TANDER SECOND AGAIN AS COURTNEY MAKES IT TWO FROM TWO IN IPSWICH
Bridgestone-backed Holden Racing Team driver Garth Tander had to settle for second place again on the weekend, with Jim Beam Racing's James Courtney winning both races of the City of Ipswich 300 at Queensland Raceway.
Tander battled with Courtney in Sunday's race, with the pair taking turns in the lead, but Courtney soon established his authority and cruised to victory after overtaking Team Vodafone's Jamie Whincup at a restart following a safety car period. Whincup then drifted down the field due to a broken rocker in his engine.
Leading into the weekend - event five of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship - Whincup held a massive 204 point lead in the chase for the title, but his failure to finish Sunday's race has cost him dearly - something that wasn't lost on Tander after the race.
"It is a great opportunity for all of us to close the gap on Jamie. It is a very long year and there are still plenty of stories to be told. This is just one chapter. Certainly James has capitalised on it and it's a great points haul for us as well," Tander said.
"Our car was very good today; much better than yesterday in the race."
Whincup now leads Courtney by just 24 points with the teams heading to Winton Motor Raceway on May 14.
Championship Points
| Jamie Whincup | 1191 |
| James Courtney | 1167 |
| Shane van Gisbergan | 984 |
| Garth Tander | 972 |
MOTO GP
Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo has claimed his first MotoGP victory on home soil, snatching a fantastic win on the last lap of the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.
Using the harder option Bridgestone slicks, Lorenzo mounted a thrilling ride - setting a new fastest total race time after chasing down Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa for victory.
Italian Valentino Rossi was in close pursuit, finishing just 0.34 seconds behind to take the final step of the podium, with both Pedrosa and Rossi setting new lap records during the battle.
"I can say that our slick tyres performed well today, with a new lap record indicating improved grip and a new fastest total race time showing good consistency and durability over race distance," said Tohru Ubukata, Manager of Bridgestone's Motorcycle Tyre Development Department.
"Tyre performance is normally a trade-off between outright grip and durability, yet we can see from today that we have been able to improve both so I am happy. Dani set his new lap record on the second lap of the race but Jorge's personal best came just three laps from the finish and was less than 0.3 seconds slower than Dani's so this is also a good sign of durability."
Lorenzo was overjoyed with the win.
"For me today was the most beautiful race of my life. Today I just wanted to win so I rode at my maximum. I rode at the limit but had fun on the bike and this effort delivered me this present," he said.
The next event is the French Grand Prix at Le Mans on May 23.