2003 PlaceMakers V8 International

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Flag of New Zealand.svg 2003 PlaceMakers V8 International
Event Information
Round 12 of 13 in the 2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series
Pukekohe Park Raceway (1990).png
Date7–9 November 2003
Location Pukekohe, New Zealand
Venue Pukekohe Park Raceway
WeatherFriday: Overcast
Saturday: Heavy rain
Sunday: Sunny
Results
Race 1
Distance 36 laps 100 km
Pole position Greg Murphy
John Kelly Racing
56.9015
Winner Greg Murphy
John Kelly Racing
43:48.1246
Race 2
Distance 54 laps 150 km
Winner Greg Murphy
John Kelly Racing
1:01:24.3090
Race 3
Distance 54 laps 150 km
Winner Mark Skaife
Holden Racing Team
53:22.1378
Round Results
First 188 pts
Second 178 pts
Third 178 pts

The 2003 PlaceMakers V8 International was the twelfth round of the 2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 7 to 9 November at Pukekohe Park Raceway in New Zealand.

Contents

The round was largely dominated once again by Greg Murphy, who took his third consecutive championship round victory at Pukekohe after winning the first two races. Despite entering the round with a sizeable championship lead, Marcos Ambrose struggled throughout the weekend, and forced the championship to be decided at the final round at Eastern Creek.

Background

Ambrose entered the weekend with a chance to clinch the championship. He had a 72-point gap over nearest championship rival, Murphy. The Tasmanian would have his work cut out for him as Pukekohe remained happy hunting ground for Murphy. The Kiwi had been undefeated in round victories since the inaugural event in 2001, and even in the non-championship round hosted in the 1996 Mobil Sprints.

A total of 32 drivers were entered for the round. Seven of them were New Zealand-born drivers. These included Murphy, Steven Richards, Jason Richards, Paul Radisich, Simon Wills, Craig Baird and David Thexton. Despite having spent the vast majority of his life in the country, this would be Thexton's first attempt at racing at Pukekohe Park Raceway. Although given his failure to qualify at the vast majority of the 2003 championship rounds, whether he'd be able to race at all this weekend remained in question.

Race report

Qualifying

In practice, Jason Richards was involved in a crash which saw his car roll several times, forcing him out of the weekend.

PosNoNameTeamCarTimeGrid
151 Flag of New Zealand.svg Greg Murphy John Kelly Racing Holden Commodore (VY) 56.54531
21 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 56.56982
350 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 56.69323
418 Flag of Brazil.svg Max Wilson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 56.74904
56 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 56.93905
64 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 56.96186
734 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 57.00197
820 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bargwanna Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (BA) 57.04168
965 Flag of New Zealand.svg Paul Radisich Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford Falcon (BA) 57.08059
102 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 57.103110
1111 Flag of New Zealand.svg Steven Richards Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VY) 57.137711
1217 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 57.161512
1366 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dean Canto Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford Falcon (BA) 57.167013
145 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Glenn Seton Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 57.172914
15888 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Bowe Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 57.200115
1621 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 57.224916
179 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 57.231717
1816 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 57.293418
19021 Flag of New Zealand.svg Craig Baird Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 57.332019
2031 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 57.375620
2144 Flag of New Zealand.svg Simon Wills Team Dynamik Holden Commodore (VY) 57.386721
2229 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 57.450622
238 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Dumbrell Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 57.504523
2410 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 57.523524
253 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 57.558025
2615 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rick Kelly John Kelly Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 57.576926
277 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Besnard Rod Nash Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 57.674827
2833 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jamie Whincup Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 57.704828
2923 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Noske Noske Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 57.774829
3099 Flag of New Zealand.svg David ThextonThexton Motor Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 59.055430
DNQ45 Flag of New Zealand.svg Jason Richards Team Dynamik Holden Commodore (VY) no time
Sources: [1]

Top Ten Shootout

Results from the Top Ten Shootout were discounted due to the changing conditions throughout the session. Grid results were reverted to provisional qualifying.

