2001 V8 Supercars Phillip Island round

2001 V8 Supercar championship event May 2023 Victoria 2001 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round 1 13 2001 SCS Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.svg 23–25 March Phillip Island, Victoria Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Fine 28 125 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 1:32.5121 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 45:25.3061 28 125 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 45:24.9623 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 288 Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 238 Jason Bright Holden Racing Team 235 The 2001 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round was the first round of the 2001 Shell Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 23 to 25 March at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, Australia. The weekend was dominated by Mark Skaife and the Holden Racing Team. Taking pole position in the top-ten shootout followed by two victories, Skaife collected maximum points for the weekend. Craig Lowndes achieved second overall for the round in his first race weekend under the Ford banner and Jason Bright acquired third place in his return to the Shell Championship after he left for Indy Lights at the end of 1999.2001-03-26 Skaife and HRT lead the way https://www.goauto.com.au/news/skaife-and-hrt-lead-the-way/2001-03-26/98.html 2026-08-25 Go Auto en-AU Background One of the bigger talking points in the off-season was Craig Lowndes' defection from Holden to Ford on a five-year deal.2001-01-07 Lowndes becomes Falcon flyer https://www.goauto.com.au/news/ford/falcon/v8-supercar/lowndes-becomes-falcon-flyer/2001-01-07/15895.html 2026-08-25 Go Auto en-AU At a time where marquee sport was still of prominence, Lowndes' move created great discussion. Moving from the factory Holden team, Lowndes would move to Gibson Motorsport which itself had shifted to the Ford brand for 2001.Lowndes, Richards sign with Ford https://www.drive.com.au/news/lowndes-richards-sign-with-ford-20100823-13hax/ 2026-08-25 Drive.com.au en-AU In the non-championship support event for the Australian Grand Prix, the new partnership proved an immediate success with Lowndes winning two out of the three races across the weekend. Gibson Motorsport's shift from Holden to Ford, as well as the signing of Lowndes, had initially left their 2000 drivers, Greg Murphy and Steven Richards, out of a drive for 2001. Murphy eventually found himself in the secondary Tom Walkinshaw outfit, retaining the Kmart branding from Gibson Motorsport. Richards meanwhile signed with Glenn Seton Racing after the team initially looked to hire privateer Cameron McLean. With Lowndes leaving the Holden Racing Team, Jason Bright was drafted in to fill the void. Bright had returned to the series after a season of racing Indy Lights in the United States.HRT confirms Jason Bright for 2000 https://www.drive.com.au/news/hrt-confirms-jason-bright-for-2000-20100824-13m2k/ 2026-08-25 Drive.com.au en-AU Bright had last driven for Stone Brothers Racing, who had since taken onboard two new rookies for 2001 in the form of Marcos Ambrose and David Besnard, who had replaced Rod Nash Racing-bound Tony Longhurst. One of the favourites for the championship heading into the season was Garth Tander after his breakout year in 2000 which saw him come close to championship glory. His team, Garry Rogers Motorsport, had exhibited strong pace in pre-season testing at Winton and looked set to continue on their form from the previous season. New Zealand-based outfit, Team Kiwi Racing, would make their full-season debut in the series for 2001 with Jason Richards scheduled to contest all the rounds. Angus Fogg would make select appearances throughout the season. Race results Pre-Qualifying Both Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia cars were required to pre-qualify by virtue of being a new entry into the championship. Both Greg Murphy and Todd Kelly, topped the pre-qualifying session. Dean Canto, Greg Ritter, Tyler Mecklem and Jason Richards failed to qualify. Melinda Price had participated in pre-qualifying practice in place of Mecklem at Clive Wiseman Racing. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:34.1721 2 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:34.3774 3 40 AUS Cameron McLean Paragon Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:34.7395 4 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:35.1669 5 76 AUS Matthew White Matthew White Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 1:35.5773 6 32 AUS Tomas Mezera Tomas Mezera Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:35.9717 7 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:36.0445 DNQ 45 AUS Dean Canto RPM International Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:36.7556 DNQ 14 AUS Greg Ritter Imrie Motor Sport Holden Commodore (VT) 1:37.0123 DNQ 50 AUS Tyler Mecklem Clive Wiseman Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:37.1420 DNQ 021 NZL Jason Richards Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore (VT) no time Source: https://www.racingyears.com/race/2001_V8_Supercars_Philip_Island_(Race_1) 2001 V8 Supercars Philip Island (Race 1) The Racing Years 1 September 2026 Qualifying Radisich took provisional pole position, being the only driver to set a time below the 1 minute 33 second bracket. