2001 V8 Supercars Oran Park round

2001 sports event January 2024 New South Wales 2001 Oran Park V8 Supercar round 8 13 2001 SCS Track map for Oran Park--Grand Prix circuit.svg 27–29 July Sydney, New South Wales Oran Park Raceway Fine 36 100 Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 1:08.0671 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 44:52.5714 36 100 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 43:03.6026 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 286 David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing 242 Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 219 The 2001 Oran Park V8 Supercar round was the eighth round of the 2001 Shell Championship Series. It was the 31st ATCC/V8 Supercar event to be held at Oran Park and was held on the weekend of 28 to 29 July at the Oran Park Raceway in Narellan, New South Wales. Championship leader Mark Skaife recovered from a difficult previous round at Calder Park to win both races and claimed overall round winners to boot to extend his lead in the drivers standings.Skaife back on track https://goauto.com.au/news/skaife-back-on-track/2001-07-30/65.html 2001-07-30 2026-09-02 Go Auto en-AUSkaife back in the groove https://www.drive.com.au/news/skaife-back-in-the-groove-20100824-13m8b/ 2026-09-02 Drive.com.au en-AU Craig Lowndes claimed pole position for the first race of the weekend and finished second for that race. The surprise package of the weekend was David Besnard who, after enduring a tough debut season to date, claimed back-to-back podiums and had briefly led the second race en route to finish second overall for the round.Skaife Extends His Lead At Oran Park July 2001 Speedsport Ltd. 4-5, 13 Background The event was held on the weekend of 28 to 29 July 2001. It was the 31st ATCC/V8 Supercar event to be held at Oran Park Raceway, and consisted of two 100 km races with compulsory pitstops in both instances. Mark Skaife entered the round at the championship leader by 17 points over teammate and nearest competitor, Jason Bright.Oran Park set for title fight https://goauto.com.au/news/oran-park-set-for-title-fight/2001-07-25/119.html 2001-07-25 2026-08-29 Go Auto en-AU The Oran Park venue received a multi-million dollar upgrade to the pit facilities prior to the 2001 event. This included the widenening of the pit lane and brand-new pit buildings fit with VIP suites. During the Saturday warm-up session, Greg Murphy's car caught one of the Briggs Motorsport air hoses. It brought the gantry down and injured two of the Briggs Motorsport crew members, one of whom were transported via ambulance to Liverpool Hospital where he would undergo surgery for head injury. The session was red flag while the team members were given medical assistance. Multiple teams down the paddock offered help to the Briggs Motorsport team in the aftermath. Perkins Engineering offered a spare pit boom while Murphy's team had two of their crew members fill in for pit stop duty. Entry list 2001 Shell Championship Series#Teams and drivers There were 36 drivers entered for this round, with a grid capacity of 32. Pre-qualifying would determine which four drivers would be eliminated from racing contention. Mick Donaher replaced Tyler Mecklem at Clive Wiseman Racing. Peter Doulman would return to the series in his privateer outfit for his final solo appearance. Two older model EL Falcon's were entered by way of Garry Holt with Emerzidis Motorsport and Luke Sieders with his privateer outfit. Steve Williams was also entered with V8 Racing, and British driver Matt Neal would debut the brand new VX Commodore for Paul Morris Motorsport. For the only time this season, Paul Romano would not make an appearance. Race results Pre-Qualifying After failing to qualify at the previous round at Calder Park, John Faulkner topped the timing sheets in pre-qualifying, being the only driver to set a time under the 1 minute 15 second bracket. Dugal McDougall, Anthony Tratt, Dean Canto, Peter Doulman and Steve Williams all failed to qualify. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:14.9329 2 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:15.0401 3 50 AUS Mick Donaher Clive Wiseman Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:15.5367 4 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:16.1135 5 20 AUS Garry Holt Eastern Creek Kart Racing Ford Falcon (EL) 1:16.2383 6 67 GBR Matt Neal Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:16.4036 7 56 AUS Luke Sieders Sieders Racing Team Ford Falcon (EL) 1:16.7998 DNPQ 16 AUS Dugal McDougall McDougall Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:16.8889 DNPQ 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:17.1045 DNPQ 45 AUS Dean Canto RPM International Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:17.1348 DNPQ 52 AUS Peter Doulman M3 Motorsport Holden Commodore (VT) 1:17.6812 DNPQ 77 AUS Steve Williams V8 Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 1:18.5650 Source: https://www.racingyears.com/race/2001_V8_Supercars_Oran_Park_(Race_1) 2001 V8 Supercars Oran Park (Race 1) The Racing Years 1 September 2026 Qualifying In a cold and wet Friday qualifying session, Steven Johnson topped the timing sheets to take provisional pole position, closely followed by David Besnard. Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes were the only two other drivers to set a time below the 1 minute 8 second bracket. Dugal McDougall, Anthony Tratt and Dean Canto failed to qualify for the event. Matt Neal crashed heavily at the final corner during the second session of qualifying. The damage inflicted on the car would render him out of contention for the rest of the weekend. https://www.autosport.com/wtcc/news/neal-shunts-new-holden-in-australia-5051419/5051419/ Neal shunts new Holden in Australia Autosport 30 July 2001 2 September 2026 Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:07.9145 2 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:07.9281 3 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:07.9811 4 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:07.9886 5 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.0021 6 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.0350 7 