2008 V8 Supercars Manufacturers Challenge
# 2008 V8 Supercars Manufacturers Challenge

The 2008 Sprint Gas V8 Supercars Manufacturers Challenge was the third meeting of the 2008 V8 Supercar season. It was held on the weekend of 13 to 16 March at Albert Park Street Circuit, in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. The meeting was a non-championship affair, conducted under a unique Holden vs Ford format. It was the lead support category for the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Thursday 13 March. Mark Skaife was fastest as the Holden Racing Team continued its resurgence. Steven Richards shook off his car destroying crash at Eastern Creek to be second fastest ahead of Jason Richards in the Tasman Motorsport Commodore. The end of qualifying was nervous with the first top ten shootout of the season to be held the following day and while Russell Ingall scraped into the top ten, the unique Ford vs Holden rules for this event which demanded five of each manufacturer in the top ten saw Ingall, as the sixth Holden, relegated in favour of the fifth Ford, Steven Johnson. Michael Patrizi qualified 28th on the debut of both himself and his Ford Rising Stars Racing in the main game series.

## Top Ten shootout

The top ten shootout, the first to be held in 2008, was held on Friday 14 March. Garth Tander kept the Holden Racing Team atop the timesheets, picking off pole position, holding off a motivated Craig Lowndes for the position. Steven Richards was third fastest, but would be relegated to fourth on the grid as the Ford vs Holden format stated that the grid would be formed in alternating manufacturer order ahead of outright pace, meaning fifth fastest qualifying Rick Kelly would start third as the second fastest Holden.

## Race 1

Race 1 was held on Friday 12 March immediately after the shootout.

## Race 2

Race 2 was held on Saturday 13 March.

## Race 3

Race 3 was held on Sunday 14 March.

## Results

Results as follows:

### Qualifying

| Pos | No | Name | Car | Team | Shootout | Qualifying |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Garth Tander | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 1:58.2337 | 1:58.8971 |
| 2 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Ford BF Falcon | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 1:58.4953 | 1:59.2023 |
| 3 | 6 | Steven Richards | Ford BF Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 1:58.7328 | 1:58.6621 |
| 4 | 18 | Will Davison | Ford BF Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 1:58.9980 | 1:58.7249 |
| 5 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | HSV Dealer Team | 1:59.0476 | 1:59.1387 |
| 6 | 3 | Jason Richards | Holden VE Commodore | Tasman Motorsport | 1:59.1864 | 1:58.7134 |
| 7 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford BF Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 1:59.4490 | 1:59.1371 |
| 8 | 2 | Mark Skaife | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 1:59.7825 | 1:58.5086 |
| 9 | 14 | Cameron McConville | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 1:59.9566 | 1:59.1964 |
| 10 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Ford BF Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 2:00.2959 | 1:59.2450 |
| 11 | 39 | Russell Ingall | Holden VE Commodore | Paul Morris Motorsport | | 1:59.2442 |
| 12 | 88 | Jamie Whincup | Ford BF Falcon | Triple Eight Race Engineering | | 1:59.2552 |
| 13 | 4 | James Courtney | Ford BF Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | | 1:59.2988 |
| 14 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford BF Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | | 1:59.3754 |
| 15 | 25 | Jason Bright | Ford BF Falcon | Britek Motorsport | | 1:59.4549 |
| 16 | 12 | Andrew Jones | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | | 1:59.4939 |
| 17 | 111 | Fabian Coulthard | Ford BF Falcon | Paul Cruickshank Racing | | 1:59.5730 |
| 18 | 33 | Lee Holdsworth | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | | 1:59.6715 |
| 19 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Holden VE Commodore | Tasman Motorsport | | 1:59.6851 |
| 20 | 16 | Paul Dumbrell | Holden VE Commodore | HSV Dealer Team | | 1:59.8272 |
| 21 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Perkins Engineering | | 1:59.9082 |
| 22 | 55 | Tony D'Alberto | Holden VE Commodore | Rod Nash Racing | | 2:00.0081 |
| 23 | 67 | Paul Morris | Holden VE Commodore | Paul Morris Motorsport | | 2:00.1834 |
| 24 | 50 | Andrew Thompson | Holden VE Commodore | Paul Weel Racing | | 2:00.3897 |
| 25 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | | 2:00.6498 |
| 26 | 11 | Shane Price | Holden VE Commodore | Perkins Engineering | | 2:00.8066 |
| 27 | 26 | Marcus Marshall | Ford BF Falcon | Britek Motorsport | | 2:01.0328 |
| 28 | 777 | Michael Patrizi | Ford BF Falcon | Ford Rising Stars Racing | | 2:01.7018 |
| 29 | 021 | Kayne Scott | Ford BF Falcon | Team Kiwi Racing | | 2:02.1051 |

