# 2002 Boost Mobile V8 International

The 2002 Boost Mobile V8 International was the twelfth round of the 2002 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 8 to 10 November at Pukekohe Park Raceway in New Zealand.
The event was won by Greg Murphy for the second time in succession after rivals Mark Skaife and Marcos Ambrose incurred problems that dropped them out of contention. Teammate Todd Kelly completed a one-two for Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia for the round whilst Ambrose rounded up the top three in overall points. Despite claiming pole position and winning the first race, series champion Mark Skaife was beset with engine issues over the last two races, eliminating him from round honours.
This was the last Pukekohe V8 Supercar event to be sponsored by Boost Mobile. From 2003 onwards, the vacancy was taken over by hardware company, PlaceMakers.

## Background

Mark Skaife entered the event having already wrapped up the championship two rounds prior at the Bathurst 1000. Contention for second in the championship was still raging between Ambrose, Murphy and Jason Bright.
Preceding this event, Greg Murphy had remained undefeated at this circuit, in terms of qualifying, races and overall round points. The first instance being in the non-championship 1996 Mobil New Zealand Sprints and the other being in the inaugural championship event in 2001.
Dean Canto would replace Greg Ritter at Briggs Motorsport, taking over the drive for the remainder of the 2002 season.

## Race report
### Qualifying

| Pos | No | Name | Team | Vehicle | Time |
| 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.1446 |
| 2 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.3561 |
| 3 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.3679 |
| 4 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.5348 |
| 5 | 9 | David Besnard | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.5556 |
| 6 | 66 | Tony Longhurst | Briggs Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.6650 |
| 7 | 65 | Max Wilson | Briggs Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.7146 |
| 8 | 16 | Steven Richards | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.7293 |
| 9 | 21 | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.7573 |
| 10 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.7860 |
| 11 | 02 | Rick Kelly | Holden Young Lions | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.8044 |
| 12 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | 00 Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.8427 |
| 13 | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.8550 |
| 14 | 11 | Larry Perkins | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.9156 |
| 15 | 888 | John Bowe | Brad Jones Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.9208 |
| 16 | 7 | Rodney Forbes | 00 Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.9252 |
| 17 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.9561 |
| 18 | 3 | Cameron McConville | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:58.0208 |
| 19 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.0441 |
| 20 | 18 | Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.0625 |
| 21 | 31 | Steven Ellery | Steven Ellery Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.0797 |
| 22 | 54 | Craig Baird | Rod Nash Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:58.1064 |
| 23 | 021 | Jason Richards | Team Kiwi Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:58.1131 |
| 24 | 43 | Paul Weel | Paul Weel Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.2112 |
| 25 | 75 | Anthony Tratt | Paul Little Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.2274 |
| 26 | 46 | John Faulkner | John Faulkner Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:58.2312 |
| 27 | 27 | Neil Crompton | 00 Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.2816 |
| 28 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.2933 |
| 29 | 35 | Jason Bargwanna | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:58.3463 |
| 30 | 600 | Dean Canto | Briggs Motor Sport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.4228 |
| 31 | 10 | Mark Larkham | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.4894 |
| 32 | 40 | Cameron McLean | Paragon Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.8199 |
| Sources: ||||||

### Top Ten Shootout

| Pos | No | Name | Team | Vehicle | Time |
| 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.1672 |
| 2 | 9 | David Besnard | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.4253 |
| 3 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.4705 |
| 4 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:57.5351 |
| 5 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.7704 |
| 6 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.9209 |
| 7 | 16 | Steven Richards | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 0:57.9791 |
| 8 | 21 | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.0312 |
| 9 | 66 | Tony Longhurst | Briggs Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.0875 |
| 10 | 65 | Max Wilson | Briggs Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0:58.3566 |
| Sources: ||||||