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.0812 8 600 AUS John Bowe Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.1080 9 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.1216 10 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.1491 11 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.1997 12 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.2377 13 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.2652 14 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.2859 15 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.3653 16 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.4599 17 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.5772 18 40 AUS Cameron McLean Paragon Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.6057 19 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.6831 20 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.6871 21 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.7001 22 50 AUS Michael Donaher Clive Wiseman Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:08.7132 23 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VT) 1:08.7143 24 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.8318 25 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.8574 26 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:08.8610 27 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.9305 28 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:09.0318 29 67 GBR Matt Neal Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:09.2683 30 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VT) 1:09.6189 31 20 AUS Gary Holt Eastern Creek Kart Racing Ford Falcon (EL) 1:10.4830 32 56 AUS Luke Sieders Sieders Racing Team Ford Falcon (EL) 1:11.4899 Source: Top Ten Shootout Craig Lowndes took his first pole position for the Gibson Motorsport team in 2001. It was also the first pole position for the Ford brand at Oran Park since 1995. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.0671 2 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.2295 3 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.6557 4 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.7935 5 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:08.8438 6 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:08.9998 7 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:09.0888 8 600 AUS John Bowe Briggs Motor Sport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:09.6301 9 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:09.7164 10 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:09.7857 Source: Race 1 Lowndes bogged down slightly compared to those around him. Skaife seized the lead while Lowndes fell behind Besnard and Todd Kelly. The race would soon be brought under safety car conditions when an incident involved Marcos Ambrose, Mark Larkham and Greg Murphy saw the latter stranded on the inside of turn two with broken steering. The race resumed on lap five, with Skaife streaking away from the field while Besnard struggled with rear-end grip and soon came under pressure from Lowndes. The pit window opened on lap eight and multiple drivers, including Kelly, took the opportunity to make their compulsory pitstop. A cross-threaded wheel nut cost Paul Radisich 45 seconds in the pitlane. After the cycle of pitstops, Lowndes overtook Besnard after the Caltex driver ran wide over the bridge. Kelly meanwhile experienced a loss of pace and fell behind both Ford drivers to fourth place. Jason Bright suffered a slow pitstop and lost a half dozen positions. Brad Jones suffered handling and brake issues after colliding with a rabbit at the turn one apex. On lap 32, Tony Longhurst and Ambrose came to blows at turn two after the former attempted a move down the inside. Ambrose was turned into a spin and lost ground. Both Larry Perkins and John Bowe retired late into the race due to mechanical issues. Up the front, Skaife enjoyed a dominant race and cruised home to take victory ahead of Lowndes and Besnard. Pos No Driver Team Car Laps Time Grid 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 36 44min 52.5714sec 2 2 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 5.62 1 3 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 6.71 3 4 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 14.21 4 5 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 17.31 5 6 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 20.01 9 7 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 20.29 7 8 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 22.93 6 9 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 23.33 24 10 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 25.70 10 11 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 30.37 21 12 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 30.99 19 13 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 36.44 17 14 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 36.90 12 15 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VT) 36 + 44.51 23 16 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 45.59 16 17 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 45.99 11 18 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 58.42 25 19 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 58.56 27 20 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 36 + 1:11.97 28 21 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 35 + 1 lap 26 22 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 35 + 1 lap 20 23 40 AUS Cameron McLean Paragon Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 35 + 1 lap 18 24 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 34 + 2 laps 30 25 20 AUS Gary Holt Eastern Creek Kart Racing Ford Falcon (EL) 34 + 2 laps 31 Ret 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 32 Rear axle 15 Ret 600 AUS John Bowe Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 20 Power steering 8 Ret 50 AUS Michael Donaher Clive Wiseman Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 9 Mechanical 22 Ret 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 7 Accident damage 13 Ret 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 0 Steering 14 DNS 67 GBR Matt Neal Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) Did Not