2001 Australian V8 Ultimate

2001 Supercar Championship event May 2023 Victoria 2001 Australian V8 Ultimate 13 13 2001 SCS Sandown (Australia) track map.svg 1–2 December Melbourne, Victoria Sandown International Raceway Friday: FineSaturday: FineSunday: Heavy Rain 48 150 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 1:11.2564 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 1:04:59.5617 48 150 Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia 1:12:49.5203 48 150 Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 1:11:05.3245 Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia 248 Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 242 Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing 213 The 2001 Australian V8 Ultimate was the thirteenth and final round of the 2001 Shell Championship Series. It was the 30th ATCC/V8 Supercar event to be held at Sandown Raceway in the sprint format and was held on the weekend of 1 to 2 December at the Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria. In a weekend plagued by progressively worsening weather, Todd Kelly claimed overall round honours for the first time in his V8 Supercar career.Sandown Round 13 final report https://au.motorsport.com/v8supercars/news/sandown-round-13-final-report/1943960/ 2026-09-04 Motorsport.com en-AU The first race was won by Mark Skaife in typically dominant fashion. However, as his weekend unraveled, Kelly took the win in race two while Craig Lowndes claimed race three after a thrilling battle with Marcos Ambrose.Ingall best of the rest https://www.goauto.com.au/news/holden/commodore/v8-supercar/ingall-best-of-the-rest/2001-12-03/172.html 2001-11-28 2026-09-04 Go Auto en-AU Background The event was held on the weekend of 1 to 2 December 2001. It was the 30th ATCC/V8 Supercar event to be held at Sandown Raceway in the sprint format, and consisted of three 150 km races with compulsory pitstops in all instances. Mark Skaife entered the round having already sewn up the championship in the previous round at Pukekohe. The race for second place was still on between Russell Ingall and Jason Bright with 85 points between the two drivers.V8 Supercars: Battle of the bridesmaids https://www.goauto.com.au/news/holden/commodore/v8-supercar/v8-supercars-battle-of-the-bridesmaids/2001-11-28/154.html 2001-11-28 2026-09-04 Go Auto en-AU Likewise, Greg Murphy was in contention to secure third in the overall standings.Sandown gives Murphy a shot at No 3 ranking https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/ipitstopi-sandown-gives-murphy-a-shot-at-no-3-ranking/VVJVEG2RAQHJQQEEZO457FPFLY/ 2001-11-27 2026-09-04 The New Zealand Herald en-NZ Entry list 2001 Shell Championship Series#Teams and drivers There were 35 drivers entered for this round with a grid capacity of 32. Pre-qualifying would determine three drivers who would miss out on the weekends racing. Newly-crowned Australian Drivers' champion Rick Kelly would make his solo V8 Supercar debut as part of the Holden Young Lions outfit. Kelly would be entered under the number 255 in reference to the kW output of the new HSV Coupé. Layton Crambrook would also replace Mick Donaher at Clive Wiseman Racing. Phonsy Mullan made another appearance for GM Motorsport and Matthew White returned to the series with his privateer outfit having last appeared at Calder Park Raceway. After having missed the previous round at Pukekohe, Dugal McDougall returned to the series. Dean Crosswell would also make an appearance for Imrie Motorsport. Race results Pre-Qualifying Tomas Mezera topped the timing sheets to be the first of seven drivers to pre-qualify for the event. The three drivers not to pre-qualify were Phonsy Mullan for GM Motorsport, Layton Crambrook for Clive Wiseman Racing and Dean Crosswell for Imrie Motorsport. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:15.2458 2 16 AUS Dugal McDougall McDougall Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:15.8253 3 255 AUS Rick Kelly Holden Young Lions Holden Commodore (VX) 1:16.4025 4 24 AUS Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:16.8902 5 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:17.0898 6 76 AUS Matthew White Matthew White Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 1:17.6272 7 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 1:18.0631 DNPQ 111 AUS Phonsy Mullan GM Motorsport Holden Commodore (VS) 1:18.2663 DNPQ 50 AUS Layton Crambrook Clive Wiseman Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:19.9746 DNPQ 13 AUS Dean Crosswell Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) no time Source: https://www.racingyears.com/race/2001_V8_Supercars_Australian_V8_Ultimate_(Race_1) 2001 V8 Supercars Australian V8 Ultimate (Race 1) The Racing Years 1 September 2026 Qualifying Todd Kelly claimed provisional pole position with a time merely six hundredths of a second faster than Craig Lowndes. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.5651 2 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:11.6283 3 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.6793 4 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.7271 5 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.7981 6 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:11.9300 7 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.9606 8 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.9809 9 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.0715 10 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.1007 11 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.1141 12 600 NZL Simon Wills Briggs Motor Sport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.2800 13 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.2996 14 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.3360 15 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.3401 16 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.3451 17 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.3722 18 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motor Sport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.3784 19 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.3941 20 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.4082 21 24 AUS Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.4670 22 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.4938 23 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.5159 24 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:12.5863 25 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.6749 26 255 AUS Rick Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.8653 27 