### Race 1 results

| Pos | No | Name | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team | 13 | 27:54.4393 | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | 18 | Will Davison | Dick Johnson Racing | 13 | +2.6s | 6 | 92 |
| 3 | 15 | Rick Kelly | HSV Dealer Team | 13 | +2.9s | 3 | 86 |
| 4 | 2 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 13 | +3.3s | 7 | 80 |
| 5 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Performance Racing | 13 | +3.7s | 8 | 74 |
| 6 | 88 | Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 13 | +6.4s | 12 | 68 |
| 7 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | 13 | +7.0s | 10 | 64 |
| 8 | 14 | Cameron McConville | Brad Jones Racing | 13 | +7.4s | 9 | 60 |
| 9 | 3 | Jason Richards | Tasman Motorsport | 13 | +7.8s | 5 | 56 |
| 10 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tasman Motorsport | 13 | +8.1s | 17 | 52 |
| 11 | 33 | Lee Holdsworth | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 13 | +8.7s | 15 | 48 |
| 12 | 14 | Andrew Jones | Brad Jones Racing | 13 | +8.8s | 13 | 46 |
| 13 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 13 | +9.0s | 2 | 44 |
| 14 | 39 | Russell Ingall | Paul Morris Motorsport | 13 | +9.4s | 11 | 42 |
| 15 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Stone Brothers Racing | 13 | +9.5s | 16 | 40 |
| 16 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Perkins Engineering | 13 | +10.2s | 21 | 38 |
| 17 | 11 | Shane Price | Perkins Engineering | 13 | +11.5s | 29 | 36 |
| 18 | 55 | Tony D'Alberto | Rod Nash Racing | 13 | +12.0s | 23 | 34 |
| 19 | 16 | Paul Dumbrell | HSV Dealer Team | 13 | +12.2s | 19 | 32 |
| 20 | 111 | Fabian Coulthard | Paul Cruickshank Racing | 13 | +12.4s | 20 | 30 |
| 21 | 777 | Michael Patrizi | Ford Rising Stars Racing | 13 | +12.8s | 24 | 28 |
| 22 | 50 | Andrew Thompson | Paul Weel Racing | 13 | +13.8s | 27 | 26 |
| 23 | 25 | Jason Bright | Britek Motorsport | 13 | +14.7s | 18 | 24 |
| 24 | 4 | James Courtney | Stone Brothers Racing | 13 | +14.9s | 14 | 22 |
| 25 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 13 | +15.4s | 28 | 20 |
| 26 | 26 | Marcus Marshall | Britek Motorsport | 13 | +22.1s | 22 | 18 |
| DNF | 67 | Paul Morris | Team Sirromet Wines | 6 | | 25 | |
| DNF | 021 | Kayne Scott | Team Kiwi Racing | 5 | | 26 | |
| DNF | 6 | Steven Richards | Ford Performance Racing | 0 | | 4 | |