Start DNS 56 AUS Luke Sieders Sieders Racing Team Ford Falcon (EL) Did Not Start Fastest Lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team) - 1:08.8221 on lap 5 Source: Race 2 Besnard leapt off the line well to draw alongside Skaife heading into the first two corners, finally taking the lead into turn three. Lowndes followed in behind to get into second and Skaife slipped to third. Ambrose's weekend went from bad to worse when he was spun by Paul Morris going over the bridge. Skaife soon took back second from Lowndes on lap two and immediately set off in pursuit of Besnard, whom he would re-pass for the lead on lap five. He began to rapidly extend his lead, demonstrating that the pace of the Holden Racing Team unit was indomitable. John Faulkner was the first casualty of the race after suffering terminal mechanical problems. Larry Perkins was tipped into a spin at turn two by Rodney Forbes. Besnard was the first of the leaders to undertake their compulsory pitstops. Skaife would follow suit just one lap later. Ambrose retired on lap 14 due to engine problems. By the midway point, Lowndes began to pressure Besnard for second place. However, Besnard withstood the pressure and eventually managed to extend the gap over Lowndes as the laps whittled down as the Gibson Motorsport driver began to struggle with rear tyre durability. Jason Bargwanna was enjoying a strong run before coming to an end on lap 19, pulling off onto the go-kart track at turn four due to mechanical issues. With a handful of laps remaining, Lowndes received a bad sportsmanship flag for kerb-hopping. The lack of pace meant he would soon call into the clutches of Jason Bright. With four laps remaining, Bright would pass Lowndes for third. 35% right "Garth Tander and I were fighting for fourth position and he touched the rear of my car and turned me around. With the other cars quite close, I had to keep the boot in to finish in front of them. It was one giant burnout, wasn't it?" Craig Lowndes on his late-race incident with Garth Tander Skaife remained unopposed to the chequered flag, taking the race win and round win to cement Holden Racing Team's return to the top of the rostrum. Besnard likewise enjoyed a relatively trouble-free run to the line to pick up second place in the race, and in the overall round. At the final corner of the final lap, Lowndes was spun by Garth Tander and relegated Lowndes to eighth as he desperately attempted to foster his Falcon to the finish line. Tander would receive a 32-second time penalty for this incident and despite the setback, Lowndes would retain third place in overall round points. Pos No Driver Team Car Laps Time Grid 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 36 43min 03.6026sec 1 2 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 7.00 3 3 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 8.43 5 4 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 16.65 5 5 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 17.92 8 6 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 19.59 10 7 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 22.12 2 8 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 24.92 4 9 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 27.20 17 10 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 28.06 14 11 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 37.20 30 12 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 38.17 19 13 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 38.49 12 14 600 AUS John Bowe Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 44.23 27 15 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 45.16 11 16 1 1 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 45.77 6 17 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 36 + 46.68 22 18 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VT) 36 + 56.99 15 19 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 36 + 1:01.63 13 20 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 35 + 1 lap 29 21 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 35 + 1 lap 20 22 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 35 + 1 lap 26 23 14 AUS Tomas Mezera Imrie Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 35 + 1 lap 24 24 40 AUS Cameron McLean Paragon Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 35 + 1 lap 23 25 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 35 + 1 lap 18 26 20 AUS Gary Holt Eastern Creek Kart Racing Ford Falcon (EL) 34 + 2 laps 25 Ret 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 19 Mechanical 9 Ret 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 14 Engine 16 Ret 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 7 Mechanical 21 DNS 67 GBR Matt Neal Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) Did Not Start DNS 56 AUS Luke Sieders Sieders Racing Team Ford Falcon (EL) Did Not Start Fastest Lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team) - 1:09.1719 on lap 3 Source: https://www.racingyears.com/race/2001_V8_Supercars_Oran_Park_(Race_2) 2001 V8 Supercars Oran Park (Race 2) The Racing Years 1 September 2026 Notes 6 1 – Garth Tander was given a 32-second penalty after he was deemed to have gained an advantage by spinning Craig Lowndes on the final lap. Championship points Round points tally Pos. Position No Driver Team Pts Points 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 286 2 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing 242 3 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 219 4 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing 204 5 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team 199 Drivers' Championship standings after Round 8 Pos. Position No Driver Team Pts Points 10px 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 2006 10px 2 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team 1902 10px 3 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing 1692 10px 4 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering 1675 10px 5 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 1365 References Oran Park V8 Supercar round 2001 2001 V8 Supercars Calder Park round 2001 Queensland 500 2000 V8 Supercars Oran Park round 2002 V8 Supercars Oran Park round Oran Park