Virgin Australia LASTCAR Championship: August 2014

Monday 25 August 2014

Calls for safety improvements as Pye creates 2nd place logjam

Scott Pye picked up his 5^th Last-place finish of his career when his #16 Wilson Security Holden was involved in another scary two-car accident on the opening lap of the final race at Eastern Creek. The finish came in Pye's 26^th start, and moves him into a logjam in second place of the Australian V8 LASTCAR championship.

The field was contracted again to 23 cars after Robert Dahlgren in the #34 Cure Brain Cancer/Valvoline Volvo withdrew due to the damage sustained in a race 2 accident. Craig Lowndes started the race trailing the field following a qualifying mishap, but by turn 2 Rick Kelly dropped to the rear, but then at turn three, disaster struck.

Mark Winterbottom in the #5 Pepsi Max Ford bumped his team-mate David Reynolds in the #55 Bottle-O Ford, sending him into Scott Pye in the #16 Wilson Security Holden, sending both of them into the wet grass and sliding both of them into the wall, Scott Pye nosing his car into the wall and David Reynolds backing his car into the wall, ending both their days. However, David Reynolds managed to limp back to the pit-lane, recording the completion of a lap and relegating Pye to last-place.

Rounding out the bottom five is James Courtney in the #22 SPTools Holden who suffered a Gearbox failure on lap 11, Mark Winterbottom in the #5 Pepsi Max Ford who triggered the opening lap crash involving Reynolds and Pye, leading to a drive-thru penalty, plus additional tire problems towards the end of the race and Jack Perkins in the #18 Jeld-Wen Ford.

With 13 races to go in the 2014 Australian V8 LASTCAR series, and heading into the Pirtek Enduro Cup, Todd Kelly in the #7 Jack Daniels Nissan is still out in front on 4 Last-place finishes, however with Pye's last-place finish, 5 cars are now jammed in second place with 3 Last-place finishes each.

The Bottom Five

Scott Pye	0 Laps	Crash
David Reynolds	1 Lap	Crash
James Courtney	10 Laps	Gearbox
Mark Winterbottom	50 Laps	Running
Jack Perkins	51 Laps	Running

Lastcar Standings

Manufacturer Standings:

Holden: 12

Ford: 8

Nissan: 7

Volvo: 4

Mercedes: 1

Driver Standings:

Todd Kelly: 4

Tim Slade, Dale Wood, David Reynolds, Robert Dahlgren, Scott Pye: 3

David Wall, James Moffat, Jack Perkins: 2

Nick Percat, Garth Tander, Scott McLaughlin, Shane Van Gisbergen, Will Davison, Craig Lowndes, Michael Caruso: 1

Dahlgren caught out in the wet as Title fight heats up

Robert Dahlgren picked up his 3^rd last-place finish of his carrer when his #34 Cure Brain Cancer/Valvoline Volvo retired with Crash Damage after 1 of the race's 24 laps. The finish came in Dahlgren's 10^th start, and tightening the race for the 2014 Australian V8 LASTCAR championship up further.

24 cars took the green flag in the second race after Tim Slade withdrew the #47 Supercheap Auto holden following a huge accident on the opening lap of the first race. Dale Wood started the race trailing the field in the #21 ADVAM Holden. On the opening lap Scott McLaughlin in the #33 Cure Brain Cancer/Valvoline Volvo lost the right-rear wheel, and while trying to get back to the lane, there was significant damage to the rear of McLaughlin's car, dropping him to the rear.

While Scott McLaughlin was having repairs made to his car his Volvo teammate Robert Dahlgren got to wide at turn 5, the car spun out, sliding onto the wet grass and slamming the inside wall. Dahlgren was unhurt, but the car was too damaged to continue, dropping him to second-last, and cementing a 1-2 last-place finish for Volvo.

Scott McLaughlin returned to the racetrack on lap 15 and while he circulated long enough to relegate Robert Dahlgren to the last position, Scott only completed about 1/3rd of the race, which is not enough laps to be classified as a finisher, even though Scott greeted the checkered flag.

