following upgrades which had taken place across December 2015 and January 2016, which included the installation of new concrete barriers on the inside of the circuit and the reconditioning of the gravel traps.[3]

Following confusion over race start regulations at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, the rules regarding race starts under control of the safety car were amended. Previously, if a formation lap had not been completed, the race would not officially start until the safety car returned to the pit lane. The new rules stated that the race would start once the cars left the grid behind the safety car, regardless of whether or not the formation lap had been completed.[4]

Michael Caruso entered the event as the championship leader ahead of Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen.

Practice

The first one-hour practice session was held on Friday morning. James Moffat set a time of 51.8869 to be fastest ahead of Whincup and Craig Lowndes. Whincup noted the impact of the circuit upgrades on the track condition, saying: "The side effect of the recent works is some loose dirt which has blown across the track, but I’m certainly not going to complain about that."[5] Mark Winterbottom was quickest in the second one-hour session, which was held on Friday afternoon. His teammate Cameron Waters was second fastest ahead of Whincup, Shane Van Gisbergen and Lowndes.[6] The cars of Whincup and Chaz Mostert both had precautionary engine changes overnight, ahead of the third and final practice session on Saturday morning, which was 15 minutes in duration. Winterbottom was again fastest, with a time of 51.0978. Scott McLaughlin was second quickest ahead of Fabian Coulthard.[7]

Practice summary
Session Day Fastest lap
No. Driver Team Car Time
Practice 1 Friday 34 Australia James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 51.8869
Practice 2 Friday 1 Australia Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 51.4225
Practice 3 Saturday 1 Australia Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 51.0978

Qualifying – Race 4

Qualifying for Race 4 took place on Saturday afternoon and consisted of a single 15-minute session. Winterbottom continued his form from the practice sessions to take pole position with a time of 51.1530, two one-hundredths of a second faster than Lowndes. Both drivers went off the circuit during the session, with Winterbottom going off at Turn 2 and Lowndes at Turn 6. Van Gisbergen was third ahead of Lee Holdsworth and Will Davison. Nick Percat spun at Turn 4 late in the session which affected several drivers' laps.[8]

Race 4

Race 4 was held on Saturday afternoon. McLaughlin's car experienced an engine problem prior to the start of the race, forcing him to start from the pit lane before repair work left him ten laps behind the leaders.[9] Winterbottom held the lead from pole position ahead of Lowndes and Van Gisbergen. Holdsworth lost places in the early laps, while Whincup moved up to fifth place before being the first driver to make his compulsory pit stop at the end of lap 4. After other drivers made their pit stops in the following laps, Whincup emerged ahead of Van Gisbergen, Lowndes, Davison and Rick Kelly, while Winterbottom dropped back after a slow pit stop and going off the circuit to avoid Lowndes after he left the pit lane. Van Gisbergen passed Whincup for the effective race lead on lap 17.[10]

Brad Jones Racing pitted their drivers later in the race, with Jason Bright stopping on lap 20 and Tim Slade on lap 28. Tim Blanchard was the final driver to take his pit stop on lap 32, leaving Van Gisbergen in the lead ahead of Whincup, Lowndes, Davison and Rick Kelly. Davison passed Lowndes for third on lap 34, while Bright and Slade were taking advantage of their younger tyres to make up positions. Van Gisbergen went on to take victory over Whincup by nine tenths of a second, with Davison finishing another two tenths behind. Rick Kelly was able to pass Lowndes for fourth, while Bright made it up to sixth place. Waters finished seventh ahead of Slade, with Winterbottom and Mostert completing the top ten. Van Gisbergen's win was the 500th for Holden in the combined history of the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercars Championship.[10]

Qualifying – Race 5

A single 20-minute qualifying session, held on Sunday morning, was used to determine the grid for Race 5. Davison set the fastest lap time during the session, but was given a two-place grid penalty for blocking James Courtney. As a result, pole position was awarded to Winterbottom, who set the second fastest time. Davison was unaware that he had impeded Courtney, saying: "I had no idea he was there." Van Gisbergen was third fastest, which would see him start from second on the grid, while Whincup was fourth ahead of Holdsworth and Mostert.[11]

