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SYDNEY WEEKEND TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP TO LAST RACE
Despite victory in the penultimate race of the 2011 V8 Supercar Championship Series, Craig Lowndes came up just short of winning the title on the streets of Homebush (Sydney) over the weekend.
A brilliant drive in Saturday's heat saw Craig score a big win, his first on the Sydney street circuit, while on Sunday he stormed to an equally convincing second place in a day of wet-dry running.
However, it wasn't enough to beat Team Vodafone teammate Jamie Whincup to the Championship, the #88 driver doing just enough across the weekend to keep Lowndes at bay in the points chase.
"We gave it our best shot but it just wasn't to be ... it's been a great season, we've won lots of races, had some fantastic drives, I've got to thank everyone at Team Vodafone for a great year," Craig Lowndes said.
"Congratulations to Jamie, he's done a great job all year, and has been just too consistent for me.
"And congratulations to Team Vodafone for a 1-2, it's an awesome performance. We'll be back to try again next year."
Friday
Second fastest at end of practice
Car setup best ever for Homebush track
Craig relaxed & happy with day's work
"It was a really good day ... the car is great, the best it's ever been around here. We've got the setup right and the lap was a good one, it just took a couple of laps to realise how much more grip I'd have with fresh tyres."
Saturday
9th fastest in Qualifying
Brushes wall in Top Ten Shootout, damages car, spin at end leaves him to start 10th
Storming drive to victory, keeps Championship alive to last race
"Today was all about staying out of trouble, being patient. I was pretty unhappy with myself after qualifying but I knew if I did the job in the race, I could make it a contest tomorrow, and that's what we've got.
"The car was great, the team gave me a really good strategy, it's now alive for tomorrow."
Sunday
Qualifies 4th on the grid
Wet-dry race creates incidents galore
Another brilliant drive yields second place
"Tough day, the wet and the dry conditions at the start cost us track position with an extra tyre change, after that it was just a matter of trying to get back to the front and we came up one short. All I concentrated on was the race, I let the Championship take care of itself."
V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER EVENT 14 OF 14
1. Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone, 3168
2. Craig Lowndes, TeamVodafone, 3133
3. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel Racing, 2710
4. Shane Van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing, 2672
5. Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing Team, 2574
6. Rick Kelly, Jack Daniel's Racing, 2358
7. Will Davison, Trading Post Racing, 2345
8. Lee Holdsworth, Fujitsu Racing, 1920
9. Tim Slade, Lucky 7 Racing, 1904
10. James Courtney, Toll Holden Racing Team, 1869
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