Rounding out the bottom five is Garth Tander in the #2 SP Tools Holden, who made contact with Todd Kelly, causing the steering to fail, resulting in the #2 being bogged in the mud, Scott Pye in the #16 Walkinshaw Racing Holden after contact with Michael Caruso in the #36 Norton Hornet, who rounded out the bottom five when he was penalised for said incident.

The Bottom Five

Robert Dahlgren	1 Lap	Crash
Scott McLaughlin	9 Laps	Lost Wheel
Garth Tander	21 Laps	Crash
Scott Pye	22 Laps	Running
Michael Caruso	23 Laps	Running

Lastcar Standings

Manufacturer Standings:

Holden: 11

Ford: 8

Nissan: 7

Volvo: 4

Mercedes: 1

Driver Standings:

Todd Kelly: 4

Tim Slade, Dale Wood, David Reynolds, Robert Dahlgren: 3

Scott Pye, David Wall, James Moffat, Jack Perkins: 2

Nick Percat, Garth Tander, Scott McLaughlin, Shane Van Gisbergen, Will Davison, Craig Lowndes, Michael Caruso: 1

Scary wet-weather crash leaves Reynolds trailing field at Eastern Creek

David Reynolds picked up his 6^th last-place finish of his career when his #55 Bottle-O Ford was involved in a scary two-car accident on the opening lap of the first race at Eastern Creek. The finish came in Reynolds' 68^th start, and moves him into a logjam in second place for the 2014 Australian V8 LASTCAR championship.

Race 26 was the first wet race for the Car of the Future. Heading into turn 3 James Moffat in the #360 Norton Hornet bumped David Reynolds in the #55 Bottle-O Ford, turning him around. Around the same time, Tim Slade in the #47 Supercheap Auto Holden was battling for position and although he saw Reynolds spin, the spray was so great that he lost sight of Reynolds and the next thing he knew he was up on two wheels, having collected Reynolds. As Slade got back to the pit-lane before Reynolds did, Slade was given the 24^th position.

Rounding out the bottom five was Scott McLaughlin in the #33 Cure Brain Cancer/Valvoline Volvo who lost the engine on his car after 11 laps, and both Fabian Coultard in the #14 Lockwood Holden, and Todd Kelly in the #7 Jack Daniel's Nissan, who both tangled on lap 16, resulting in race-ending damage for both drivers.

The Bottom Five

David Reynolds	1 Lap	Crash
Tim Slade	1 Lap	Crash
Scott McLaughlin	11 Laps	Engine
Todd Kelly	16 Laps	Crash
Fabian Coultard	16 Laps	Crash

Lastcar Standings

Manufacturer Standings:

Holden: 11

Ford: 8

Nissan: 7

Volvo: 3

Mercedes: 1

Driver Standings:

Todd Kelly: 4

Tim Slade, Dale Wood, David Reynolds: 3

Scott Pye, David Wall, Robert Dahlgren, James Moffat, Jack Perkins: 2

Nick Percat, Garth Tander, Scott McLaughlin, Shane Van Gisbergen, Will Davison, Craig Lowndes, Michael Caruso: 1

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Tire failure leaves Reynolds trailing field at Ipswich

David Reynolds picked up his 5^th last-place finish of his career when his #55 Bottle-O Ford finished under power, 1 lap down in the final race at Ipswich. The finish came in Reynolds' 67^th race start.

Initially Dale Wood was in the rear in the #21 Advan Holden, however on lap 2 Lee Holdsworth in the #4 AMG Customer Products Mercedes entered the pit-lane for an early pit-stop, dropping him to the rear, and a subsequent drive-through penalty for spinning the wheels in the pit-lane dropped him a lap down, trapping him in last. Later in the race, David Reynolds in the #55 Bottle-O Ford blew a left-rear tire, and as he had already done a pit-stop, the second pit-stop dropped Reynolds to the rear of the field. Then near the half-way mark of the race, Scott McLaughlin blew a left-front tire, and in the process of getting back to the pit-lane, McLaughlin dropped to the rear of the field. After another round of pit-stops, firstly Lee Holdsworth then David Reynolds cycled to the rear of the field, where he stayed until the end of the race.

