The #888 TeamVodafone Commodore looked good right out of the box around the tricky street circuit and Craig was among the front-runners throughout Friday’s practice sessions. Some consistently c competitive times saw him finish the day in fifth position and ready for an assault on qualifying and Race 1.

In qualifying Craig continued to prove that the car was working well, by securing himself a position in the top 10 shootout, his third in three attempts this year. In the shootout Craig struggled to produce a great lap, however it was good enough to jump him up one position to start the race from seventh.

In Race 1 he looked to be running strongly before receiving a hit to the rear of the TeamVodafone Commodore. Shortly after, a delaminating tyre saw him drop back through the field, effectively ruining his race. As he attempted to charge back though a pass on Rick Kelly saw him tag Will Davison and receive a drive-through penalty. He eventually finished in 19th position.

In qualifying for Race 2 Craig struggled to find a good set-up, which forced him to start down the order in 14th. In the race Craig elected for a different strategy to make up ground on the leaders, however as he charged through the slower drivers he made contact with Tim Slade and was forced to redress. In another disappointing race he would finish in 16th position.

“It was a really disappointing weekend for us, especially because the car had some really good speed,” Craig said.

“We got caught out in some incidents and I made some small mistakes as well, which you just can’t afford to do. We’ll forget about this round now and look forward to event four in New Zealand, where we can hopefully make up some lost ground.”

FRIDAY
Friday’s two practice sessions provided the first opportunity for the V8 Supercars to run on Australian soil in 2010. The Clipsal 500 circuit provided a much different challenge for the drivers compared to the Middle East, forcing teams to adapt setups for the weekend.

Craig experienced two trouble free sessions with the team focusing on finding a good setup throughout practice one and the majority of practice two. Two late attempts for a quick time were plagued by traffic, but Craig still ended the day fifth fastest.

“I’m happy with how the day has panned out for us and the car is working well around here,” Lowndes said.

“The car is really nice to drive, but we need to find some more speed overnight and I think we will be right there.

“I got held up on my first flying lap and when I went again I got caught in traffic, so we didn’t get a chance to give a true indication of our speed today, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

SATURDAY
Saturday began with the all in 20 minute qualifying session and with a solid race and qualifying setup from practice on Friday Craig was always among the pace-setters.

Craig was safely inside the top 10 for the majority of the session, but required a late quick lap to ensure his spot in what was one of the tightest sessions this year. Craig finished in eighth position and would be the third car out in the shootout.

In the shootout, Craig produced a clean lap to start the race from seventh, making up one position from qualifying.

In the race Craig started well, making it cleanly though the first few laps, before making an early stop for fuel on lap eight. The well timed stop and a lucky safety car saw Craig jump numerous positions early in the race.

On lap 19 Mark Winterbottom caught a hit from James Courtney, which put him into Craig, damaging the rear of the #888 TeamVodafone Commodore. Shortly after, a delaminating tyre forced Craig to drop back through the field, before pitting on lap 32.

Four new tyres and a small adjustment transformed the car and Craig charged back though the field. A small mistake on lap 52 while passing Rick Kelly saw him tag Will Davison and spin him around. The incident saw Craig get another hit from behind and while he escaped without losing too much time, a drive through penalty and a late stop for fuel would ruin his race.

Craig eventually finished down in 19th position. The race was won by Garth Tander from James Courtney and Lee Holdsworth.

“It was a hard race today. We started out really cleanly which was great, but discovered we had some car balance issues early on,” Lowndes explained.

“I had an unfortunate coming-together with Will Davison which saw me penalised and then the extra stop certainly didn’t help my on-track position.

“Now that’s behind me I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow and giving it another go.”

SUNDAY
After displaying good speed in Qualifying and Race 1 yesterday, Qualifying for Race 2 was a disappointing affair for Craig.

He struggled to find a good setup or clean air in the session, which resulted in a 14th position starting place for Race 2.

Craig managed to avoid any first lap drama and settled into a solid rhythm early in the race. As was the case in Race 1, the team elected to stop Craig early for fuel to give him clear track, which he took advantage of.

The different strategy forced Craig to find his way past some slower cars throughout the race, which eventually led to contact with Tim Slade. He redressed the issue and let Slade repast, but by then any chance of a good result was gone. He eventually finished in 16th position, while Tander won the race from Courtney and Winterbottom.

“Obviously we have both had another tough day at the office,” Lowndes explained.

“At the end of the day you have to think about Championship points, especially after a long 250km session like Clipsal. In these situations, you just have to look at the bigger picture and think long term.

“We live to fight another day.”

2010 V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after three events)
1. Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone, 720
2. Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing, 585
3. James Courtney, Jim Beam Racing, 558
4. Shane van Gisbergen, Stone Brothers Racing, 510
5. Lee Holdsworth, Garry Rogers Motorsport, 501
6. Craig Lowndes, TeamVodafone, 495
7. Rick Kelly, Jack Daniel’s Racing, 428
8. Michael Caruso, Garry Rogers Motorsport, 384
9. Paul Dumbrell, The Bottle-O Racing Team, 378
10. Steven Johnson, Jim Beam Racing, 365