| Event Information | ||||||||||||||
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| Round 1 of 13 in the 2001 Shell Championship Series | ||||||||||||||
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| Date | 23–25 March 2001 | |||||||||||||
| Location | Phillip Island, Victoria | |||||||||||||
| Venue | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | |||||||||||||
| Weather | Fine | |||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||
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The 2001 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round was the first round of the 2001 Shell Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 23 to 25 March at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, Australia.
The weekend was dominated by Mark Skaife and the Holden Racing Team. Taking pole position in the top-ten shootout followed by two victories, Skaife collected maximum points for the weekend. Craig Lowndes achieved second overall for the round in his first race weekend under the Ford banner and Jason Bright acquired third place in his return to the Shell Championship after he left for Indy Lights at the end of 1999.
| Pos | No | Name | Team | Vehicle | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |  Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:32.5121 |
| 2 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:32.7961 |
| 3 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:32.8745 |
| 4 | 18 |  Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.0265 |
| 5 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.0690 |
| 6 | 6 | Steven Richards | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.2409 |
| 7 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.2985 |
| 8 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.5311 |
| 9 | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.6165 |
| 10 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Kmart Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.6533 |
| Source: [2] | |||||
In an action-packed opening lap that saw Jason Bargwanna and Mark Larkham spin off the track, Mark Skaife established a lead on the field that he would not relinquish. Following him was team-mate Jason Bright and rookie Marcos Ambrose. On lap 4, Ambrose pulled off an ambitious move on Bright for second place into Honda Hairpin. Behind them, Paul Radisich led a gaggle of cars that through to the mid-pack. Included in that bunch was Craig Lowndes, who had lost ground on the opening lap, and Greg Murphy, who was battling his way up from a poor qualifying position. John Bowe's race came to an end on lap 12 due to a suspected issue with the front-right suspension.
The pit window opened to allow for drivers to undertake their compulsory pitstops. Radisich lost a flurry of positions thanks to a slow stop – and would later encounter handling issues that would see him fall further down the pack. Lowndes meanwhile vaulted the pack up into third place, behind Bright. Up front, Skaife remained untroubled, taking the chequered flag by over 10 seconds. Bright, Lowndes, Ambrose, and Murphy rounded out the top five.
Standings after Round 1
| Pos. | No | Driver | Team | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 288 |
| | 2 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | Gibson Motorsport | 238 |
| | 3 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | 235 |
| | 4 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Kmart Racing Team | 201 |
| | 5 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | 200 |
Mark SkaifeOAM is a retired Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, as well as a six-time Bathurst 1000 winner. On 29 October 2008, he announced his retirement from full-time touring car racing. Since retiring from driving, Skaife has worked as a commentator and presenter for the series for both the Seven Network and Fox Sports Australia.
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| Supercars Championship | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous race: 2000 FAI 1000 | 2001 Supercars Championship | Next race: 2001 Clipsal 500 |
| Previous year: 2000 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Next year: 2002 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round |