PosNoNameTeamVehicleTime
12 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 0:56.9015
250 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 0:57.6482
351 Flag of New Zealand.svg Greg Murphy John Kelly Racing Holden Commodore (VY) 0:57.6955
418 Flag of Brazil.svg Max Wilson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 0:57.8263
565 Flag of New Zealand.svg Paul Radisich Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford Falcon (BA) 0:57.8697
61 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VY) 0:57.9175
720 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bargwanna Larkham Motor Sport Ford Falcon (BA) 0:58.1224
84 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 0:58.2709
96 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon (BA) 0:58.5551
1034 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VY) 1:00.2457
Sources: [2]

Race 1

In inclement conditions, Max Wilson leapt off the line exceptionally well and challenged Skaife for the lead through turn one. Heading into turn two, both drivers held their ground and the resulting contact sent them both into a spin. Skaife was sent rearward into the wall and was fortunate to extricate himself from the gravel trap. Nonetheless, both he and Wilson had now fallen toward the end of the pack. A few hundred yards behind them, Jamie Whincup, Mark Larkham, David Besnard, Anthony Tratt and Cameron McConville had tangled and struck the fence. Tratt and McConville were unable to continue the race. The safety car was deployed and multiple drivers (including Murphy and Ambrose) peeled in to complete their mandatory stops.

Jason Bright took over the lead on the safety car restart. Ambrose had jumped Murphy in the pitstop cycle but was quickly passed again by Murphy as the race resumed. Bright rapidly fell down the pack thanks to visibility issues brought on by a fault windshield wiper as Craig Lowndes assumed the lead. On lap 8, Mark Noske crashed heavily at turn one after aquaplaning into the armco barrier. The impact lifted the rear-end of the car meters off the ground and the resulting damage would ultimately force the Noske Motorsport car out of the rest of the weekend. On lap 25, Lowndes completed his pitstop as Murphy assumed the lead. Down the pack, Steven Richards' out-lap proved tricky. First tangling with Craig Baird at turn two and then Russell Ingall at the hairpin as he tumbled out of the top 20.

Up the front, Murphy cruised home to victory. Todd Kelly and Garth Tander rounded out the podium. Ambrose managed to fend off a late race charge from Skaife to assist his championship hopes and Skaife's began to dwindle. [3]

PosNoNameTeamLapsTime / differenceGrid
151 Flag of New Zealand.svg Greg Murphy John Kelly Racing 3643min 48.1246sec1
22 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team 36+ 8.24910
334 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport 36+ 9.2177
420 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bargwanna Larkham Motorsport 36+ 10.0198
565 Flag of New Zealand.svg Paul Radisich Triple Eight Race Engineering 36+ 11.4859
64 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing 36+ 14.5136
71 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 36+ 15.0732
815 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rick Kelly John Kelly Racing 36+ 17.12226
931 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing 36+ 25.02220
1017 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing 36+ 26.17312
115 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Glenn Seton Ford Performance Racing 36+ 27.72514
12888 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Bowe Brad Jones Racing 36+ 29.27815
1344 Flag of New Zealand.svg Simon Wills Team Dynamik 36+ 32.50521
1429 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport 36+ 37.10622
1516 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing 36+ 38.40018
166 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing 36+ 41.0865
1766 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dean Canto Triple Eight Race Engineering 36+ 42.20813
1818 Flag of Brazil.svg Max Wilson Dick Johnson Racing 36+ 46.9754
199 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing 36+ 47.67217
2011 Flag of New Zealand.svg Steven Richards Perkins Engineering 36+ 47.85711
2150 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing 36+ 57.9033
2221 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing 35+ 1 lap16
23021 Flag of New Zealand.svg Craig Baird Team Kiwi Racing 35+ 1 lap19
248 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Dumbrell Perkins Engineering 34+ 2 laps23
257 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Besnard Rod Nash Racing 34+ 2 laps27
2699 Flag of New Zealand.svg David ThextonThexton Motor Racing34+ 2 laps29
2710 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport 29+ 7 laps24
2833 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jamie Whincup Garry Rogers Motorsport 28+ 8 laps27
DNF23 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Noske Noske Motorsport7Accident28
DNF75 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing 0Accident
DNF3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team 0Accident25
Fastest lap: Steven Richards (Perkins Engineering), 1:01.6893
Sources: [4]

Race 2

It was a clean start, with Murphy and Todd Kelly very evenly matched off the line. Murphy would prevail and set off into an affirmative lead. Stuck in traffic, Skaife completed his compulsory pitstop early. This proved extremely effective as, when race leader Murphy had completed his pitstop, Skaife was right behind him in what was a net second place. The battle was close, with Skaife nudging the rear of Murphy's car at the hairpin on lap 21, almost sending the Kiwi into a spin. The next lap, Skaife made the move stick with the battle still raging all the way up to Ford Mountain.