Rounding out the bottom five is Jack Perkins in the #18 Jeld-Wen Ford, Lee Holdsworth in the #4 AMG Customer Products Mercedes, Mark Winterbottom in the #5 Pepsi Max Ford, who lost the championship lead to Jamie Whincup in the #1 Red Bull Holden, and Todd Kelly in the #7 Jack Daniel's Nissan, all of whom except Todd Kelly had tire issues during this race.

Australian 2014 V8 Lastcar Championship Statistic

All three of the people who finished last in this round picked up their second last-place finish of 2014.

The Bottom Five

David Reynolds	64 Laps	Running
Jack Perkins	65 Laps	Running
Lee Holdsworth	65 Laps	Running
Mark Winterbottom	65 Laps	Running
Todd Kelly	65 Laps	Running

Lastcar Standings

Manufacturer Standings:

Holden: 11

Nissan, Ford: 7

Volvo: 3

Mercedes: 1

Driver Standings:

Todd Kelly: 4

Tim Slade, Dale Wood: 3

Scott Pye, David Wall, Robert Dahlgren, James Moffat, Jack Perkins, David Reynolds: 2

Nick Percat, Garth Tander, Scott McLaughlin, Shane Van Gisbergen, Will Davison, Craig Lowndes, Michael Caruso: 1

Lack of pace leaves Perkins trailing the field at Ipswich

Jack Perkins picked up his 8^th last-place finish of his career when his #18 Jeld-Wen Ford finished under power, on the lead lap in the second race at Ipswich. The finish came in Perkins' 34^th Round Start.

Initially David Wall in the #17 Wilson Security Holden was in the rear, However at the final corner on the first lap, James Moffat had an issue in the final corner in the #360 Norton Hornet, and fell to the rear. James Moffat started to charge back through the field, dropping Dale Wood in the #21 Advam Holden to the rear. Shortly afterwards Dale Wood passed Jack Perkins in the #18 Jeld-Wen ford, dropping Perkins to the rear. Then on lap 24, Michael Caruso in the #36 Norton Hornet made contact with Scott McLaughlin in the #33 Valvoline Volvo, with the subsequent penalty for Caruso dropping him to the rear, although Caruso did relegate Jack Perkins to the rear before the end of the race.

Rounding out the bottom five is Michael Caruso in the #36 Norton Hornet, Dale Wood in the #21 Advam Holden, Robert Dahlgren in the #34 Valvoline Volvo and Russell Ingall in the #23 Repair Management Australia Holden.

The Bottom Five

Jack Perkins	33 Laps	Running
Michael Caruso	33 Laps	Running
Dale Wood	33 Laps	Running
Robert Dahlgren	33 Laps	Running
Russell Ingall	33 Laps	Running

Lastcar Standings

Manufacturer Standings:

Holden: 11

Nissan: 7

Ford: 6

Volvo: 3

Mercedes: 1

Driver Standings:

Todd Kelly: 4

Tim Slade, Dale Wood: 3

Scott Pye, David Wall, Robert Dahlgren, James Moffat, Jack Perkins: 2

David Reynolds, Nick Percat, Garth Tander, Scott McLaughlin, Shane Van Gisbergen, Will Davison, Craig Lowndes, Michael Caruso: 1

Moffat's Tire failure nets 2nd last-place finish

James Moffat picked up his 8^th last-place finish of his career when his #360 Norton Hornet retired with a tire failure after 30 of the race's 33 laps. The finish came in Moffat's 51^st start.

