HRT Race Highlights:
• Today’s qualifying was another close affair as Courtney qualified 12th and Tander 10th. With a ticket to the Shootout Tander’s crew opted not to run green tyres, instead saving these for the race. In a very tight session which saw him just 0.001 second off the car ahead, he wasn’t able to advance his starting position higher than 10th.
• The charge from the start line saw Tander move through the field and into 7th place by the end of the first lap. Courtney stayed in 12th.
• The first 13 laps were fairly uneventful as the drivers settled in for the 200km finale. Courtney was the first HRT stop make a pit stop for fuel, a change of rubber and some adjustments to a crumpled bonnet.
• Tander stayed out for another two laps before coming in for his first stop. Unfortunately a wayward wheel nut which made its way into pit lane which cost the crew time and a post-race penalty. Tander re-joined the race behind his teammate.
• With 45 laps remaining Courtney was sitting in 7th while Tander was just two places behind in 9th.
• On lap 30 Courtney had Davison hunting him down, and he managed to get past the #2 Commodore leaving the HRT boys 8th and 9th consecutively.
• Car 18 found its way into the wall on lap 32 and the safety car was called while it was cleared. Both HRT cars were radioed to pit which meant Tander was left to double stack.
• This was to be the last stop before then end of the race, and with 38 laps remaining Courtney’s engineer, Rob Starr, warned “you’ll need to do massive tyre saving”.
• When the race restart came on lap 37 Courtney was 8th and Tander 21st. Of course Tander did what he does best and began his charge forward, by lap 40 was up four places to 17th. He was taking no prisoners and was soon up to 15th.
• On lap 49 Courtney found himself in a Lowndes-Waters sandwich. He was punching at the back of Lowndes, itching to get past. Just two laps later he got the job done and was into 7th.
• With 15 laps to go Tander was deep in the battle back and was slowly, one-by-one, picking his way up the order. He had the top ten well in his sights as he held position 12.
• The race was nearing the end but with nine laps to go a second safety car was called when a car was stopped on the track. Courtney was called in as the crew opted to bolt on fresher tyres.
• Tander, along with the other frontrunners, stay out on the tyres he had on. Courtney was the first of the cars with new tyres. At the restart Tander was 8th and Courtney 9th and there was just 6 laps to go. Which strategy would reap the reward?
• The restart was intense as Courtney immediately made his move on Tander. From there it was one of the most exciting finishes ever at the Townsville 400 circuit as Courtney stormed from 8th to 2nd place, just pipping Winterbottom at the finish line. Unfortunately for Tander luck was not on his side today and he came home in 20th.
• This was the fourth year in a row that Courtney has finished 2nd in the Sunday race.

James Courtney, #22 Holden VF Commodore:
“Today we pitted early because that worked well for us yesterday. Then the safety car was called and it all sort of came to us. It was a great call today from Robbie – when he said pit with seven laps to go I was watching and when the guys in front didn’t go in I thought geez. Then I went in and was watching in my mirrors, and every car behind me came in which worked out well for us.”

“Then I had to really not go too crazy in those first couple of laps with everyone bunched up, I just had to pick them off. Most of them (the cars ahead) just let me through but Mark was probably the one who fought the hardest. Poor bloke had no chance with tyres their age. It was a really good call on strategy from the boys and that’s now four years in a row I’ve come home 2nd on Sunday here.”