2016 Phillip Island SuperSprint

The 2016 WD-40 Phillip Island SuperSprint was a motor racing event for V8 Supercars, held on the weekend of 15 to 17 April 2016. The event was held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit at Phillip Island, Victoria, and consisted of one race of 120 kilometres and one race of 200 km in length. It was the third event of fourteen in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship and hosted Races 6 and 7 of the season.[1] The event was the 18th running of the Phillip Island SuperSprint and was the 500th event in the combined history of the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercars.[2]

Victoria (state) 2016 WD-40 Phillip Island SuperSprint
Event Information
Round 3 of 14 in the 2016 International V8 Supercars Championship
Date15–17 April 2016
LocationPhillip Island, Victoria
VenuePhillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
WeatherFriday: fine
Saturday: overcast
Sunday: fine
Results
Race 1
Distance 27 laps 120 km
Pole position Scott McLaughlin
Garry Rogers Motorsport
1:30.4880
Winner Scott McLaughlin
Garry Rogers Motorsport
42:39.8093
Race 2
Distance 45 laps 200 km
Pole position Scott McLaughlin
Garry Rogers Motorsport
1:30.7018
Winner Scott McLaughlin
Garry Rogers Motorsport
1:17:33.4257

The event was dominated by Scott McLaughlin, who won both races from pole position. Second place was taken by Jamie Whincup in Race 6, a result which also saw him take the championship lead, while Mark Winterbottom finished second in Race 7. DJR Team Penske enjoyed a strong weekend, with Fabian Coulthard and Scott Pye finishing third in Races 6 and 7 respectively.

Report

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Background

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The Holden Racing Team ran a one-off tribute livery on its cars to raise awareness for the ANZAC appeal.[3] A new rule was introduced for the event, preventing teams from changing brake rotors and pads between qualifying and each race.[4]

Will Davison entered the event as the championship leader ahead of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

Practice

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Two one-hour practice sessions were held on Friday afternoon. Enduro Cup co-drivers were permitted to take part in the first session and Tony D'Alberto, Dean Fiore, Macauley Jones and Luke Youlden all completed laps. The session was topped by Lowndes, who set a time of 1:31.7255. Garth Tander was second fastest ahead of Whincup, who ran off the road at Turn 2 during the session.[5] Scott McLaughlin set a new practice lap record of 1:30.3918 to go quickest in the second session. His time was six tenths of a second faster than that of second-placed Fabian Coulthard. Several drivers went off the circuit at Turns 1 and 2 during the session.[6]

A 15-minute session was held on Saturday morning. Mark Winterbottom set the fastest time early in the session, with a light rain shower preventing drivers from improving their times at the end of the session.[7]

Practice summary
Session Day Fastest lap
No. Driver Team Car Time
Practice 1 Friday 888   Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 1:31.7255
Practice 2 Friday 33   Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 1:30.3918
Practice 3 Saturday 1   Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 1:31.3178

Qualifying – Race 6

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Qualifying for Race 6 took place on Saturday afternoon and was 15 minutes in duration. McLaughlin took his first pole position of the season, setting a time of 1:30.4880. Chaz Mostert was second fastest ahead of Winterbottom, Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen.[8]

Race 6

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Race 6 was held on Saturday afternoon. McLaughlin and Mostert maintained their positions at the start while Whincup moved into third place ahead of Winterbottom. Drivers began making their compulsory pit stops at the end of lap 4, with Winterbottom, Van Gisbergen, Lowndes, Scott Pye and Michael Caruso pitting at this time. Mostert made his pit stop one lap later, while McLaughlin and Whincup pitted on the following two laps. McLaughlin emerged as effective leader, being the best-placed driver to have made a pit stop, ahead of Whincup and Mostert. Brad Jones Racing mimicked the strategy it had used at Symmons Plains, running its drivers Jason Bright and Tim Slade to laps 16 and 17 before performing their pit stops. They came out of the pit lane in 16th and tenth places respectively but were able to move forward in the closing stages due to their fresher tyres.[9]

While running in eighth place on lap 24, Pye suffered a tyre failure going into the first corner. He went off the circuit and spun before driving back to the pit lane to change the affected wheel, leaving him in last place. Mostert also suffered a puncture on the final lap, dropping him from third to 23rd. McLaughlin took victory, 1.2 seconds clear of Whincup, while Coulthard finished third after making up multiple positions following his pit stop. James Moffat scored his best result of the season with seventh, while Slade and Bright made it to eighth and tenth places respectively. With Davison finishing in 16th place, Whincup assumed the lead in the championship.[9]

Qualifying – Race 7

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Qualifying for Race 7 was a 20-minute session held on Sunday morning. McLaughlin again took pole position, followed by Whincup, Winterbottom, Coulthard and Moffat. Whincup and Caruso both spun at Turn 2 early in the session. Whincup said of his spin: "It was a bit of a wild ride, my foot slipped off the pedal so it was a weird one."[10]

