Thursday, 13 March 2025

Tire Bundle Collision leaves James Golding last at Albert Park

Original by James Golding on Facebook, edited by me
 James Golding picked up the 4th last-place finish of his career when his #31Isuzu Trucks/Nulon Chevrolet finished under power, 2 laps down in the first race at the Melbourne Grand Prix. The finish came in Golding's 133rd start.

 

James Golding has been in and out of Supercars, debuting with the other four in 2017: Richie Stanaway, Jack LeBrocq, Todd Hazelwood and Anton De Pasquale. He would be a co-driver in 2017 and run a few wildcard races for Garry Rodgers Motorsports before debuting. Golding would race for 2 years, with Garry Rodgers Motorsport closing shop at the end of the year, leaving Golding out of a ride. He would spend the next two years as co-driver for Team 18 before replacing Garry Jacobson at Premair Hire Racing halfway through 2022, where he has raced since. He was 11th in Practice 1 and was the fastest in Practice 2. Golding would qualify 9th.

 

Aaron Cameron started the race in the rear in the #3 Cooldrive Distribution Ford, having fallen to the rear after his teammate James Courtney in the #7 Snowy River Caravans Ford crashed out in Practice 2. The damage to Courtney's car was too severe to participate in Qualifying and Race 1. Off the start, Cameron Waters, in the #6 Monster Energy Ford, fell to last. Aaron Cameron would return to the rear of the field by Lap 2.

 

Cameron would hold last until Lap 6 when Jaxon Evans in the #12 SCT Logistics Chevrolet was overtaken by Cameron, dropping him to the rear. At the end of Lap 6, Kai Allen in the #26 Penrite Oils Ford collided with Macauley Jones in the #96 Pizza Hut Chevrolet, resulting in Allen spinning and hitting the tyre barrier.

Then, at Turn 1 on Lap 7, Macauley Jones in the #96 Pizza Hut Chevrolet and Aaron Cameron in the #3 Cooldrive Distribution Ford went off, causing Cameron to get stuck in the sand, triggering a Safety Car. Cameron would lose a lap while being retrieved.

 

James Golding in the #31 Isuzu Trucks/Nulon Chevrolet whacked a tyre bundle on Lap 12, damaging the right front of his car and causing him to lose two laps in repairs.

 

Rounding out the Bottom Five was Aaron Cameron in the #3 Cooldrive Distribution Ford, Cooper Murray in the #99 YTG Chevrolet after getting spun late by Nick Percat in the #10 Bendix Chevrolet, Kai Allen in the #26 Penrite Oils Ford after contact with Macauley Jones in the #96 Pizza Hut Chevrolet pitched him into the fence, Jack LeBrocq in the #9 Tyrepower Chevrolet after an early restart spin from Brodie Kostecki in the #38 Shell V-Power Ford.

 

The Bottom Five

James Golding

16 Laps

Running

Aaron Cameron

17 Laps

Running

Cooper Murray

18 Laps

Running

Kai Allen

18 Laps

Running

Jack LeBrocq

18 Laps

Running

 

Driver’s Championship

Pos

Driver

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1T

Richie Stanaway

1

2

2

1T

Aaron Love

1

2

2

1T

Cameron Crick

1

2

2

4

James Golding

1

1

2

5

Cooper Murray

0

2

2

6T

Will Davison

0

1

2

6T

Kai Allen

0

1

2

8

Aaron Cameron

0

1

1

9

David Reynolds

0

0

2

10T

Nick Percat

0

0

1

10T

Cameron Hill

0

0

1

10T

Jack LeBrocq

0

0

1

 

Team’s Championship

Pos

Team

Drivers

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Nulon Racing

2

2/2

3/2

4/2

2

Blanchard Racing Team

3

1/3

3/3

3/3

3

Matt Stone Racing

3

1/3

2/3

4/3

4T

Dick Johnson Racing

2

0

1/2

2/2

4T

Grove Racing

2

0

1/2

2/2

4T

Erebus Motorsports

2

0

1/2

2/2

7T

Team 18

2

0

0

2/2

 

Manufacturer’s Championship

Pos

Manufacturer

Drivers

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Chevrolet

15

3/15

715

11/15

2

Ford

11

1/10

5/10

7/10

 

Sunday, 23 February 2025

Mechanical Black Flag helps leave Aaron Love last at Sydney Motorsport Park

Original by Supercars, Screenshot and Crop by me

Aaron Love picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his career when his #3 Cooldrive Distribution Ford finished under power, 1 lap down in the final race at Sydney Motorsports Park in a full-race contest. The finish came in Love’s 29th start.