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.9060 28 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:12.9729 29 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:13.1390 30 76 AUS Matthew White Matthew White Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 1:13.6237 31 16 AUS Dugal McDougall McDougall Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:13.6320 32 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) no time DNQ 13 AUS Dean Crosswell Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) Did not qualify DNQ 50 AUS Layton Crambrook Clive Wiseman Racing Holden Commodore (VT) Did not qualify DNQ 111 AUS Phonsy Mullan GM Motorsport Holden Commodore (VS) Did not qualify Source: Top fifteen shootout Mark Skaife claimed his fourth pole position of the season after setting a laptime one tenth of a second faster than Greg Murphy. In doing so, Skaife broke the qualifying deadlock with Marcos Ambrose to claim the most pole positions of any driver in 2001.Sandown Shootout results https://au.motorsport.com/v8supercars/news/sandown-shootout-results/1943848/ 2026-09-04 Motorsport.com en-AU Ambrose himself had made the biggest gain from the shootout, claiming fourth place after initially qualifying tenth. The driver who lost the most relative ground was Craig Lowndes who, after running wide at turn one, had gone from second in the provisional order to 14th on corrected. Simon Wills' first shootout lap was marred by a lack of grip that saw him run wide at several corners and ultimately led to him placing last. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.2564 2 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.3574 3 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.4480 4 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:11.4927 5 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.5005 6 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:11.7299 7 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:11.7426 8 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:11.7790 9 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:11.9256 10 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.0316 11 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.2845 12 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.2946 13 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:12.3404 14 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.3617 15 600 NZL Simon Wills Briggs Motor Sport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:12.8046 Source: Race 1 Tomas Mezera would start the race from the pitlane owing to problems in qualifying. Greg Murphy got the jump on Mark Skaife to take the lead into turn one. Down the pack, Larry Perkins and Paul Weel bogged down and drifted down the pack. The safety car would be deployed before the end of the lap after Cameron McConville was set into a series of rollovers after receiving contact from Mark Larkham, who had been squeezed by two cars to his inside – Paul Romano and Rodney Forbes. McConville's car sustained significant damage and was forced out of the race. Larkham nursed his car back to the pitlane with damage to the steering from the impact. The race resumed on lap four and Murphy began to eek out a margin over Skaife. With the pit window open, Murphy and Ambrose made their compulsory pitstops immediately whilst the Holden Racing Team elected to keep their drivers out for a longer stint. Murphy suffered a slow pitstop that cost him five seconds and ceded position to Ambrose. Rick Kelly's solo debut came to an end on lap seven after his engine blew whilst on the back straight. Romano retired from the race owing to issues with the front-right suspension. Steven Ellery would receive a stop-go penalty for speeding in pitlane. Skaife finally made his pitstop on lap 14. Perkins was issued a stop-go penalty for spinning Simon Wills at turn two. The safety car was back out on track on lap 25 when Anthony Tratt spun into the gravel at turn one. There was speculation as to whether the two Holden Racing Team cars would invert positions so as to give Jason Bright a better chance of securing second in the championship. This speculation came to naught when Skaife defended his position aggressively heading into turn one, not allowing his teammate to pass by for the lead. Behind them, Murphy moved past Kelly for third and began to apply pressure to Bright. On lap 31, Bright slid wide after getting crossed up at turn six. He rejoined the track, behind Murphy, and a momentary loss of power on the exit of turn eight saw him lose nearly a dozen positions. In an evasive maneuver, Kelly made slight contact with the rear of his car, enough for the guard to start rubbing on the tyre. Paul Radisich's strong run was curtailed after a spin at the final corner. Murphy's campaign for the win was halted after he was given a stop-go penalty for kerb-hopping. To the end, Skaife remained unopposed, taking his ninth win of the season and his 50th win in the Australian touring car category. Lowndes passed Kelly for second with the latter rounding out the podium. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Laps Time Grid 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 48 1hr 4min 59.5617sec 1 2 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 5.381 14 3 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 7.413 3 4 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 8.332 6 5 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 12.643 5 6 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 13.915 4 7 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 25.528 9 8 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 27.344 2 9 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 29.468 19 10 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 34.836 23 11 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 35.264 8 12 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 35.339 16 13 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 35.543 10 14 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 39.860 12 15 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 44.333 11 16 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 45.646 20 17 16 AUS Dugal McDougall McDougall Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 49.694 31 18 600 NZL Simon Wills Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 50.185 15 19 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 48 + 55.199 24 20 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 57.438 7 21 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 57.676 17 22 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 