Race 7

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Race 7 took place on Sunday afternoon. The race regulations required each car to take on at least 120 litres of fuel during the race. Coulthard's car had a misfire on the warm-up lap and he was slow to get away at the start as a result. He completed only four laps before retiring from the race. Whincup challenged McLaughlin for the lead at the start but went wide at the first corner, though he maintained second place. Mostert was spun at Turn 4 after Davison and Tander made contact. Several drivers pitted at the end of the first lap to fulfil part of the fuel requirement. McLaughlin made his first pit stop on lap 10, followed by Whincup on lap 11. After every driver had completed their first pit stop, McLaughlin led from Whincup, Pye, Lowndes and Caruso.[11]

Van Gisbergen was the first driver to make a second stop on lap 18. McLaughlin pitted at the end of lap 21, while Whincup delayed his second stop until lap 25 in order to shorten the length of his final stint and have better tyre condition at the end of the race. Following the second round of pit stops, McLaughlin continued to lead ahead of Whincup and Pye. Cam Waters suffered a tyre failure on the main straight on lap 34 and was hit by Andre Heimgartner as he slowed. The safety car was deployed to allow debris from the incident to be cleared. Dale Wood, Van Gisbergen and Bright all pitted to take on fresh tyres.[11] However, Bright was forced to retire from the race soon after when he lost power.[12]

The race restarted on lap 39 and Winterbottom passed Pye for third place at the final corner. Whincup ran wide at the same time and dropped to fourth place. Moffat went off the circuit on lap 43 and dropped from eighth to 15th place. McLaughlin took the race win ahead of Winterbottom, Pye, Whincup and Lowndes. Mostert recovered from his early spin to finish eighth, while Van Gisbergen made it up to tenth, having been twentieth after pitting during the safety car period.[11]

Whincup maintained the championship lead while McLaughlin moved into second place, 15 points behind. Winterbottom was third, a further nine points behind McLaughlin.[11]

Results

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Race 6

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Driver Team Car Time
1 33   Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 1:30.4880
2 55   Chaz Mostert Rod Nash Racing Ford FG X Falcon 1:30.5051
3 1   Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 1:30.6503
4 88   Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 1:30.6668
5 97   Shane van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 1:30.6936
6 23   Michael Caruso Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 1:30.7407
7 888   Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 1:30.8193
8 34   James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 1:30.8605
9 12   Fabian Coulthard DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 1:30.9669
10 17   Scott Pye DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 1:30.9730
11 7   Todd Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 1:30.9854
12 14   Tim Slade Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 1:31.0659
13 15   Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 1:31.1099
14 22   James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 1:31.1534
15 8   Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 1:31.2574
16 9   David Reynolds Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:31.2663
17 18   Lee Holdsworth Team 18 Holden VF Commodore 1:31.3293
18 2   Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 1:31.4037
19 222   Nick Percat Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:31.4228
20 40   Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore 1:31.4453
21 6   Cam Waters Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 1:31.4535
22 96   Dale Wood Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 1:31.4630
23 111   Chris Pither Super Black Racing Ford FG X Falcon 1:31.6451
24 21   Tim Blanchard Britek Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:31.9751
25 3   Andre Heimgartner Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:32.0998
26 4   Aaren Russell Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:33.1427
Source:[8]

Race

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Pos. No. Driver Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 33   Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 27 42:39.8093 1 150
2 88   Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 27 +1.2 s 4 138
3 12   Fabian Coulthard DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 27 +10.9 s 9 129
4 97   Shane van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 27 +16.8 s 5 120
5 1   Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 27 +17.2 s 3 111
6 888   Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 27 +19.9 s 7 102
7 34   James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 27 +23.4 s 8 96
8 14   Tim Slade Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 27 +23.5 s 12 90
9 2   Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 27 +29.9 s 18 84
10 8   Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 27 +30.3 s 15 78
11 7   Todd Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 27 +35.3 s 11 72
12 9   David Reynolds Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 27 +35.4 s 16 69
13 23   Michael Caruso Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 27 +35.9 s 6 66
14 15   Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 27 +38.3 s 13 63
15 18   Lee Holdsworth Team 18 Holden VF Commodore 27 +38.4 s 17 60
16 40   Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore 27 +39.5 s 20 57
17 222   Nick Percat Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 27 +39.9 s 19 54
18 6   Cam Waters Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 27 +42.6 s 21 51
19 111   Chris Pither Super Black Racing Ford FG X Falcon 27 +44.7 s 23 48
20 96   Dale Wood Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 27 +46.2 s 22 45
21 22   James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 27 +47.1 s 14 42
22 21   Tim Blanchard Britek Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 27 +48.6 s 24 39
23 55   Chaz Mostert Rod Nash Racing Ford FG X Falcon 27 +49.1 s 2 36
24 3   Andre Heimgartner Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 27 +49.2 s 25 33
25 4   Aaren Russell Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 27 +1:06.6 26 30
26 17   Scott Pye DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 25 +2 laps 10 27
Source:[9]

