Virgin Australia LASTCAR Championship: July 2016

Sunday 24 July 2016

Late race biffo leaves Courtney last at Ipswich

James Courtney picked up his 13^th last-place finish of his career when his #22 SP Tools Holden was involved in a four car crash that ended his run after 61 of the race’ 65 laps. The finish came in Courtney’s 335^th start.

Craig Baird in the #4 Hungry Jacks/Penrite Oils Holden started the race in the rear. Pitstops began on lap 1 and last-place cycled between Jason Bright in the #8 BOC Holden on lap 1, Will Davison in the #19 Darrell Lea STIX Holden on lap 6, Kurt Kostecki in the #18 Preston Hire/Fuchs Holden was in the rear by lap 15, with David Reynolds in the #9 Penrite Oils Holden falling to the rear on lap 16, followed by Tim Blanchard in the #21 Cooldrive Distribution Holden on lap 19.

The second round of pitstops began, and last changed places between Cameron Waters in the #6 Monster Energy/Castrol Holden on lap 28, then Scott Pye in the #17 Penske Truck Rentals Holden on lap 31. Pye then slid off the road on lap 33 to fall further behind 25^th.

Scott Pye held last until the last six laps when Tim Blanchard fell to the rear after another pit-stop. Just as it looked like Blanchard would finish last disaster strikes for James Courtney in the #22 SP Tools Holden, who had contact with Rick Kelly in the #15 Sengeld Nissan, Shane Van Gisbergen in the #97 Red Bull Holden and Garth Tander in the #2 SP Tools Holden, resulting in Steering damage for Courtney and forcing him out with just four laps left, dropping him to last.

Rounding out the Bottom Five was Tim Blanchard in the #21 Cooldrive Distribution Holden, Scott Pye in the #17 Penske Truck Rentals Ford, David Reynolds in the #9 Penrite OIls Holden and Craig Baird in the #4 Hungry Jacks/Penrite Oils Holden.

James Courtney	61 Laps	Crash
Tim Blanchard	64 Laps	Running
Scott Pye	64 Laps	Running
David Reynolds	65 Laps	Running
Craig Baird	65 Laps	Running

Driver's Championship

Nick Percat: 4

Lee Holdsworth (Trying to come back at Eastern Creek): 2

Tim Slade, Aaren Russell, Scott McLaughlin, Chris Pither, Scott Pye, Fabian Coulthard, Michael Caruso, Cameron Waters, James Moffat, Kurt Kostecki, James Courtney: 1

Team's Championship

Lucas Dumbrell Motorsports: 4

Charlie Schwerkolt Racing: 3

DJR Team Penske, Gary Rodgers Motorsport: 2

BOC Racing, Erebus Motorsports, Super Black Racing, Pepsi Max Racing, Nissan Motorsports, Holden Racing Team, 1

Manufacturer’s Championship

Holden: 11

Ford: 4

Volvo: 2

Nissan: 1

Post-Race Exclusion leaves Percat last at Ipswich

Nick Percat picked up his 9^th last-place finish of his career when his unsponsored #222 Holden was excluded post-race for a minimum weight breach after -38 of the race’s 38 laps. The finish came in Percat’s 94^th start.

Scott Pye in the #17 Penske Truck Rental Ford was to start the race in the rear, however during the warm-up lap Camerom Waters in the #6 Castrol/Monster Energy Ford suffered a gearbox issue, stopping Waters from starting the race and dropping him to the rear before the race even begins. Pepsi Max Racing got Cameron Waters back out, but the car didn’t last long, retiring for good after just 4 circuits. Post-race, Nick Percat was excluded because car #222 had a front bumper bar weighed below the minimum weight requirements, dropping him to last.

Rounding out the bottom five was Craig Baird in the #4 Hungry Jacks Holden, Kurt Kosticki in the #18 FUCHS/Preston Hire Holden and Michael Caruso in the #23 Nissan GT Academy/Nissan Nismo Nissan after dropping the jack without the right-rear wheel properly on, then having to replace the tire after the car was re-jacked on lap 8

The Bottom Five

Nick Percat	-38 Laps	Excluded
Cameron Waters	4 Laps	Driveline
Craig Baird	38 Laps	Running
Kurt Kostecki	38 Laps	Running
Michael Caruso	38 Laps	Running

Driver's Championship

Nick Percat: 4

Lee Holdsworth (Trying to come back at Eastern Creek): 2

Tim Slade, Aaren Russell, Scott McLaughlin, Chris Pither, Scott Pye, Fabian Coulthard, Michael Caruso, Cameron Waters, James Moffat, Kurt Kostecki: 1

Team's Championship

Lucas Dumbrell Motorsports: 4

Charlie Schwerkolt Racing: 3

DJR Team Penske, Gary Rodgers Motorsport: 2

BOC Racing, Erebus Motorsports, Super Black Racing, Pepsi Max Racing, Nissan Motorsports, 1

Manufacturer’s Championship

Holden: 10

Ford: 4

Volvo: 2

Nissan: 1

Sunday 10 July 2016

Crash leaves rookie Kostecki last at Townsville

Kurt Kostecki picked up his first last-place finish of his career when his #18 Preston Hire/Fuchs Holden retired with Steering damage after 29 of the race's 70 laps. The finish came in Kostecki's 2nd start.

Kurt Kostecki in the #18 Preston Hire/Fuchs Holden started the race in the rear, and almost immediately Todd Kelly in the #7 Carsales.com Nissan hit Tim Slade in the #14 Alliance Truck Parts Holden, damaging the tires on both cars, dropping Todd the rear, a lap down. Slade lost at lap on lap 16. Todd lost a second lap during a pit-stop on lap 20, but got that lap back when Whincup pitted on lap 24. Todd Kelly would finish 23^rd.

Todd Kelly held last until lap 30 when Kurt Kostecki in the #18 Preston Hire/Fuchs Holden sufferd a Steering failure, before making contact with the wall, causing the first caution of the race, dropping Kostecki to last. Next to fall out was Nick Percat in the #222 Plus Fitness Holden after suffering Steering damage on lap 40. The final car to fall out was Andre Heimgartner in the #3 Plus Fitness Holden after stalling with a broken input shaft on lap 60, bringing out the second caution of the race. Rounding out the bottom five was Chris Pither in the #111 Ice Break Ford.

The Bottom Five

Kurt Kostecki	29 Laps	Crash
Nick Percat	40 Laps	Steering
Andre Heimgartner	60 Laps	Input Shaft
Todd Kelly	69 Laps	Running
Chris Pither	69 Laps	Running

Driver's Championship

Nick Percat: 3

Lee Holdsworth (Out until Sandown at least): 2

Tim Slade, Aaren Russell, Scott McLaughlin, Chris Pither, Scott Pye, Fabian Coulthard, Michael Caruso, Cameron Waters James Moffat, Kurt Kostecki: 1

Team's Championship

Lucas Dumbrell Motorsports, Charlie Schwerkolt Racing: 3

DJR Team Penske, Gary Rodgers Motorsport: 2

BOC Racing, Erebus Motorsports, Super Black Racing, Pepsi Max Racing, Nissan Motorsports, 1

Manufacturer’s Championship

Holden: 9

Ford: 4

Volvo: 2

Nissan: 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.