Surprise win for Holden at Phillip Island

After dominating testing, qaulifying and most of the race, the Holden of Garth Tander and Mark Skaife stole the first 2008 enduro race from Ford.
With just 10 laps to go, Garth Tander stole the lead of the race from Jamie Whincup as they entered turn 4. Whincup locking a rear wheel after a late braking manuvour put him into a slide.

Rain and the saftey car played a major factor in the result of the L&H 500 at Phillip Island. Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander and Mark Skaife crossed the line just over 1.6 seconds in front of the team on form, the Team Vodafone Falcon of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

The Holden pair looked out of contension halfway through the 500k race, at one point even out of the top ten. But their fortunes changed taking advantage of the wet weather and constant visits by the safety car.

Jim Beam Racing’s Will Davison and Steven Johnson gained another poduim by putting the DJR Falcon in third.

Ford Performance Racing’s Steven Richards and Mark Winterbottom elected not to change to wets during the rain, somehow managing to stay on the track to finish fourth, half a second ahead of Garry Rogers’ Commodore of Michael Caruso and Lee Holdsworth.

The battle-scarred Falcon of Jeld-Wen Motorsport’s David Besnard and James Courtney was sixth, HSV Dealer Team’s Rick Kelly and Paul Radisich, who started as the best Holden, was seventh, Nathan Pretty and Jack Perkins Perkins brought their Jack Daniel’s Holden home in eighth and the Supercheap Auto’s Russell Ingall and Paul Morris in ninth.

Finishing out the top ten was the SP Tools Ford Falcon of Jonathan Webb and Shane van Gisbergen.