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:32.9761 2 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.0539 3 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.2111 4 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.2147 5 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.3521 6 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.3714 7 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.3749 8 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.4275 9 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.4373 10 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.4539 11 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.5014 12 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.5850 13 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.7035 14 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.8426 15 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.9563 16 600 AUS John Bowe Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.9596 17 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:34.1019 18 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:34.1156 19 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VT) 1:34.1371 20 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:34.1707 21 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:34.3605 22 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:34.4222 23 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:34.7174 24 16 AUS Dugal McDougall McDougall Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:34.7739 25 40 AUS Cameron McLean Paragon Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:34.8708 26 32 AUS Tomas Mezera Tomas Mezera Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:34.9070 27 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:34.9869 28 24 AUS Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 1:35.1329 29 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 1:35.4848 30 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:35.5860 31 23 AUS Trevor Ashby Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VS) 1:35.8194 32 76 AUS Matthew White Matthew White Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 1:37.4580 Source: Top Ten Shootout Pos No Name Team Vehicle Time 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:32.5121 2 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 1:32.7961 3 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:32.8745 4 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.0265 5 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.0690 6 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.2409 7 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 1:33.2985 8 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.5311 9 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.6165 10 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 1:33.6533 Source: Race 1 In an action-packed opening lap that saw Jason Bargwanna and Mark Larkham spin off the track, Mark Skaife established a lead on the field that he would not relinquish. Following him was team-mate Jason Bright and rookie Marcos Ambrose. On lap 4, Ambrose pulled off an ambitious move on Bright for second place into Honda Hairpin. Behind them, Paul Radisich led a gaggle of cars that extended through to the mid-pack. Included in that bunch was Craig Lowndes, who had lost ground on the opening lap, and Greg Murphy, who was battling his way up from a poor qualifying position. John Bowe's race came to an end on lap 12 due to a suspected issue with the front-right suspension. The pit window opened, allowing for drivers to undertake their compulsory pitstops. Radisich lost a flurry of positions thanks to a slow stop – and would later encounter handling issues that would see him fall further down the pack. Lowndes meanwhile vaulted the pack up into third place, behind Bright. For the remainder of the race, Bright, Lowndes and Ambrose would battle for second place. Up the front, Skaife remained untroubled, taking the chequered flag by over ten seconds. Bright, Lowndes, Ambrose, and Murphy rounded out the top five. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Laps Time Grid 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 28 45min 25.3061sec 1 2 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 10.10 2 3 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 11.65 6 4 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 12.19 4 5 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 16.06 13 6 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 20.56 6 7 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 25.22 12 8 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 25.63 10 9 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 26.80 8 10 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 29.24 5 11 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 32.00 18 12 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 34.17 4 13 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VT) 28 + 37.44 19 14 40 AUS Cameron McLean Paragon Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 37.87 25 15 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 46.99 21 16 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 47.34 14 17 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 51.04 23 18 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 51.33 15 19 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 1:02.13 29 20 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 1:20.64 11 21 16 AUS Dugal McDougall McDougall Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 1:22.50 