 

Aaron Love is into his 2nd full-time season with the Blanchard Racing Team, having had a very up-and-down rookie year.  This weekend, however, he was known for crashing into teammate James Courtney in the #7 Snowy River Caravans Ford as the field went out for qualifying, for which he was penalised. He impressed with 4th in Practice 1, then plunged to 24th in Qualifying.

 

Cameron Crick in the #35 Doomer/HVAC Chevrolet started the race in the rear. In an eventful first lap, four drivers would share last place. First was James Courtney in the #7 Snowy River Caravans Ford after Cooper Murray escorted him wide in the #99 Chiko Chevrolet. By Turn 6 Crick had returned to last, only for Macauley Jones in the #96 Pizza Hut Chevrolet to fall to last place two corners later, followed by Aaron Love in the #3 Cooldrive Distribution Ford at the end of Lap 1. Love would hold last place during the early stages of the race.

 

Pitstops started on Lap 10 and there were more changes for last place. First was James Courtney in the #7 Snowy River Caravans Ford on Lap 10, followed by Richie Stanaway in the #62 Nulon Chevrolet on Lap 12, Nick Percat in the #10 Bendix Chevrolet on Lap 14, Jaxon Evans in the #12 SCT Logistics Chevrolet on Lap 15, Aaron Love in the #3 Cooldrive Distribution Ford on Lap 18 and Macauley Jones in the #96 Pizza Hut Chevrolet on Lap 22. With that, all the pitstops had been completed.

 

Macauley Jones would use fresher tyres to race down Aaron Love and pass him on Lap 28. The second rounds of pitstops start on Lap 32 with James Courtney in the #7 Snowy River Caravans Ford pitted and falling to last, followed by Ryan Wood in the #2 Mobile 1/Truck Assist Ford on Lap 33, David Reynolds in the #20 Tradie Energy Chevrolet on Lap 35, Aaron Love in the #3 Cooldrive Distribution Ford on Lap 36, and Aaron Love falls back to last on Lap 37.

Lap 38 saw Cameron Hill in the #4 Supa Glass Chevrolet take a fuel can with him during the pitstop, which had to be retrieved at the end of the pitlane, sending Hill to last. Cameron Crick would pit and fall to last place on Lap 38.

To mix things up a bit, rain started to fall on Lap 40, and Aaron Love would fall to last on Lap 41 with damage to the rear of his car. Cooper Murray would tangle with Broc Feeney in the #88 Red Bull/Ampol Chevrolet, costing Feeney a spot to Chaz Mostert in the #25 Mobile 1/Optus Ford. Cooper Murray would cop a penalty for the collision with Broc Feeney when combined with his pitstop on Lap 42, but his last-place time would be brief, as Aaron Love would cop a Mechanical Black Flag for loose bodywork on Lap 43, sending him to last, where he would remain for the rest of the race.

Rounding out the Bottom Five was Cameron Crick in the #35 Doomer/HVAC Chevrolet after a last-lap slide off the road, Cooper Murray in the #99 Chiko Chevrolet, David Reynolds in the #20 Tradie Chevrolet and Cameron Hill in the #4 Supa Glass Chevrolet.

 

The Bottom Five

Aaron Love

51 Laps

Running

Cameron Crick

52 Laps

Running

Cooper Murray

52 Laps

Running

David Reynolds

52 Laps

Running

Cameron Hill

52 Laps

Running

 

Driver’s Championship

Pos

Driver

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1T

Richie Stanaway

1

2

2

1T

Aaron Love

1

2

2

1T

Cameron Crick

1

2

2

4

Will Davison

0

1

2

5T

Kai Allen

0

1

1

5T

Cooper Murray

0

1

1

7

David Reynolds

0

0

2

8T

James Golding

0

0

1

8T

Nick Percat

0

0

1

8T

Cameron Hill

0

0

1

 

Team’s Championship

Pos

Team

Drivers

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Nulon Racing

2

1/2

2/2

3/2

2

Blanchard Racing Team

2

1/2

2/2

2/2

3

Matt Stone Racing

3

1/3

2/3

4/3

4

Dick Johnson Racing

2

0

1/2

2/2

5T

Grove Racing

2

0

1/2

1/2

5T

Erebus Motorsports

2

0

1/2

1/2

7T

Tradie Racing

2

0

0

1/2

7T

Team 18

2

0

0

1/2

 

Manufacturer’s Championship

Pos

Manufacturer

Drivers

Last

Bottom 3

Bottom 5

1

Chevrolet

15

2/15

515

8/15

2

Ford

10

1/10

4/10

5/10