After a hard fought second place finish in the final leg of the Armor All Gold Coast 600, Gold Coaster Jamie Whincup’s co-driver Sebastien Bourdais was awarded the inaugural Dan Wheldon Memorial Trophy.
Lowndes and Priaulx suffered another frustrating end to a promising race weekend, a lengthy pitstop and black flag, relegating the car #888 duo down the order.
Bourdais started on pole in the second race after an impressive Qualifying session from Whincup. The Frenchman broke away early in the race, Whincup following suit and dominating in the 102-lap race until he was passed by Winterbottom eight laps from the end.
Early race strategy looked promising for Lowndes and Priaulx. The Englishman made an impressive start leap-frogging to second position on the opening lap.
After losing time in the pits, the #888 TeamVodafone Commodore could not recover the positions lost, finishing 20th in the final 300km race.
Sebastien Bourdais was the hero of the day, emotionally accepting the Dan Wheldon Memorial Trophy for being the highest points earner out of the International drivers.
It was a big weekend for Whincup and Bourdais, with the duo winning the first event on Saturday as well as taking pole position on both days.
Whincup topped the shootout on the Saturday, putting the #88 Commodore on pole position for Bourdais who started the 102-lap assault. The Frenchman stretched a considerable lead before handing the reins to Whincup on lap 36 of the race.
With debris initiating a third and final safety car, Whincup conserved fuel and averted the need for another pitstop, charging to the finish line with ease.
After a successful weekend on home turf, Whincup has now regained the championship and now sits 143 points ahead of Lowndes in the V8 Supercar Championship standings.
With the endurance events wrapped up, the TeamVodafone duo will now prepare for Tasmania, kicking off from November 11 and 13.