Race 5

Race 5 took place on Sunday afternoon. The race regulations required each car to take on at least 120 litres of fuel during the race. Winterbottom and Van Gisbergen battled for the lead in the opening laps, with Van Gisbergen taking the lead on lap 3. Whincup took advantage of Van Gisbergen's pass to move into second place. On lap 5, Percat and Chris Pither made contact on the exit of Turn 4, which sent Pither spinning into the wall, severely damaging his car. The safety car was deployed while Pither's car was retrieved and all of the drivers made their first pit stop, with the exception of Lowndes and Rick Kelly who had pitted on lap 1. Whincup lost multiple positions as he had to wait for Van Gisbergen's car to be serviced before he could complete his own pit stop. Van Gisbergen emerged in the lead ahead of Winterbottom, Rick Kelly, Lowndes and Mostert, while Whincup had dropped to 13th place.[12]

Van Gisbergen and Winterbottom continued to battle after the safety car returned to the pit lane, but Van Gisbergen was eventually able to build a lead. The safety car was called for the second time on lap 40, when Whincup became stuck in the gravel trap at Turn 4, having run wide following his second pit stop. All of the other drivers came into the pit lane to take on their remaining fuel requirement. Waters' car was taken into the garage with an engine problem which left him several laps off the lead. Shortly after the safety car period ended, Rick Kelly began suffering from brake problems, which slowly worsened and eventually forced him to retire from the race on lap 57. Blanchard retired from the race on lap 74, when his front splitter collapsed under the front of the car and caused him to go off the circuit at Turn 6 and become stuck in a gravel trap.[12]

Van Gisbergen looked set to take victory until lap 80, when Waters' car, which had returned to the circuit, suffered an engine failure on the run into Turn 4, depositing large amounts of oil onto the track. Andre Heimgartner and Whincup, immediately behind Waters, both went off the circuit and made heavy contact with each other. Heimgartner was beached in the gravel trap but Whincup was able to continue, while Moffat also spun. Van Gisbergen and Winterbottom both slid on the oil, with Van Gisbergen getting stuck in the gravel trap with his car against the barrier. This allowed Davison and Lowndes through into the top two positions, while Winterbottom recovered and assumed third place.[13] Davison held on to take victory ahead of Lowndes and Winterbottom, with McLaughlin and Mostert completing the top five. Tander and Courtney finished sixth and seventh, having started 18th and 19th respectively.[12]

The result saw Davison assume the championship lead ahead of Lowndes and Whincup, while Van Gisbergen dropped to seventh place, having led the points standings after Race 4.[12]

Results

Race 4

Qualifying

Pos. No. Driver Team Car Time
1 1 Australia Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 51.1530
2 888 Australia Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 51.1718
3 97 New Zealand Shane Van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 51.1877
4 18 Australia Lee Holdsworth Charlie Schwerkolt Racing Holden VF Commodore 51.2700
5 19 Australia Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore 51.2847
6 15 Australia Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 51.3823
7 88 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 51.4094
8 33 New Zealand Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 51.4195
9 8 Australia Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 51.4263
10 12 New Zealand Fabian Coulthard DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 51.4271
11 55 Australia Chaz Mostert Rod Nash Racing Ford FG X Falcon 51.4488
12 6 Australia Cameron Waters Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 51.4706
13 17 Australia Scott Pye DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 51.4763
14 2 Australia Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 51.4915
15 111 New Zealand Chris Pither Super Black Racing Ford FG X Falcon 51.5050
16 21 Australia Tim Blanchard Britek Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.5842
17 22 Australia James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 51.5918
18 14 Australia Tim Slade Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 51.5936
19 9 Australia David Reynolds Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.6139
20 7 Australia Todd Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 51.6649
21 23 Australia Michael Caruso Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 51.6739
22 96 Australia Dale Wood Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 51.7735
23 34 Australia James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 51.7852
24 222 Australia Nick Percat Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.8222
25 4 Australia Aaren Russell Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.8572
26 3 New Zealand Andre Heimgartner Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.8756
Source:[8]

