On a day that was decided by fuel and tire strategies both HRT VF Commodore’s withstood challenging days, with James Courtney #22 recording a 5th place finish and Garth Tander #2 a 6th.

Midday qualifying produced mixed results for the team, with Tander putting in a flyer (57.3238) to earn 3rd place on the grid. Courtney pushed hard for a 57.6456 which, in a crowded qualifier, resulted in 11th place start for the afternoon’s 200km race.

Starting from a less than perfect spot on the grid, Courtney was immediately in the middle of a fight for position. Unable to set into any sort of rhythm Car #22 spent much of the first spell jostling mid-bunch. Running a hard-hard-soft strategy, Courtney delivered great pace in his final stint climbing from 14th to finish 5th.

Tander was expecting a big result after building momentum throughout the weekend, and showed great consistency early on hard tires, leading the eventual 1-2 of Davidson and Lowndes. An ill-timed safety car however ruined a solid strategy which eventuated in Car #2 being put on hards too early. This ultimately resulted in a tough run to the finish.

As the team heads back east, Courtney leaves Perth having consolidated his 2nd position in the championship with Tander now sitting in 6th. The team now prepares for the Winton SuperSprint in two weeks.