Race 7

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Qualifying

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Pos. No. Driver Team Car Time
1 33   Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 1:30.7018
2 88   Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 1:30.7741
3 1   Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 1:30.7825
4 12   Fabian Coulthard DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 1:30.8049
5 34   James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 1:30.9342
6 97   Shane van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 1:30.9374
7 17   Scott Pye DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 1:30.9898
8 15   Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 1:31.0049
9 888   Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 1:31.0065
10 23   Michael Caruso Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 1:31.0938
11 18   Lee Holdsworth Team 18 Holden VF Commodore 1:31.1087
12 7   Todd Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 1:31.1714
13 22   James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 1:31.2091
14 55   Chaz Mostert Rod Nash Racing Ford FG X Falcon 1:31.2515
15 14   Tim Slade Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 1:31.3036
16 40   Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore 1:31.3376
17 8   Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 1:31.3581
18 6   Cam Waters Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 1:31.4065
19 111   Chris Pither Super Black Racing Ford FG X Falcon 1:31.6157
20 2   Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 1:31.6265
21 96   Dale Wood Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 1:31.6410
22 9   David Reynolds Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:31.7126
23 21   Tim Blanchard Britek Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:31.7927
24 3   Andre Heimgartner Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:31.8163
25 222   Nick Percat Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:32.1579
26 4   Aaren Russell Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 1:32.9644
Source:[10]

Race

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Pos. No. Driver Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 33   Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 45 1:17:33.4257 1 150
2 1   Mark Winterbottom Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 45 +1.0 s 3 138
3 17   Scott Pye DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 45 +2.9 s 7 129
4 88   Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 45 +3.3 s 2 120
5 888   Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 45 +3.8 s 9 111
6 23   Michael Caruso Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 45 +6.4 s 10 102
7 22   James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 45 +7.0 s 13 96
8 55   Chaz Mostert Rod Nash Racing Ford FG X Falcon 45 +7.9 s 14 90
9 40   Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore 45 +9.7 s 16 84
10 97   Shane van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore 45 +10.7 s 6 78
11 15   Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 45 +13.1 s 8 72
12 7   Todd Kelly Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 45 +13.4 s 12 69
13 14   Tim Slade Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 45 +13.9 s 15 66
14 9   David Reynolds Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 45 +15.4 s 22 63
15 34   James Moffat Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60 45 +16.4 s 5 60
16 2   Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden VF Commodore 45 +17.2 s 20 57
17 21   Tim Blanchard Britek Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 45 +17.3 s 23 54
18 96   Dale Wood Nissan Motorsport Nissan Altima L33 45 +17.7 s 21 51
19 18   Lee Holdsworth Team 18 Holden VF Commodore 45 +18.8 s 11 48
20 222   Nick Percat Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 45 +21.4 s 25 45
21 3   Andre Heimgartner Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 45 +22.3 s 24 42
22 4   Aaren Russell Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore 45 +25.1 s 26 39
23 6   Cam Waters Prodrive Racing Australia Ford FG X Falcon 44 +1 lap 18 36
24 111   Chris Pither Super Black Racing Ford FG X Falcon 36 +9 laps 19 33
Ret 8   Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore 35 Oil pressure 17
Ret 12   Fabian Coulthard DJR Team Penske Ford FG X Falcon 3 Engine 4
Source:[11]

Championship standings after the event

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  • After Race 7 of 29. Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References

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  1. ^ "V8 Supercars 2016 calendar change". V8 Supercars. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Major milestone for Phillip Island". V8 Supercars. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  3. ^ Bartholomaeus, Stefan (13 April 2016). "HRT ANZAC livery returns for Phillip Island". Speedcafe. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  4. ^ Gadeke, Kassie; Newton, Bruce (15 April 2016). "Them's the brakes". V8 Supercars. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  5. ^ Bartholomaeus, Stefan (15 April 2016). "Lowndes quickest in first Phillip Island practice". Speedcafe. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  6. ^ Bartholomaeus, Stefan (15 April 2016). "McLaughlin blitzes Friday Phillip Island practice". Speedcafe. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  7. ^ Bartholomaeus, Stefan (16 April 2016). "Winterbottom fastest in rain hit final practice". Speedcafe. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  8. ^ a b Bartholomaeus, Stefan (16 April 2016). "McLaughlin on pole for Phillip Island opener". Speedcafe. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Bartholomaeus, Stefan (16 April 2016). "McLaughlin breaks victory drought in Race 6". Speedcafe. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  10. ^ a b Bartholomaeus, Stefan (17 April 2016). "McLaughlin takes second Phillip Island pole". Speedcafe. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d e Bartholomaeus, Stefan (17 April 2016). "McLaughlin doubles up at Phillip Island". Speedcafe. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  12. ^ Gadeke, Kassie (17 April 2016). "Back to back". V8 Supercars. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
Supercars Championship
Previous race:
2016 Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint
2016 Supercars Championship Next race:
2016 Perth SuperSprint
Previous year:
2015 WD-40 Phillip Island Super Sprint
Phillip Island 500 Next year:
2017 WD-40 Phillip Island 500