24 22 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 1:25.92 9 23 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 1:29.38 27 24 32 AUS Tomas Mezera Tomas Mezera Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 1:32.90 26 25 76 AUS Matthew White Matthew White Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 28 + 1:34.06 32 26 23 AUS Trevor Ashby Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VS) 28 + 1:34.86 31 27 24 AUS Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 27 + 1 lap 28 28 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 27 + 1 lap 22 29 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 27 + 1 lap 17 30 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 27 + 1 lap 20 Ret 600 AUS John Bowe Briggs Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 12 Suspension 16 DNS 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) Did not start Fastest Lap: Craig Lowndes (Gibson Motorsport) - 1:34.3488 on lap 16 Source: Race 2 Despite Bright getting a better start than him, Skaife retained the lead into turn one at the start. On the approach to Siberia on the first lap, Mark Larkham and Matthew White spun causing the chasing pack to scatter. Larkham would retire due to suspension damage sustained in the melee. Further up the road, Radisich also spun and was sent tumbling down the order. Skaife continued to extend his lead by an average of three tenths per lap. However, on the approach to turn one on lap eight, Skaife collided with a seagull that caused significant damage to his windscreen. It didn't have any significant impact on his lap times however and he remained unchallenged to the flag. Gibson Motorsport's pit crew had once again helped vault Lowndes up the order and found himself in second place after the compulsory pitstops were complete. The majority of the race remained relatively tranquil with Skaife winning the race by four seconds over Lowndes with Murphy rounding out the podium. Pos No Name Team Vehicle Laps Time Grid 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 28 45min 24.9623sec 1 2 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 4.09 3 3 51 NZL Greg Murphy Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 5.65 5 4 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 6.31 2 5 6 NZL Steven Richards Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 8.77 6 6 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 10.19 4 7 15 AUS Todd Kelly Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 15.60 8 8 8 AUS Russell Ingall Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 18.68 9 9 17 AUS Steven Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 21.17 7 10 5 AUS Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 22.19 10 11 31 AUS Steven Ellery Steven Ellery Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 22.35 11 12 34 AUS Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 23.14 22 13 35 AUS Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 23.29 18 14 18 NZL Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 25.18 12 15 11 AUS Larry Perkins Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 29.65 20 16 40 AUS Cameron McLean Paragon Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 30.60 14 17 600 AUS John Bowe Briggs Motor Sport Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 36.68 31 18 9 AUS David Besnard Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 43.16 29 19 46 NZL John Faulkner John Faulkner Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 46.94 30 20 3 AUS Cameron McConville Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VX) 28 + 54.73 28 21 7 AUS Rodney Forbes Gibson Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 1:07.51 23 22 21 AUS Brad Jones Brad Jones Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 1:11.99 17 23 23 AUS Trevor Ashby Lansvale Racing Team Holden Commodore (VS) 28 + 1:18.70 26 24 76 AUS Matthew White Matthew White Racing Holden Commodore (VS) 28 + 1:30.82 25 25 43 AUS Paul Weel Paul Weel Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 28 + 1:36.22 15 26 32 AUS Tomas Mezera Tomas Mezera Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 27 + 1 lap 24 27 16 AUS Dugal McDougall McDougall Motorsport Holden Commodore (VX) 27 + 1 lap 21 28 54 AUS Tony Longhurst Rod Nash Racing Holden Commodore (VX) 27 + 1 lap 19 29 24 AUS Paul Romano Romano Racing Holden Commodore (VT) 26 + 2 laps 27 30 75 AUS Anthony Tratt Paul Little Racing Ford Falcon (AU) 26 + 2 laps 32 31 29 AUS Paul Morris Paul Morris Motorsport Holden Commodore (VT) 24 + 4 laps 13 Ret 10 AUS Mark Larkham Larkham Motorsport Ford Falcon (AU) 0 Suspension 16 Fastest Lap: Paul Radisich (Dick Johnson Racing) - 1:34.3779 on lap 12 Source: https://www.racingyears.com/race/2001_V8_Supercars_Philip_Island_(Race_2) 2001 V8 Supercars Philip Island (Race 2) The Racing Years 1 September 2026 Championship Standings Standings after Round 1 Pos. Position No Driver Team Pts Points 10px 1 1 AUS Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team 288 10px 2 00 AUS Craig Lowndes Gibson Motorsport 238 10px 3 2 AUS Jason Bright Holden Racing Team 235 10px 4 51 NZL Greg Murphy Kmart Racing Team 201 10px 5 4 AUS Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing 200 References Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit 2001 2000 FAI 1000 2001 Adelaide 500 2000 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round 2002 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round Phillip Island Category:Motorsport at Phillip Island