Race

Pos. No. Driver Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 97 New Zealand Shane Van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 50 44:25.1871 3 150
2 88 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 50 +0.9 s 7 138
3 19 Australia Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore 50 +1.1 s 5 129
4 15 Australia Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 50 +7.5 s 6 120
5 888 Australia Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 50 +10.1 s 2 111
6 8 Australia Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 50 +13.0 s 9 102
7 6 Australia Cameron Waters Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 50 +15.3 s 12 96
8 14 Australia Tim Slade Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 50 +17.3 s 18 90
9 1 Australia Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 50 +17.6 s 1 84
10 55 Australia Chaz Mostert Rod Nash Racing Ford FG X Falcon 50 +18.2 s 11 78
11 2 Australia Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 50 +20.3 s 14 72
12 18 Australia Lee Holdsworth Charlie Schwerkolt Racing Holden VF Commodore 50 +20.8 s 4 69
13 22 Australia James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 50 +23.6 s 17 66
14 17 Australia Scott Pye DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 50 +24.7 s 13 63
15 21 Australia Tim Blanchard Britek Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 50 +24.9 s 16 60
16 9 Australia David Reynolds Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 50 +29.6 s 19 57
17 111 New Zealand Chris Pither Super Black Racing Ford FG X Falcon 50 +30.6 s 15 54
18 12 New Zealand Fabian Coulthard DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 50 +31.7 s 10 51
19 7 Australia Todd Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 50 +31.7 s 20 48
20 34 Australia James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 50 +31.9 s 23 45
21 23 Australia Michael Caruso Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 50 +32.2 s 21 42
22 96 Australia Dale Wood Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 50 +32.4 s 22 39
23 4 Australia Aaren Russell Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 50 +38.5 s 25 36
24 222 Australia Nick Percat Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 50 +38.8 s 24 33
25 3 New Zealand Andre Heimgartner Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 50 +47.3 s 26 30
26 33 New Zealand Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 40 +10 laps PL 27
Source:[10]

Race 5

Qualifying

Pos. No. Driver Team Car Time
1[N 1] 19 Australia Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore 51.0177
2[N 1] 1 Australia Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 51.0773
3 97 New Zealand Shane Van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 51.1934
4 88 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 51.1986
5 18 Australia Lee Holdsworth Charlie Schwerkolt Racing Holden VF Commodore 51.2104
6 55 Australia Chaz Mostert Rod Nash Racing Ford FG X Falcon 51.2133
7 8 Australia Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 51.2266
8 12 New Zealand Fabian Coulthard DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 51.2732
9 33 New Zealand Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 51.2799
10 6 Australia Cameron Waters Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 51.2914
11 888 Australia Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 51.2970
12 15 Australia Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 51.3114
13 21 Australia Tim Blanchard Britek Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.3575
14 34 Australia James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 51.3777
15 17 Australia Scott Pye DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 51.4496
16 23 Australia Michael Caruso Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 51.4591
17 14 Australia Tim Slade Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 51.4697
18 2 Australia Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 51.4904
19 22 Australia James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 51.4930
20 111 New Zealand Chris Pither Super Black Racing Ford FG X Falcon 51.5837
21 7 Australia Todd Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 51.5972
22 9 Australia David Reynolds Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.6323
23 96 Australia Dale Wood Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 51.6542
24 3 New Zealand Andre Heimgartner Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.6950
25 222 Australia Nick Percat Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.7151
26 4 Australia Aaren Russell Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 51.9052
Source:[11]

