Virgin Australia LASTCAR Championship: March 2022

Saturday 26 March 2022

First lap Mechanical issues leaves Jake Kostecki last at Symmons Plains

Jake Kostecki picked up the nth last-place finish of his career when his #56 Tradie Ford finished under power, 3 laps down in the final race at Symmons Plains. The finish came in Kostecki's 53rd start.

This is Jake Kostecki's 2nd full-time season, and 3 seasons overall, having shared the #34 with Zane Goddard in 2020. He was the slowest in Practice 1 and 2. He then rallied to 12th in Qualifying.

Chris Pither in the #22 Coca-Cola Holden started the race in the rear, but Jake Kostecki in the #56 Tradie Ford started from the pitlane, so dropped to last.

Jake Kostecki in the #56 Tradie Holden pulled into the Garage on Lap 2 with Power Steering issues, dropping 3 laps in repairs. Jake stayed last for the duration of the race.

Rounding out the Bottom Five was Andre Heimgartner in the #8 R&J Batteries/Club Cadet Holden after a slow pitstop, Jack LeBrocq in the #34 Truck Assist Holden after sliding off on the 2nd lap, Brodie Kostecki in the #99 Boost Mobile Holden had to do a 15-second penalty for speeding on Lap 6, and Bryce Fullwood in the #14 Middy's Electrical Holden.

The Bottom Five

Jake Kostecki	41 Laps	Running
Andre Heimgartner	44 Laps	Running
Jack LeBrocq	44 Laps	Running
Brodie Kostecki	44 Laps	Running
Bryce Fullwood	44 Laps	Running

Driver’s Championship

Pos	Driver	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Jack LeBrocq	2	3	4
2	Jake Kostecki	1	3	3
3T	Scott Pye	1	1	1
3T	Garry Jacobson	1	1	1
5T	Nick Percat	0	2	2
5T	Andre Heimgartner	0	2	2
7	David Reynolds	0	1	2
8T	Chris Pither	0	1	1
8T	Chaz Mostert	0	1	1
10	Macauley Jones	0	0	2
11T	Lee Holdsworth	0	0	1
11T	Jack Smith	0	0	1
11T	Brodie Kostecki	0	0	1
11T	Bryce Fullwood	0	0	1

Team’s Championship

Pos	Team	No.	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Matt Stone Racing	2	2/2	3/2	3/2
2	Premair Racing	2	½	2/2	2/2
3	Team 18	2	½	½	½
4	Tickford Racing	4	1/4	3/4	7/4
5	Walkinshaw Andretti United	2	0	2/2	2/2
6	Brad Jones Racing	4	0	2/4	5/4
7	Grove Racing	2	0	½	2/2
8	Erebus Racing	2	0	0	½

Manufacturer’s Championship

Pos	Manufacturer	No	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Holden	16	4/16	12/16	17/16
2	Ford	9	1/9	3/9	8/9

Lap 1 collision leaves LeBrocq last, again, at Symmons Plains

Jack LeBrocq picked up the 8th last-place finish of his career when his #34 Truck Assist Holden was involved in a 2-car crash that ended his race without completing a single lap of the second race at Symmons Plains. The finish came in LeBrocq's 138th start.

This is LeBrocq's 5th full-time season in the main game, though he has run part-time/endurance schedules for a few years previously. He was 13th in Practice 1, Practice 2 and Qualifying.

Thomas Randle in the #55 Castrol Ford started the race in the rear, but at the end of Lap 1, Jack LeBrocq in the #34 Truck Assist Holden and Andre Heimgartner in the #8 R&J Batteries/Club Cadet Holden interlocked wheels and crashed at the final corner, triggering a Red Flag. LeBrocq would finish last, and while Heimgartner would continue for a time, he’d retire on Lap 16 with an overheating engine.

Jake Kostecki in the #56 Tradie Ford, and Jack Smith in the #4 SCT Logistics Holden was taken out by Macauley Jones in the #96 Coca-Cola Holden, Smith losing 7 laps in repairs, while Jake Kostecki retired.

After getting turned around at the exit of Turn 4 on lap 41, Thomas Randle in the #55 Castrol Ford got stuck and DNF'ed, with Smith rounding out the Bottom 5.