Early on, Dale Wood in the #21 Advam Holden was trailing the field, and early on Todd Kelly in the #7 Jack Daniel's Racing Nissan locked up heavily in turn 6, which flat-spotted all bar 1 of the tires which plummeted Todd through the field until, on lap 7, Todd dropped behind Dale Wood for last, which Todd Kelly's fifth last-place finish of the year was set to be certain when a left-front tire let go on lap 27, however on lap 32 James Moffat blew a left-rear tire, and with Moffat failing to make it into the pit-lane and back put onto the track before the end of the race, Moffat was relegated to last on the final lap.

Rou nding out the bottom five was Todd Kelly in the #7 Jack Daniel's Nissan, Robert Dahlgren in the #34 Valvoline Volvo, Dale Wood in the #21 Advam Holden and Jack Perkins in the #18 Jeld-Wen Ford.

The Bottom Five

James Moffat	30 Laps	Tire
Todd Kelly	31 Laps	Running
Robert Dahlgren	33 Laps	Running
Dale Wood	33 Laps	Running
Jack Perkins	33 Laps	Running

Lastcar Standings

Manufacturer Standings:

Holden: 11

Nissan: 7

Ford: 5

Volvo: 3

Mercedes: 1

Driver Standings:

Todd Kelly: 4

Tim Slade, Dale Wood: 3

Scott Pye, David Wall, Robert Dahlgren, James Moffat: 2

David Reynolds, Nick Percat, Garth Tander, Scott McLaughlin, Shane Van Gisbergen, Jack Perkins, Will Davison, Craig Lowndes, Michael Caruso: 1

How Juniorgeneric defines a Last-Place finisher

Australian V8 LASTCAR'S Official Definition of a "Last-Place Finisher" (LPF)

For the purposes of the Australian V8 LASTCAR championship rankings and statistics, a "Last-Place Finisher" (LPF) is a driver(s) who, after qualifying for a V8 Supercars Championship Points-Paying race, the result must be confirmed from official sources, or unofficial sources failing that. Only one driver (or two in a endurance race) can be classified as the LPF for that race.

Meeting those requirements, the LPF can be any driver classified as such for any reason, including, but not limited to.
1) A "did not start" although it should be noted that there is a difference between my definition of "did not start" and Brock Beard's definition of "Did not Start".
For example, in Bathurst 2015 Chazz Mostert and Cameron Waters' #6 Pepsi Max Ford had a huge accident during practice that injured Mostert and all but wrote off the car. Car #6 was withdrawn, and therefore I don't count Mostert and Waters as finishing last. Under Brock Beard's definition, however, Mostert and Waters would have finished last instead of David Wall and Chris Pither.
2) An entrant who encounters an event once the race has started which prevents the driver(s) from finishing ahead of any other qualified entrants, including both DNFs and drivers who finish under power but laps down*

*Only when all the cars in the race are running ahead of the LPF

3) A decision to “start and park” the driver’s entry (Extremely rare in V8 Supercars)
(4) a disqualification handed down by V8 Supercars and/or track officials that subsequently classifies the driver(s) in the final position behind the unofficial LPF.

Australian V8 LASTCAR shall not consider the LPF as anything else, including but not limited too
1) Any DNQ's
2) Any driver's who's car withdrew before the race start.
3)The lowest-ranked driver who finishes the race under power (unless all cars finished under power, actually quite common in V8 Supercars)
4) A driver(s) who finished last initially, however post-race disqualifications usurped the spot.
5) A driver(s) who may be catagorised as finishing last for exhibition events (I may bring these back at some point in the near future, I need more accurate numbers for the events before I start them up again)
6) Anything in non-V8 Supercar Main game (again, insufficent historical data)
7) A driver who was running last when the checkered flag fell, however because they greeted the checkered flag but a drive who was in front of them at the end of the race, however was not running at the end of the race. In that instance the driver who doesn't finish the race will fall behind the driver whom is still running at the end of the race.

In the rare event where official results or a preponderance of unofficial results are later updated with more accurate information about who was the LPF for that event, Australian V8 LASTCAR rankings and statistics shall be updated to reflect that change.