Race

Pos. No. Driver Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 19 Australia Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore 84 1:20:51.7031 3[N 1] 150
2 888 Australia Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 84 +2.6 s 11 138
3 1 Australia Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 84 +4.0 s 1 129
4 33 New Zealand Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 84 +6.4 s 9 120
5 55 Australia Chaz Mostert Rod Nash Racing Ford FG X Falcon 84 +8.5 s 6 111
6 2 Australia Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 84 +9.6 s 18 102
7 22 Australia James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 84 +15.7 s 19 96
8 12 New Zealand Fabian Coulthard DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 84 +19.4 s 8 90
9 18 Australia Lee Holdsworth Charlie Schwerkolt Racing Holden VF Commodore 84 +20.9 s 5 84
10 8 Australia Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 84 +25.3 s 7 78
11 23 Australia Michael Caruso Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 84 +25.7 s 16 72
12 7 Australia Todd Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 84 +26.1 s 21 69
13 14 Australia Tim Slade Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 84 +26.3 s 17 66
14 17 Australia Scott Pye DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 84 +27.5 s 15 63
15 222 Australia Nick Percat Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 84 +29.1 s 25 60
16 34 Australia James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 84 +47.1 s 14 57
17 4 Australia Aaren Russell Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 84 +47.4 s 26 54
18 9 Australia David Reynolds Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 83 +1 lap 22 51
19 88 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 79 +5 laps 4 48
20 96 Australia Dale Wood Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 78 +6 laps 23 45
Ret 97 New Zealand Shane Van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 79 Stuck in gravel 2
Ret 3 New Zealand Andre Heimgartner Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 77 Stuck in gravel 24
Ret 21 Australia Tim Blanchard Britek Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 74 Stuck in gravel 13
Ret 6 Australia Cameron Waters Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 63 Engine 10
Ret 15 Australia Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 57 Brakes 12
Ret 111 New Zealand Chris Pither Super Black Racing Ford FG X Falcon 3 Accident 20
Source:[12]

Championship standings after the event

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos. Driver Points
14 1 Australia Will Davison 417
12 2 Australia Craig Lowndes 402
1 3 Australia Jamie Whincup 393
8 4 Australia Mark Winterbottom 378
5 Australia Garth Tander 361

Teams' Championship standings
Pos. Constructor Points
1 Triple Eight Race Engineering 740
2 Holden Racing Team 724
1 3 Prodrive Racing Australia 658
1 4 Nissan Motorsport 589
4 5 Brad Jones Racing 567

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Davison was given a two-place grid penalty for impeding Courtney during qualifying for Race 5. As such, Winterbottom was officially recognised as having taken pole position.

References

  1. "V8 Supercars 2016 calendar change". V8 Supercars. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  2. "V8 Supercars confirms format changes for 2016". Speedcafe. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  3. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (29 March 2016). "New look Symmons Plains ready for V8 action". Speedcafe. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  4. Gadeke, Kassie (22 March 2016). "Brand new start". V8 Supercars. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  5. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (1 April 2016). "Moffat tops tight opening Symmons practice". Speedcafe. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  6. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (1 April 2016). "Prodrive trumps T8 in Symmons practice". Speedcafe. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  7. Bartholomaeus, Stefan (2 April 2016). "Winterbottom stays on top in final practice". Speedcafe. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 Bartholomaeus, Stefan (2 April 2016). "Winterbottom beats Lowndes to Race 4 Pole". Speedcafe. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  9. Gadeke, Kassie (2 April 2016). "500 up for Holden". V8 Supercars. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 Bartholomaeus, Stefan (2 April 2016). "SVG scores Holden's 500th win in Race 4". Speedcafe. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Davison penalty hands Winterbottom pole". Speedcafe. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Bartholomaeus, Stefan (3 April 2016). "Davison wins after late drama at Symmons". Speedcafe. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  13. Gadeke, Kassie (3 April 2016). "Davison steals the show". V8 Supercars. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
V8 Supercar
Previous race:
2016 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
2016 V8 Supercar Championship Series Next race:
2016 WD-40 Phillip Island SuperSprint
Previous year:
2015 Tyrepower Tasmania Super Sprint
Tasmania SuperSprint Next year:
2017 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint
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