Courtney takes home podium for SBR.
JELD-WEN Motorsport's James Courtney achieved his third podium finish for the year at Queensland Raceway on Sunday, his third place boosting him to sixth in the V8 Supercar Championship standings.
Courtney took his maiden V8 Supercar race win on Saturday, but didn't have it all his own way today and he was forced to battle his way back to the front after a disappointing race this morning.
JELD-WEN Motorsport's James Courtney achieved his third podium finish for the year at Queensland Raceway on Sunday, his third place boosting him to sixth in the V8 Supercar Championship standings.
Courtney took his maiden V8 Supercar race win on Saturday, but didn't have it all his own way today and he was forced to battle his way back to the front after a disappointing race this morning.
The JELD-WEN Motorsport driver sank to sixth position in race two as he struggled with a difficult BF Falcon. Starting from the front row, Courtney was swamped in the opening laps, dropping to fifth.
It wasn't until his compulsory pit stop on lap 10 that the Gold Coast-based driver was able to stabilize the situation, rejoining the race in sixth position which he maintained until the chequered flag.
Some small changes to the number-four Falcon before race three produced a much improved car, and Courtney wasted no time in making up ground, passing Will Davison and Garth Tander, in the opening laps.
Completing his compulsory pit stop on lap 11, it looked as though Courtney would rejoin the race behind Tander in fourth position however, the JELD-WEN Motorsport driver had other ideas, shooting past Tander through turn one and two to grab third.
The JELD-WEN Motorsport Falcon pulled away from Tander mid-race and Courtney claimed second position only five laps from the end of the 38-lap race when Russell Ingall had an excursion onto the grass.
Courtney crossed the line in second position, securing third for the round behind Mark Winterbottom and Ingall.
"The SBR team did a great job to get us on the podium today. My hat goes off to the boys, they have worked really hard in recent rounds," said Courtney. "We went the wrong way with set up in race two so we went the opposite in race three and the JELD-WEN Falcon was a lot better right from the start.
"I had some good little battles and when I saw my mate Russell off on the grass I thought 'here's an opportunity'.
"We had a bit of a drag as he got back on track but luckily for me there was more traction on the tarmac than on the grass.
"We are off to Winton next which is not our best track but with our recent results we should be able to get a good package together and have a good go."
Shane van Gisbergen meanwhile had a rollercoaster of a home round in the sister car, the 19-year old finishing 19th overall.
van Gisbergen started race two from grid position 17, only able to work his way up to 15th before he slid off the track on lap 32, losing two positions. The SP Tools Racing driver lost a further four places in the closing laps as he battled with the rear of the BF Falcon, crossing the line in 21st position.
Race three didn't get much better for the young Kiwi, who admitted to today's races being two of the most difficult of his career. van Gisbergen picked up five positions throughout the race, finally finishing in 17th position.
"I really struggled with the SP Tools Racing Falcon today," he conceded. "The car would be really quick after our stops but use up the tyres quickly and become really loose. It's probably the hardest I have had to battle to keep a car on the track; I'm exhausted.
"Part of that will be the new car and me not being used to it. I'm definitely looking forward to Winton now. It's the last of the tracks for me to learn and we can focus on that and having a good car out of the box."
"It was great to win our first race for a couple of years and be on the podium this weekend," summed-up Stone Brothers Racing boss, Ross Stone. "We did 114 laps of racing over the weekend and of that, for eight laps at the start of race two the tyre combination was not that good and that cost us track position and probably an overall win. Regardless, the win opens the door for more wins and there is a confidence there to charge on for the rest of the season."