Triple Eight Race Engineering (V8 Supercars)
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- This article concerns Triple Eight Race Engineering's V8 Supercar operation. For the BTCC team, see Triple Eight Race Engineering
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| Full name | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
|---|---|
| Base | Brisbane, Australia |
| Team principal | Roland Dane |
| Race drivers | 88.Jamie Whincup, 888.Craig Lowndes |
| Model | Ford Falcon BF |
| Engine | SBR 5.0L V8 |
| Debut | 2004 |
| Constructors' Championships | 0 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Round Wins | 9 |
| Race victories | 11 |
| Pole positions | 4 |
| 2006 Placing | 2nd, 10th |
| Bathurst 1000 Wins | 1 (2006) |
| Website | http://www.tripleeight.com.au |
Triple Eight Race Engineering is one of the leading motorsport teams competing in the Australian V8 Supercars series. Currently, the team's title sponsor is Vodafone.
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[edit] History
Triple Eight Race Engineering originated in the UK, winning 12 British Touring Car Championships before the decision to expand into the Australian V8 Supercars in late-2003. Triple Eight took over the Briggs Motorsport team, and moved it to a new custom-built base at Bowen Hills (a Brisbane suburb), and employed 35 people (among them, former SBR engineer Campbell Little) to build a new pair of V8 Supercars for the 2004 season. Engineers in Brisbane worked closely with the Triple Eight staff in the UK, while team bosses managed to attract substantial financial support from Ford Australia
2004 was Triple Eight's first full season in V8 Supercars. It was a disappointing year for all involved, with both cars dogged by mechanical problems. Paul Radisich came 19th in the championship, while Max Wilson finished a lowly 28th. The team's car speed, however, was certainly up with the front-runners for many weekends.
2005 saw a massive form reversal for Triple Eight. Star driver Craig Lowndes was signed to replace Radisich, and Steve Ellery replaced Wilson. Lowndes in particular was a catalyst for change, which along with powerful and reliable SBR-sourced engines saw a massive improvement in the team's performance. Lowndes finished 2nd in the championship, finishing the year strongly and narrowly missing out on snatching the title from Russell Ingall. Ellery came 13th. The year's highlights included a win to Lowndes and co-driver Yvan Muller in the Sandown 500, a 3rd placing to Ellery and co-driver Adam Macrow at the Bathurst 1000. Lowndes won a further three rounds, and qualified on pole position four times (including pole at the Bathurst 1000)
2006 saw a continuation of this strong form, with new recruit Jamie Whincup replacing Ellery, and making an instant impact in the form of a win at the Clipsal 500. Lowndes scored four round wins, including victory at the Bathurst 1000 with Jamie Whincup, winning the inaugural Peter Brock Trophy.
[edit] The fight for the 2006 Championship
Having led the championship to Round 11, Lowndes lost the series lead at the Symmonds Plains weekend. Having seen a big chunk of his lead evaporate at the previous round on the Gold Coast following two (somewhat harsh) penalties for dangerous driving approaching the starting grid, the pressure was on Lowndes to perform at the Tasmania event. Unfortunately for Lowndes, he was caught in a massive crash on the opening lap of the first race, forcing him to the rear of the grid for the next race. He recovered, but he lost the series lead to Rick Kelly, who took a handy 73-point lead. At the next round in Bahrain, Lowndes stormed back into contention as Kelly encountered problems of his own. The stage was set for a spectacular finale at Phillip Island, with the two contenders separated by just seven points.
Lowndes qualified on the third row of the grid, while Kelly was further back on the fifth row. However, Kelly fought back in the first race to be right on Lowndes' bumper at the conclusion of the race - Lowndes was 4th, Kelly 5th. In the second race, Lowndes came 3rd while Kelly was 4th - again close behind. The points going into the final race of the year were tied. On the opening lap of the final race, Kelly lightly touched Lowndes on the rear bumper while in the high-speed section between Turns 3 and 4, sending Lowndes into a spin, eventually cleaning out both Lowndes and Todd Kelly (Rick's older brother). Rick Kelly was given a drive-through penalty, and finished 18th. Lowndes' car was extensively damaged and was only able to salvage 29th place. Rick Kelly had won the championship.
However, Lowndes and his Triple Eight team protested, claiming that Kelly had deliberately taken Lowndes out of the race. The stewards, after deliberation, dismissed the appeal, saying that the drive-through penalty was sufficient punishment for Kelly. Furthermore, Lowndes and Triple Eight accused the Toll HSV Dealer Team and the Holden Racing Team for bad sportsmanship - Mark Skaife was given a bad sportsmanship flag in Race 1 for blocking Lowndes, while Kelly's team-mate Garth Tander was given a drive-through penalty for blocking Lowndes in Race 2. After the appeals were dismissed, Lowndes declared himself the "moral champion". Some days later, Lowndes was awarded the prized Barry Sheene Medal, which was some consolation.
[edit] 2007 Championship
In 2007, the team's drivers are Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes. The new title sponsor is Vodafone replacing Betta Electrical, which was in financial ruin. The team is now known as Team Vodafone.
[edit] External link
| Teams contesting the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series | |||||||||
| Toll HSV Dealer Team | Holden Racing Team | Tasman Motorsport | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Performance Racing | Jack Daniel's Racing | ||||
| 1 Rick Kelly 16 Garth Tander |
2 Mark Skaife 22 Todd Kelly |
3 Jason Richards 51 Greg Murphy |
4 James Courtney 9 Russell Ingall |
5 Mark Winterbottom 6 Steven Richards |
7 Shane Price 11 Jack Perkins |
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| WPS Racing | Team BOC | Dick Johnson Racing | Supercheap Auto Racing | Team Kiwi Racing | Britek Motorsport | ||||
| 8 Max Wilson 10 Jason Bargwanna |
12 Andrew Jones 14 Brad Jones |
17 Steven Johnson 18 Will Davison |
20 Paul Dumbrell 50 Cameron McConville |
021 Paul Radisich | 25 Jason Bright 26 Alan Gurr |
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| Garry Rogers Motorsport | Team Sirromet Wines | Autobarn Racing | TeamVodafone | Paul Cruickshank Racing | |||||
| 33 Lee Holdsworth 34 Dean Canto |
39 Fabian Coulthard 67 Paul Morris |
55 Steve Owen | 88 Jamie Whincup 888 Craig Lowndes |
111 John Bowe | |||||