The Bottom Five

Jack LeBrocq	0 Laps	Crash
Jake Kostecki	7 Laps	Crash
Andre Heimgartner	11 Laps	Overheating
Thomas Randle	39 Laps	Spun Off
Jack Smith	36 Laps	Running

Driver’s Championship

Pos	Driver	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Jack LeBrocq	2	2	3
2T	Scott Pye	1	1	1
2T	Garry Jacobson	1	1	1
4T	Nick Percat	0	2	2
4T	Jake Kostecki	0	2	2
6	David Reynolds	0	1	2
7T	Chris Pither	0	1	1
7T	Chaz Mostert	0	1	1
7T	Andre Heimgartner	0	1	1
10	Macauley Jones	0	0	2
11T	Lee Holdsworth	0	0	1
11T	Jack Smith	0	0	1

Team’s Championship

Pos	Team	No.	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Matt Stone Racing	2	2/2	2/2	2/2
2	Premair Racing	2	½	2/2	2/2
3	Team 18	2	½	½	½
4	Walkinshaw Andretti United	2	0	2/2	2/2
5	Tickford Racing	4	0	2/4	6/4
6	Grove Racing	2	0	½	2/2
7	Brad Jones Racing	4	0	1/4	¾

Manufacturer’s Championship

Pos	Manufacturer	No	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Holden	16	4/16	10/16	13/16
2	Ford	9	0	2/9	7/9

Friday 25 March 2022

Early race contact leaves LeBrocq last at Symmons Plains, as Mostert crash drops him out of championship lead.

Jack LeBrocq picked up the 7th last-place finish of his career when his #34 Truck Assist Holden retired with Steering issues after 34 of the race's 44 laps. The finish came in LeBrocq's 137th start.

This is LeBrocq's 5th full-time season in the main game, though he has run part-time/endurance schedules for a few years previously. He was 13th in Practice 1 and stayed 13th in Practice 2. He then rose to qualify 10th.

Jack Smith in the #4 SCT Logistics Holden started the race in the rear and battled with Jake Kostecki in the #56 Tradie Ford for last.

On lap 2 Thomas Randle in the #55 Castrol Ford and Nick Percat in the #2 NTI/Mobil 1 Holden pit. Randle can go back out, but Percat pulled into the garage with damage, dropping him to last, losing 5 laps in repairs. Randle would also finish in the Bottom 5.

Jack LeBrocq in the #34 Truck Assist Holden went off on Lap 3, damaging the steering on his car, and dropping him to last on Lap 10, losing 8 laps in repairs, but would retire late in the race, anchoring him to last palce.

Chris Pither in the #22 Coca-Cola Holden got a 15 second time penalty for pushing Macauley Jones in the #96 Automotive Superstore/tools.com Holden off the track on Lap 2.

Mark Winterbottom in the #18 Irwin Tools Holden collided with David Reynolds in the #26 Penrite Holden, and in the aftermath, Mostert hit the back to Reynolds, damaging the right-front of Mostert's car, plunging both Reynolds and Mostert into the Bottom five.

The Bottom Five

Jack LeBrocq	36 Laps	Steering
Nick Percat	39 Laps	Running
Chaz Mostert	41 Laps	Running
Thomas Randle	43 Laps	Running
David Reynolds	44 Laps	Running

Driver’s Championship

Pos	Driver	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Jack LeBrocq	1	1	2
2T	Scott Pye	1	1	1
2T	Garry Jacobson	1	1	1
4	Nick Percat	0	2	2
5	David Reynolds	0	1	2
6T	Jake Kostecki	0	1	1
6T	Chris Pither	0	1	1
6T	Chaz Mostert	0	1	1
9	Macauley Jones	0	0	2
10T	Lee Holdsworth	0	0	1
10T	Thomas Randle	0	0	1

Team’s Championship

Pos	Team	No.	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Premair Racing	2	½	2/2	2/2
2T	Team 18	2	½	½	½
2T	Matt Stone Racing	2	½	½	½
4	Walkinshaw Andretti United	2	0	2/2	2/2
5	Grove Racing	2	0	½	2/2
6	Tickford Racing	4	0	1/4	4/4
7	Brad Jones Racing	4	0	0	1/4

Manufacturer’s Championship

Pos	Manufacturer	No	Last	Bottom 3	Bottom 5
1	Holden	16	3/16	8/16	10/16
2	Ford	9	0	1/9	5/9

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.