47 + 1 lap 22 23 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 47 + 1 lap PL 24 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 39 + 9 laps 25 Ret 76 AUS Matthew White Matthew White Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 33 Mechanical 30 Ret 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 31 Suspension 18 Ret 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 29 Power steering 13 Ret 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 25 Spun off 29 Ret 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 13 Mechanical 28 Ret 24 AUS Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 9 Suspension 21 Ret 255 AUS Rick Kelly Holden Young Lions Holden Commodore (VX) 7 Engine 26 Ret 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 0 Accident 27 Fastest Lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team) - 1:12.1690 on lap 8 Source: Race 2 In contrast to the sunny conditions of race one, rain enveloped the circuit for race two. Lowndes initially got a good launch off the front row, but the secondary phase was less optimal and was overtaken by Skaife and Murphy, who had initially started from eighth place. A concertina effect at turn four saw multiple cars sustain heavy damage. Larry Perkins retired within meters of the incident as a result of the damage which included a fire in the engine bay. Paul Romano and Anthony Tratt would also retire due to heavy front-end damage. Romano's car left a trail of oil all the way back to pitlane. The biggest mover of the opening lap was Paul Radisich who had leapt up from 20th on the grid to sixth. The race restarted on lap six with Murphy passing Skaife for the lead at turn four. However, he would slide off the track later in the lap after sliding off the track courtesy of the oil left by Romano's car and in the process, handed the lead over to teammate, Todd Kelly. Kelly would complete his compulsory pitstop just a couple corners later and with Skaife still struggling for grip, Lowndes assumed the lead heading onto the front straight with Radisich in second. Multiple drivers struggled with condensation within the cars with some even resorting to unconventional methods to clear their windscreens. Those who pitted early benefitted the most as the undercut proved successful. Kelly retook the lead from Murphy and Lowndes. Skaife's pace suffered and re-emerged behind Ambrose. Steven Johnson retired from the race on lap 13 after experiencing an engine failure on the approach to the final corner. Paul Morris was issued a black flag for kerb-hopping on lap 15. By the midway point of the race, the rain had intensified. Ingall struggled to see out of his car owing to a demist failure. Championship rival Jason Bright also ran into trouble when he spun in tandem with John Faulkner at Dandenong Road Corner. The race order remained fairly stagnant with no movers or shakers in the first few front running positions. Lowndes' charge to second was stunted when his windscreen wiper failed, hindering his vision. Ingall's pace had slowed to a crawl as visibility out of his windscren had been reduced to zero and attempted to nurse his car to the finish line. Paul Weel aquaplaned on the front straight and made contact with the armco barrier, but despite the damage was able to cycle around to the finish. Todd Kelly led comfortably to the finish to take victory. Murphy finished second in the sister car while Lowndes rounded out the podium. Controversy arose following a pitlane violation involving Mark Skaife. Whilst completing his compulsory pitstop, car controller Jeff Grech cleared grass from the radiator. The rules dictated the car controller was ineligible to do that and the punishment for said offence should have been a stop-go penalty. The stewards failed to pick up on this during the race and the post-race penalty applied should have been time added. However, the stewards would hand down a $1,000 fine instead and Skaife's result remained unaffected. The decision incensed fellow competitors in the pitlane.Sandown race two results https://au.motorsport.com/v8supercars/news/sandown-race-two-results/1943928/ 2026-09-04 Motorsport.com en-AU Pos No Name Team Vehicle Laps Time Grid 1 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 48 1hr 12min 49.5203sec 3 2 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 10.481 8 3 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 16.660 2 4 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 18.032 1 5 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 36.186 6 6 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 37.706 20 7 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 51.329 9 8 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 59.882 15 9 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 48 + 1:03.875 19 10 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 1:07.592 11 11 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 47 + 1 lap 5 12 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 47 + 1 lap 10 13 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 47 + 1 lap 29 14 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 47 + 1 lap 14 15 600 NZL Simon Wills Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 47 + 1 lap 18 16 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 47 + 1 lap 21 17 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 47 + 1 lap 7 18 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 46 + 2 laps 23 19 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 46 + 2 laps 24 20 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 46 + 2 laps 22 21 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 46 + 2 laps 16 22 255 AUS Rick Kelly Holden Young Lions Holden Commodore (VX) 46 + 2 laps 30 23 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 46 + 2 laps 4 24 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 46 + 2 laps 26 25 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 45 + 3 laps 31 26 16 AUS Dugal McDougall McDougall Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 40 + 8 laps 17 Ret 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 46 Retired 27 Ret 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 12 Engine 12 Ret 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1 Accident damage 28 Ret 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 0 Accident / Fire 13 Ret 24 AUS Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 0 Accident damage 29 Fastest Lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team) - 1:21.0583 on lap 47 Source: https://www.racingyears.com/race/2001_V8_Supercars_Australian_V8_Ultimate_(Race_2) 