Ingall and Brad Jones tangled at the hairpin, sending the former into the barrier on corner exit. The damage incurred forced the Stone Brothers racer into the pits. On lap 34, Steven Johnson's week-long engine issues culminated in a blown engine on the back straight. At the same time, Skaife tripped up on the oil left by Johnson's expired engine and conceded the lead back to Murphy. Paul Dumbrell fell victim to the same oil track and speared off into the gravel trap. Dumbrell's stranded car instigated a safety car. All the while, Ambrose completed an extra pitstop over tyre concerns, putting himself a lap down.

Skaife applied the pressure to Murphy early following the restart. But as soon as the safety car had ended, it was brought out again, after Tander found himself stranded on the exit to the back straight. Damage to David Thexton's front bumper suggested that Tander had fallen victim to the mobile chicane. There was chaos at turn one when Steven Ellery was sent into a spin, scattering the field, who all miraculously avoided t-boning the Supercheap Auto Falcon.

Murphy won once again, ahead of Skaife and Bright. Ambrose's low placing kept the championship alive heading into the final race.

PosNoNameTeamLapsTime / differenceGrid
151 Flag of New Zealand.svg Greg Murphy John Kelly Racing 541hr 01min 24.3090sec1
21 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 54+ 1.3157
350 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing 54+ 2.77621
42 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team 54+ 3.7272
520 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bargwanna Larkham Motorsport 54+ 10.0784
611 Flag of New Zealand.svg Steven Richards Perkins Engineering 54+ 11.08410
765 Flag of New Zealand.svg Paul Radisich Triple Eight Race Engineering 54+ 11.4465
844 Flag of New Zealand.svg Simon Wills Team Dynamik 54+ 12.22513
95 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Glenn Seton Ford Performance Racing 54+ 12.49411
10888 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Bowe Brad Jones Racing 54+ 13.09412
1116 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing 54+ 13.25015
126 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing 54+ 14.41816
1315 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rick Kelly John Kelly Racing 54+ 15.0368
1466 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dean Canto Triple Eight Race Engineering 54+ 16.12917
157 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Besnard Ford Performance Racing 54+ 16.47725
1629 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport 54+ 21.49014
1733 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jamie Whincup Garry Rogers Motorsport 54+ 21.54128
183 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team 54+ 22.00031
19021 Flag of New Zealand.svg Craig Baird Team Kiwi Racing 54+ 22.15723
2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport 54+ 22.83827
2131 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing 54+ 25.0889
2221 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing 53+ 1 lap22
234 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing 53+ 1 lap6
2418 Flag of Brazil.svg Max Wilson Dick Johnson Racing 53+ 1 lap18
2575 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing 53+ 1 lap30
269 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing 52+ 2 laps19
2799 Flag of New Zealand.svg David ThextonThexton Motor Racing52+ 2 laps26
288 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Dumbrell Perkins Engineering 50+ 4 laps24
Ret34 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport 39Accident3
Ret17 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing 32Engine10
WD23 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Noske Noske MotorsportWithdrawn
Fastest lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team), 0.57.4463
Sources: [5]

Race 3

John Bowe did not start the racing owing to mechanical problems. At the start, Murphy bogged down somewhat and Skaife surged ahead of the Kmart car. Bright followed in hot pursuit, almost taking the lead altogether into turn one. Down the pack, Lowndes was served off the track by Paul Weel, losing him a bundle of positions. Heading into the hairpin, the front-left suspension on Jamie Whincup's car failed and was sent spearing into the wall at the hairpin. Whincup was able to extricate himself from the gravel trap, thus negating the need for safety car.

Johnson and Ingall tangled at turn three, completing a torrid weekend for the Dick Johnson Racing driver. Ambrose wasn't faring much better. A slow stop shuffled him further down the order. When he rejoined, he found himself stuck behind Glenn Seton, who refused to relinquish his position. Ingall was dispatched to pave a way for his teammate, but the lack of pace in Ambrose's car hindered these efforts. Dean Canto crashed on the front straight, inflicting damage on all corners of his Falcon. With a handful of laps remaining, Besnard's engine detonated on the back straight.

With 13 laps remaining, Murphy lost second place to Bright who set off after Skaife. Bright did gnaw down the gap to under four seconds, but Skaife had the race under control, and ultimately won. Bright finished second and Murphy was third, some 15 seconds behind Bright and holding off a late charge from Todd Kelly. Murphy once again won the round and kept his undefeated round tally at Pukekohe intact.

