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This website is now dedicated to covering the Black Bullets. Current Black Bullets news is now provided on iSportz » with past news archived here for your continued reference.
Team Betta Electrical's Craig Lowndes has scored his fourth win of the 2005 V8 Supercar season after a fabulous performance at round #11, the Gillette Challenge, on the streets of Surfers Paradise.
Lowndes victory has elevated him from fifth to third in the championship chase, sitting behind fellow Ford drivers Russell Ingall (Caltex Racing) and defending two-time champion Marcos Ambrose (Pirtek Racing).
Lowndes is just 81 points out of first place, after Ingall and Ambrose both experienced tough weekends.
Lowndes beat home Greg Murphy with Mark Skaife in third.
The Betta Electrical driver fought back from a brush with the wall in qualifying to start from sixth position for the opening race. He finished second in that race to Greg Murphy, before a storming start in race two gained him control. Victory in that race and the final 22-lap encounter earned him his first win on the streets of the Gold Coast.
"To win my fourth race of the year is fantastic," said Lowndes.
"The second half of the season has been great for us. We have been able to roll out each weekend with a strong car from the outset and that's really set things up.
"Bathurst was a big disappointment, but this is a great come back.
"Not only was the car great, but the team backed it up in the pits. They gained me a couple of spots in the first race and in the next two races they were awesome.
"This result is great for us and especially for Ford. I know the importance they place in the Manufacturers' Cup and now the Blue Oval is just one round win away from scoring that title.
"It's incredible to think that we are now in with a shot at the championship. My goal is pretty simple – win races. If I can do that, then Russell and Marcos have to be somewhere close. I know they'll not give up that's for sure.
"Tasmania is the next event and I see no reason why we can't be in there with a chance of victory."
Championship leader Ingall took a two point lead into the Gold Coast round. He extended that to 66-points, but 11th place finish overall could have been a lot better.
After finishing fourth in the first race, Ingall appeared to take fourth in race #2. However, he was judged to have run across a chicane and was relegated to 10th. The final race was a shocker with a drive through penalty after a pit entry mishap dropped him down the order.
The story was far worse for Ambrose. A broken clutch on the opening lap of race #1, followed by dramas that includes a broken rear window and spoiler in race #2 .He fought back to finish 11th in the final race, but was only placed 24th overall for the weekend.
The V8 Supercar Championship Series now crosses Bass Strait for the penultimate round, the Ferado Triple Challenge at Symmons Plains over the weekend of 11-13 November. Russell Ingall took victory last year, but with four round wins so far this year; it'll be Craig Lowndes who will be drawing most of the attention.
Gillette Challenge – Surfers Paradise
1. Craig Lowndes Team Betta Electrical Ford Falcon BA
2. Greg Murphy Super Cheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore
3. Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore
4. Cameron McConville Valvoline Racing Holden Commodore
5. Garth Tander HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore
6. Rick Kelly HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore
7. Steve Ellery Team Betta Electrical Ford Falcon BA
8. Jason Bright CAT Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon BA
9. Jamie Whincup Dodo Racing Holden Commodore
10. Steven Johnson Westpoint Racing Ford Falcon BA
Championship – Top-10 after 11 of 13 rounds
1. Russell Ingall Caltex Racing Ford Falcon BA 1610pts
2. Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Racing Ford Falcon BA -66pts
3. Craig Lowndes Team Betta Electrical Ford Falcon BA -81pts
4. Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore -94pts
5. Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore -110pts
6. Steven Richards Castrol Racing Holden Commodore -191pts
7. Garth Tander HSV Racing Holden Commodore -250pts
8. Jason Bright CAT Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon BA -258pts
9. Cameron McConville Valvoline Racing Holden Commodore -307pts
10. Rick Kelly HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore -336pts
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