2001 V8 Supercars Australian V8 Ultimate (Race 2) The Racing Years 1 September 2026 Race 3 After two bad accidents in the support races, the officials elected to start the race under the safety car to disperse the standings water and reduce the risk of a bottleneck effect heading into turn one. The race went green on lap three with Kelly leading away from Murphy. Skaife passed Lowndes for third at turn one shortly after the start and Jason Bargwanna moved up to sixth after passing Radisich at the same point of the circuit. Lowndes would repass Skaife for position just one lap later. Kelly was the first of the front-runners to pit on lap four. Murphy, Lowndes and Skaife pitted just one lap later. Skaife's pit was stunted by a problem with the front-right wheel and was further compounded when he slid off the track shortly after exiting the pits. On corrected order, Murphy was the race leader from Lowndes. On lap eight, Lowndes passed Murphy for the effective lead at turn four. Later in the lap, Lowndes slid off the road at turn nine and contracted a substantial amount of grass in the front of his car. A short while later, Glenn Seton aquaplaned off the circuit on the approach to turn one. The car continued to slew sideways into the run off before finally coming to rest in the gravel where it almost rolled over. The safety car was deployed and Gibson Motorsport took the opportunity to pit Lowndes to clear the radiator of the grass. Paul Radisich's season came to an end on the same lap after his car suffered a misfire. The race resumed a few laps later with Bargwanna leading from Jason Richards; both of whom had yet to complete their compulsory pitstops. The treacherous conditions began to catch more people out. Brad Jones was shunted off into the turn two runoff following contact with Steven Ellery. Rodney Forbes spun at turn one on the following lap and was narrowly avoided by Anthony Tratt. Later that lap, Mark Skaife sustained damage to the front end of his car after conflict with Steven Richards which spun both cars. With the damage inflicted and no championship ramifications remaining, Skaife pitted his car and retired from the race. Bargwanna pitted on lap 18 and handed the lead over to Jason Richards. After completing his pitstop, Richards was then issued with a stop-go penalty for a pitlane speeding infringement. Garth Tander retired from the race after encountering problems with the demister again. Lowndes began to charge through the field and was demonstrably the fastest driver on the circuit. He passed Kelly for second on lap 40 and set off after Marcos Ambrose. Greg Murphy retired on the same lap due to a mechanical issue. With four laps remaining, Lowndes had caught up to Ambrose and the two would engage in an enthralling battle for the lead. Up the back straight, Lowndes utilised traction to get past Ambrose to claim the lead. A few corners later however, Ambrose made an opportunistic move down the inside of the final corner to reclaim the lead. At turn four on the following lap, Lowndes repassed Ambrose and from there, he would not relinquish the lead. Lowndes romped home to claim victory with Ambrose in tow and Todd Kelly third, claiming overall round honours in the process. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Laps Time Grid 1 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 48 1hr 11min 05.3245sec 3 2 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 1.926 5 3 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 3.003 1 4 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 12.428 11 5 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 13.275 27 6 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 26.345 23 7 255 AUS Rick Kelly Holden Young Lions Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 47.018 22 8 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 47.868 30 9 600 NZL Simon Wills Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 48.137 15 10 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 48 + 48.901 13 11 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 49.902 12 12 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 48 + 50.483 7 13 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 1:03.520 28 14 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 1:10.273 10 15 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 48 + 1:11.937 14 16 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 47 + 1 lap 9 17 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 47 + 1 lap 20 18 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 47 + 1 lap 24 19 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 47 + 1 lap 18 20 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 46 + 2 laps 29 21 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 46 + 2 laps 19 22 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 43 + 5 laps 25 Ret 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 47 Mechanical 16 Ret 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 43 Spun off 8 Ret 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 40 Mechanical 2 Ret 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 15 Accident damage 4 Ret 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 14 Mechanical 21 Ret 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 8 Engine 6 Ret 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 8 Spun off 17 Fastest Lap: Jason Bright (Holden Racing Team) - 1:19.8116 on lap 47 Source: https://www.racingyears.com/race/2001_V8_Supercars_Australian_V8_Ultimate_(Race_3) 2001 V8 Supercars Australian V8 Ultimate (Race 3) The Racing Years 1 September 2026 Championship points Round points tally Pos. Position No Driver Team Pts Points 1 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia 248 2 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 242 3 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing 213 4 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 188 5 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team 184 Drivers' Championship standings Pos. Position No Driver Team Pts Points 10px 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 3478 10px 2 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering 2875 10px 3 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team 2819 10px 4 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia 2724 10px 5 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing 2532 References Sandown International Raceway 2001 2001 Boost Mobile V8 International 2002 Clipsal 500 2000 Sandown V8 Supercar round 2002 V8 Supercars Sandown round Sandown Category:Motorsport at Sandown