V8 Supercars always are well greeted in the city of Adelaide and when it comes time for the Clipsal 500 the city is in a frenzy. Set around the urban area of the beautiful city, the circuit is known as one of the most challenging and popular venues of the season. The most famous and feared area of the track is turn eight, where cars approach at speeds of 250kph plus with very little room for error. The cost of an error on this corner is smashing into the concrete barrier at a potentially fatal speed. Let's break down the latest edition of the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar event.
Saturday's Action
As predicted Holden dominated the first day's action with HRT getting the early spoils as Garth Tander took pole position just in front of Whincup. On a very hot day the race was not as exciting as we are all used to but it will be remembered for the battle between Tander and Whincup in the final laps for the race win. In the end it was HRT and Garth Tander that got the win, continuing the team's fine form on the streets of Adelaide. From a kiwi perspective it was also a good day because Jason Richards, who is suffering from cancer, got a race win in the Fujitsu series.
Sunday's Action
The weather was the biggest factor on Sunday as rain played its part right throughout the day. Qualifying brought a few surprises with Saturdays winner Garth Tander well off the pace right throughout the session. Also we saw Ford become more competitive with FPR and Will Davison picking up pole position with Jamie Whincup once again right behind starting the race in second place. With the rain coming down the race got off to a great start with Davison and Whincup getting into a battle straight away. With the rain coming and going the tyre choices was very difficult for the teams and when Lee Holdsworth decided to use slick tyres on a wet track it did not pay off since just minutes later he went straight into the wall. In the end Ford ran into trouble and Team Vodafone and Jamie Whincup got the win after a good battle with the top ten.
Summary
Overall it was a great weekend of motorsport and the fans can say that their hard-earned money was well spent. Once again Holden look to be the dominant force in V8 Supercars right now and Ford need to make the most of the opportunities they do have rather than let them slip through their fingers. It has been a great Clipsal 500 and fans now look forward to the next round in the 2011 V8 Supercars Championship Series.