PosNoNameTeamLapsTime / differenceGrid
11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 5453min 22.1378sec2
250 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bright Paul Weel Racing 54+ 3.9013
351 Flag of New Zealand.svg Greg Murphy John Kelly Racing 54+ 18.0211
42 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team 54+ 18.1814
515 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rick Kelly John Kelly Racing 54+ 23.17513
611 Flag of New Zealand.svg Steven Richards Perkins Engineering 54+ 32.7286
744 Flag of New Zealand.svg Simon Wills Team Dynamik 54+ 36.0368
865 Flag of New Zealand.svg Paul Radisich Triple Eight Race Engineering 54+ 41.3977
94 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing 54+ 44.76823
109 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing 54+ 45.32626
115 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Glenn Seton Ford Performance Racing 54+ 48.8709
1216 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing 54+ 50.07411
1320 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jason Bargwanna Larkham Motorsport 54+ 50.4805
1431 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing 54+ 54.01921
1521 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing 54+ 55.29622
1617 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing 54+ 55.55230
178 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Dumbrell Perkins Engineering 54+ 58.93728
186 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing 53+ 1 lap12
1918 Flag of Brazil.svg Max Wilson Dick Johnson Racing 53+ 1 lap24
203 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team 53+ 1 lap18
2134 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport 53+ 1 lap29
22021 Flag of New Zealand.svg Craig Baird Team Kiwi Racing 53+ 1 lap19
2310 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport 53+ 1 lap20
2475 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing 52+ 2 laps25
2566 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dean Canto Triple Eight Race Engineering 52+ 2 laps14
2699 Flag of New Zealand.svg David ThextonThexton Motor Racing52+ 2 laps27
Ret7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg David Besnard Rod Nash Racing 48Engine15
Ret29 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport 33Retired16
Ret33 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jamie Whincup Garry Rogers Motorsport 0Suspension17
DNS888 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Bowe Brad Jones Racing 0Did Not Start10
WD23 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Noske Noske MotorsportWithdrawn
Fastest lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team), 0.57.4552
Sources: [6]

Aftermath

Despite entering the Pukekohe round with a chance of capturing his maiden championship, a string of poor results for Ambrose meant the gap between him and his title rivals had closed significantly. Skaife, initially 167 points behind Ambrose preceding this round, had more than halved the gap to the championship lead. Murphy was now only 24 points behind Ambrose, and with a string of wins in recent rounds, including the Bathurst 1000, he was looked at favourably to vanquish the Stone Brothers Racing driver in the championship finale.

When the series returned in 2004, Murphy's dominance at the venue came to an end. Bright would take the spoils while Murphy was left to scrape podiums together in a grueling duel between him and championship rival, Ambrose.

Mercifully, after having failed to qualify once again at the next round, this would prove to be the last V8 Supercar race for David Thexton.

Championship standings

Pos.NoDriverTeamPts
1rightarrow blue.svg 14 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing 1893
1rightarrow blue.svg 251 Flag of New Zealand.svg Greg Murphy John Kelly Racing 1869
1uparrow green.svg 31 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 1823
1downarrow red.svg 49 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing 1709
1rightarrow blue.svg 56 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Lowndes Ford Performance Racing 1588

References

  1. "Placemakers V8 International - Round 12 V8 Supercar Series - PUKEKOHE PARK RACEWAY - V8 SUPERCARS - Qualifying". natsoft.com.au. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  2. "Placemakers V8 International - Round 12 V8 Supercar Series - PUKEKOHE PARK RACEWAY - V8 SUPERCARS - Shootout". natsoft.com.au. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  3. "Pukekohe race one report". Motorsport.com. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  4. "Placemakers V8 International - Round 12 V8 Supercar Series - PUKEKOHE PARK RACEWAY - V8 SUPERCARS - Race 1". natsoft.com.au. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  5. "Placemakers V8 International - Round 12 V8 Supercar Series - PUKEKOHE PARK RACEWAY - V8 SUPERCARS - Race 2". natsoft.com.au. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  6. "Placemakers V8 International - Round 12 V8 Supercar Series - PUKEKOHE PARK RACEWAY - V8 SUPERCARS - Race 3". natsoft.com.au. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
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