V8s Test in Queensland & Victoria.

The V8 Supercar teams had their first hit out for 2008 with official test days and Winton Raceway for the Victorian teams and Queensland Raceway for the Queensland based teams.
The Winton test was by far the best attended with 18 V8 Supercar drivers, many of those in new cars and teams for 2008. The conditions were mild, with a shower or two, and there were plenty of spectators to support their teams and prove that V8 Supercars are gaining even
more popularity.

Garth Tander eventually topped the time sheets for the day but only just ahead of Rick Kelly, Lee Holdsworth and his new team mate, Mark Skaife. Todd Kelly was shown around his new machinery by the Jack Daniels team and quickly got down to the business of setting up the car to suit his driving style.

The Winton Results.
1. Garth Tander 1.23.60
2. Rick Kelly HSV 1.23.88
3. Lee Holdsworth 1.23.89
4. Mark Skaife 1.24.02
5. Mark Winterbottom 1.24.29
6. Steven Richards 1.24.31
7. Jason Bright 1.24.35
8. Todd Kelly 1.24.36
9. Andrew Jones 1.24.41
10. Greg Murphy 1.24.43
11. Paul Dumbrell 1.24.48
12. Shane Price 1.24.55
13. Jason Richards 1.24.62
14. Andrew Thompson 1.24.69
15. Michael Caruso 1.24.88
16. Cameron McConville 1.24.89
17. Tony D’Alberto 1.25.24
18. Marcus Marshall 1.25.98

The Queensland test day was a much quieter affair with just 9 cars from the main game making it onto the track. Fine and mild conditions greeted the drivers and the many spectators that arrived to see the new liveries of some of the teams. Concerns about the condition of the track turned out to be unfounded as the times soon came down to previous levels.

James Courtney had to earn his fastest time of the day with Jamie Whincup topping the time sheets for much of the day. Fabian Coulthard worked hard for his 5th fastest time, seemingly doing more laps than any other car. The Paul Morris Motorsport cars only arrived at the track in the early afternoon, having only been finished that morning, with their times reflecting the lack of preparation.

The Queensland Raceway Results.
1. James Courtney 1:10.58
2. Jamie Whincup 1:10.64
3. Steven Johnson 1:10.84
4. Will Davison 1:10.92
5. Fabian Coulthard 1:10.94
6. Craig Lowndes 1:11.26
7. Paul Morris 1:11.37
8. Russell Ingall 1:11.57
9. Shane Van Gisbergen 1:11.78

The Last Word.