2007 Big Pond 400 - Race 1

Race 1

Race 1 was held on Saturday the 25th March 2007. It started with a relatively smooth start for the first lap, how this did not last long with Cameron McConville tagging John Bowe in turn 4, causing Bowe to go off the track. Over the next couple of laps, Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes had a major battle over 3rd place, with both drivers changing positions a number of times.

Garth Tander continued to lead the race, until he took his compulsory pit stop on lap 22, allowing his team mate Rick Kelly to take first place. However Rick pitted on the next lap.

After all of the compulsory pit stops were done, Tander came out in first, with Rick Kelly in second and Skaife in third. Todd Kelly and Craig Lowndes continued to battle over fourth position, until on lap 38 when Todd Kelly ran off the track at the first corner and bogged the car in the sand trap. This caused the first safety car of the race. Todd Kelly communicated to the team after the incident that “the brakes had let go, and there was brake fluid throughout the cabin.”

With three laps to go, Max Wilson collided with John Bowe causing Bowe to get beached at corner 7. This didn’t cause a safety car due to the closeness of the end of the race, but rather a localised yellow flag. The race was won by Toll HSV Dealer Team’s Garth Tander with his team mate Rick Kelly second, and HRT’s Mark Skaife in third.