2001 V8 Supercars Phillip Island round
| Event Information | ||||||||||||||
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| Round 1 of 13 in the 2001 Shell Championship Series | ||||||||||||||
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| Date | 23–25 March 2001 | |||||||||||||
| Location | Phillip Island, Victoria | |||||||||||||
| Venue | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | |||||||||||||
| Weather | Fine | |||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||
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The 2001 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round was the first round of the 2001 Shell Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 23 to 25 March at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, Australia.
The weekend was dominated by Mark Skaife and the Holden Racing Team. Taking pole position in the top-ten shootout followed by two victories, Skaife collected maximum points for the weekend. Craig Lowndes achieved second overall for the round in his first race weekend under the Ford banner and Jason Bright acquired third place in his return to the Shell Championship after he left for Indy Lights at the end of 1999.[1]
Background
One of the bigger talking points in the off-season was Craig Lowndes' defection from Holden to Ford on a five-year deal.[2] At a time where marquee sport was still of prominence, Lowndes' move created great discussion. Moving from the factory Holden team, Lowndes would move to Gibson Motorsport which itself had shifted to the Ford brand for 2001.[3] In the non-championship support event for the Australian Grand Prix, the new partnership proved an immediate success with Lowndes winning two out of the three races across the weekend.
Gibson Motorsport's shift from Holden to Ford, as well as the signing of Lowndes, had initially left their 2000 drivers, Greg Murphy and Steven Richards, out of a drive for 2001. Murphy eventually found himself in the secondary Tom Walkinshaw outfit, retaining the Kmart branding from Gibson Motorsport. Richards meanwhile signed with Glenn Seton Racing after the team initially looked to hire privateer Cameron McLean.[3]
With Lowndes leaving the Holden Racing Team, Jason Bright was drafted in to fill the void. Bright had returned to the series after a season of racing Indy Lights in the United States.[4] Bright had last driven for Stone Brothers Racing, who had since taken onboard two new rookies for 2001 in the form of Marcos Ambrose and David Besnard, who had replaced Rod Nash Racing-bound Tony Longhurst.
One of the favourites for the championship heading into the season was Garth Tander after his breakout year in 2000 which saw him come close to championship glory. His team, Garry Rogers Motorsport, had exhibited strong pace in pre-season testing at Winton and looked set to continue on their form from the previous season.
New Zealand-based outfit, Team Kiwi Racing, would make their full-season debut in the series for 2001 with Jason Richards scheduled to contest all the rounds. Angus Fogg would make select appearances throughout the season.
Race results
Qualifying
Top Ten Shootout
| Pos | No | Name | Team | Vehicle | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | .svg.png){kind=small} Mark Skaife |
Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:32.5121 |
| 2 | 2 | Jason Bright |
Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:32.7961 |
| 3 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose |
Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:32.8745 |
| 4 | 18 |  Paul Radisich |
Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.0265 |
| 5 | 5 | Glenn Seton |
Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.0690 |
| 6 | 6 | Steven Richards |
Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.2409 |
| 7 | 00 | Craig Lowndes |
Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.2985 |
| 8 | 8 | Russell Ingall |
Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.5311 |
| 9 | 34 | Garth Tander |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.6165 |
| 10 | 15 | Todd Kelly |
Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.6533 |
| Source:[6] | |||||
Race 1
In an action-packed opening lap that saw Jason Bargwanna and Mark Larkham spin off the track, Mark Skaife established a lead on the field that he would not relinquish. Following him was team-mate Jason Bright and rookie Marcos Ambrose. On lap 4, Ambrose pulled off an ambitious move on Bright for second place into Honda Hairpin. Behind them, Paul Radisich led a gaggle of cars that extended through to the mid-pack. Included in that bunch was Craig Lowndes, who had lost ground on the opening lap, and Greg Murphy, who was battling his way up from a poor qualifying position. John Bowe's race came to an end on lap 12 due to a suspected issue with the front-right suspension.
The pit window opened, allowing for drivers to undertake their compulsory pitstops. Radisich lost a flurry of positions thanks to a slow stop – and would later encounter handling issues that would see him fall further down the pack. Lowndes meanwhile vaulted the pack up into third place, behind Bright. For the remainder of the race, Bright, Lowndes and Ambrose would battle for second place. Up the front, Skaife remained untroubled, taking the chequered flag by over ten seconds. Bright, Lowndes, Ambrose, and Murphy rounded out the top five.
Race 2
Despite Bright getting a better start than him, Skaife retained the lead into turn one at the start. On the approach to Siberia on the first lap, Mark Larkham and Matthew White spun causing the chasing pack to scatter. Larkham would retire due to suspension damage sustained in the melee. Further up the road, Radisich also spun and was sent tumbling down the order.
Skaife continued to extend his lead by an average of three tenths per lap. However, on the approach to turn one on lap eight, Skaife collided with a seagull that caused significant damage to his windscreen. It didn't have any significant impact on his lap times however and he remained unchallenged to the flag. Gibson Motorsport's pit crew had once again helped vault Lowndes up the order and found himself in second place after the compulsory pitstops were complete.
The majority of the race remained relatively tranquil with Skaife winning the race by four seconds over Lowndes with Murphy rounding out the podium.
Championship Standings
Standings after Round 1
| Pos. | No | Driver | Team | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 | 1 | Mark Skaife |
Holden Racing Team | 288 |
|
2 | 00 | Craig Lowndes |
Gibson Motorsport | 238 |
|
3 | 2 | Jason Bright |
Holden Racing Team | 235 |
|
4 | 51 | Greg Murphy |
Kmart Racing Team | 201 |
|
5 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose |
Stone Brothers Racing | 200 |
References
- ↑ "Skaife and HRT lead the way". Go Auto. 26 March 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lowndes becomes Falcon flyer". Go Auto. 7 January 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Lowndes, Richards sign with Ford". Drive.com.au. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ "HRT confirms Jason Bright for 2000". Drive.com.au. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ "2001 Shell Championship Series – Round 1 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – V8 Supercars Qualifying". National Software. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ↑ "2001 Shell Championship Series – Round 1 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – V8 Supercars Top 10". National Software. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ↑ "2001 Shell Championship Series – Round 1 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – V8 Supercars Race 1". National Software. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ↑ "2001 Shell Championship Series – Round 1 – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit – V8 Supercars Race 2". National Software. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
| Supercars Championship | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous race: 2000 FAI 1000 |
2001 Supercars Championship | Next race: 2001 Clipsal 500 |
| Previous year: 2000 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round |
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Next year: 2002 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round |