### Race 2 results

| Pos | No | Name | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team | 15 | 37:45.8517 | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | 18 | Will Davison | Dick Johnson Racing | 15 | +3.3s | 2 | 92 |
| 3 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Performance Racing | 15 | +3.5s | 4 | 86 |
| 4 | 15 | Rick Kelly | HSV Dealer Team | 15 | +4.4s | 3 | 80 |
| 5 | 88 | Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 15 | +4.6s | 6 | 74 |
| 6 | 2 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 15 | +5.3s | 5 | 68 |
| 7 | 14 | Andrew Jones | Brad Jones Racing | 15 | +8.7s | 15 | 64 |
| 8 | 39 | Russell Ingall | Paul Morris Motorsport | 15 | +8.9s | 17 | 60 |
| 9 | 33 | Lee Holdsworth | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 15 | +25.1s | 13 | 56 |
| 10 | 14 | Cameron McConville | Brad Jones Racing | 15 | +10.1s | 7 | 52 |
| 11 | 3 | Jason Richards | Tasman Motorsport | 15 | +10.5s | 9 | 48 |
| 12 | 6 | Steven Richards | Ford Performance Racing | 15 | +11.3s | 26 | 46 |
| 13 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Perkins Engineering | 15 | +11.8s | 19 | 44 |
| 14 | 4 | James Courtney | Stone Brothers Racing | 15 | +12.2s | 14 | 42 |
| 15 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | 15 | +13.5s | 8 | 40 |
| 16 | 25 | Jason Bright | Britek Motorsport | 15 | +20.9s | 18 | 38 |
| 17 | 111 | Fabian Coulthard | Paul Cruickshank Racing | 15 | +21.9s | 14 | 36 |
| 18 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 15 | +22.3s | 28 | 34 |
| 19 | 55 | Tony D'Alberto | Rod Nash Racing | 15 | +22.7s | 23 | 32 |
| 20 | 67 | Paul Morris | Team Sirromet Wines | 15 | +22.9s | 29 | 30 |
| 21 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Stone Brothers Racing | 15 | +23.1s | 12 | 28 |
| 22 | 26 | Marcus Marshall | Britek Motorsport | 15 | +25.7s | 22 | 26 |
| 23 | 021 | Kayne Scott | Team Kiwi Racing | 15 | +26.1s | 24 | 24 |
| 24 | 50 | Andrew Thompson | Paul Weel Racing | 15 | +26.6s | 27 | 22 |
| DNF | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tasman Motorsport | 14 | | 11 | |
| DNF | 777 | Michael Patrizi | Ford Rising Stars Racing | 13 | | 16 | |
| DNF | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 12 | | 10 | |
| DNF | 16 | Paul Dumbrell | HSV Dealer Team | 7 | | 25 | |
| DNF | 11 | Shane Price | Perkins Engineering | 1 | | 21 | |

### Race 3 results

| Pos | No | Name | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team | 16 | 34:44.3442 | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | 18 | Will Davison | Dick Johnson Racing | 16 | +2.5s | 2 | 92 |
| 3 | 15 | Rick Kelly | HSV Dealer Team | 16 | +4.4s | 3 | 86 |
| 4 | 2 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 16 | +10.4s | 5 | 80 |
| 5 | 39 | Russell Ingall | Paul Morris Motorsport | 16 | +12.0s | 9 | 74 |
| 6 | 6 | Steven Richards | Ford Performance Racing | 16 | +13.3s | 8 | 68 |
| 7 | 4 | James Courtney | Stone Brothers Racing | 16 | +16.0s | 10 | 64 |
| 8 | 14 | Cameron McConville | Brad Jones Racing | 16 | +17.2s | 13 | 60 |
| 9 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | 16 | +20.4s | 12 | 56 |
| 10 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 16 | +20.7s | 26 | 52 |
| 11 | 111 | Fabian Coulthard | Paul Cruickshank Racing | 16 | +8.6s | 16 | 48 |
| 12 | 33 | Lee Holdsworth | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 16 | +22.3s | 11 | 46 |
| 13 | 3 | Jason Richards | Tasman Motorsport | 16 | +26.2s | 15 | 44 |
| 14 | 25 | Jason Bright | Britek Motorsport | 16 | +28.1s | 14 | 42 |
| 15 | 55 | Tony D'Alberto | Rod Nash Racing | 16 | +28.6s | 21 | 40 |
| 16 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tasman Motorsport | 16 | +29.8s | 27 | 38 |
| 17 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 16 | +30.7s | 19 | 36 |
| 18 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Perkins Engineering | 16 | +35.8s | 17 | 34 |
| 19 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Stone Brothers Racing | 16 | +41.6s | 18 | 32 |
| 20 | 777 | Michael Patrizi | Ford Rising Stars Racing | 16 | +42.0s | 24 | 30 |
| 21 | 11 | Shane Price | Perkins Engineering | 16 | +43.3s | 28 | 28 |
| 22 | 26 | Marcus Marshall | Britek Motorsport | 16 | +45.6s | 20 | 26 |
| 23 | 50 | Andrew Thompson | Paul Weel Racing | 16 | +47.9s | 25 | 24 |
| 24 | 021 | Kayne Scott | Team Kiwi Racing | 16 | +54.1s | 22 | 22 |
| 25 | 14 | Andrew Jones | Brad Jones Racing | 16 | +1:22.3s | 7 | 20 |
| DNF | 67 | Paul Morris | Team Sirromet Wines | 6 | | 23 | |
| DNF | 88 | Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 4 | | 6 | |
| DNF | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Performance Racing | 1 | | 4 | |
| DNS | 16 | Paul Dumbrell | HSV Dealer Team | | | | |
