Mark Winterbottom extends lead with second win in Pukekohe

Mark Winterbottom extended his lead in the V8 Supercars Championship by claiming his second victory of the weekend in Pukekohe, New Zealand.

“What an awesome race, the car was really good. I had a bit of a bodgy start (from fourth) and trucked on through. A 100 point lead, that’s cool! I wanted to lead going out, not just halfway through,” said Winterbottom.

The Ford Performance Racing driver started fourth and climbed two positions before his first pit stop.

The Ford Falcon driver then had his sights set on pole position man and race leader Scott McLaughlin. Winterbottom was right behind the Volvo Polestar Racing driver when the duo pitted together on lap 43.

The pit crew of Winterbottom made a faster job than McLaughlin’s team, and the Ford driver went into a lead he was never to lose. McLaughlin held on to second position in the race, finishing just under seven seconds behind Winterbottom, but close to ten seconds ahead of the other FPR Falcon of Chaz Mostert in third position.

Shane Van Gisbergen finished fourth for Tekno Autosports and had a race-long fight with Nissan driver Michael Caruso who claimed position five in the race.

Brad Jones Racing Holden driver Jason Bright crossed the line in sixth position after a strong drive from 17th on the grid.

Triple Eight Race Engineering drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes had a tough fourth race at Pukekohe. Reigning champion Whinchup was the final driver in the top ten of the race while Lowndes only managed 20th position after starting 18th on the grid.

Lowndes is still second in the championship, but 107 points behind Winterbottom and just ten points ahead of BJR’s Fabian Coulthard.

The V8 Supercars Championship continues with the Perth 400 on May 16-18.