### Race 1

Drama unfolded almost immediately as the two Dick Johnson Racing cars driven by Paul Radisich and Steven Johnson collided on the approach to turn one. The incident resulted in both cars immediately dropping out of the race and with Radisich's car stranded on the side of the track, the safety car was deployed. Once the race resumed, Skaife led the race from David Besnard, Murphy, Ambrose, Bright, Todd Kelly, Steven Richards and Brad Jones. Skaife began to set a scorching pace, eventually breaking the track record multiple times over the course of the race.
By lap 8, multiple cars down the pack opted to complete their compulsory pit stops. A slow stop for Besnard would prove to be costly, being dropped out of the top ten. Cameron McConville's race was over when his engine expired at the pitlane exit On lap 15, Larry Perkins retired from the race after the power steering pump had failed. Garth Tander's race was over on lap 22 owing to a front-right suspenion failure. Rodney Forbes spun off at the hairpin, hitting the tyre barrier in the process. But was able to continue the race.
Up the front, Skaife remained untroubled throughout the entire race. In taking victory, he became the first driver to defeat Murphy at Pukekohe Park Raceway in a V8 Supercar race. Murphy and Ambrose rounded out the podium.
| Pos | No | Name | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Grid |
| 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 36 | 41min 28.6114sec | 1 |
| 2 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | 36 | + 5.132 | 3 |
| 3 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | 36 | + 6.409 | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | 36 | + 6.860 | 5 |
| 5 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | 36 | + 11.569 | 6 |
| 6 | 16 | Steven Richards | Perkins Engineering | 36 | + 12.503 | 7 |
| 7 | 02 | Rick Kelly | Holden Young Lions | 36 | + 13.599 | 11 |
| 8 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | 00 Motorsport | 36 | + 21.570 | 12 |
| 9 | 21 | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | 36 | + 24.249 | 8 |
| 10 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | 36 | + 24.849 | 17 |
| 11 | 65 | Max Wilson | Briggs Motorsport | 36 | + 27.298 | 10 |
| 12 | 888 | John Bowe | Brad Jones Racing | 36 | + 27.690 | 15 |
| 13 | 9 | David Besnard | Stone Brothers Racing | 36 | + 31.478 | 2 |
| 14 | 66 | Tony Longhurst | Briggs Motorsport | 36 | + 36.309 | 9 |
| 15 | 27 | Neil Crompton | 00 Motorsport | 36 | + 36.644 | 27 |
| 16 | 021 | Jason Richards | Team Kiwi Racing | 36 | + 37.144 | 23 |
| 17 | 31 | Steven Ellery | Steven Ellery Racing | 36 | + 49.253 | 21 |
| 18 | 54 | Craig Baird | Rod Nash Racing | 36 | + 53.254 | 22 |
| 19 | 35 | Jason Bargwanna | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 36 | + 54.964 | 29 |
| 20 | 46 | John Faulkner | John Faulkner Racing | 36 | + 55.342 | 26 |
| 21 | 43 | Paul Weel | Paul Weel Racing | 36 | + 55.379 | 24 |
| 22 | 40 | Cameron McLean | Paragon Motorsport | 36 | + 58.302 | 32 |
| 23 | 10 | Mark Larkham | Larkham Motor Sport | 35 | + 1 lap | 31 |
| 24 | 600 | Dean Canto | Briggs Motorsport | 35 | + 1 lap | 30 |
| 25 | 75 | Anthony Tratt | Paul Little Racing | 35 | + 1 lap | 25 |
| 26 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | 35 | + 1 lap | 28 |
| 27 | 7 | Rodney Forbes | 00 Motorsport | 32 | + 4 laps | 16 |
| Ret | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 19 | Suspension | 13 |
| Ret | 11 | Larry Perkins | Perkins Engineering | 15 | Power steering | 14 |
| Ret | 3 | Cameron McConville | Lansvale Racing Team | 6 | Engine | 18 |
| Ret | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | 0 | Accident damage | 19 |
| Ret | 18 | Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | 0 | Accident | 20 |
| Fastest Lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team), 0:57.4545 |||||||
| Sources: |||||||

### Race 2

Ambrose bogged down off the start and dropped from third to sixth. A concertina effect on the opening lap heading into the hairpin saw Russell Ingall spin Craig Lowndes, sending the 00 Motorsport driver right to the tail end of the pack. Besnard was forced into the pits early on after his Falcon was stuck in gear and subsequently dropped two laps behind the leaders.
On lap 20, Cameron McLean's right-rear wheel parted company with his car whilst Canto veered off into the runoff area at the hairpin. He was joined by Perkins and subsequently resulted in a safety car. During this time, Skaife's car developed a misfire. As the race resumed, Skaife peeled into the pits to retire; handing the lead over to Murphy. Steven Richards struggled with tyres and dropped off the podium as the race tracked on.
Murphy held the lead until the very end. Taking the win ahead of Bright and Ambrose.
| Pos | No | Name | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Grid |
| 1 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | 54 | 57min 56.5579sec | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | 54 | + 3.512 | 4 |
| 3 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | 54 | + 11.589 | 3 |
| 4 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | 54 | + 13.804 | 5 |
| 5 | 02 | Rick Kelly | Holden Young Lions | 54 | + 18.751 | 7 |
| 6 | 16 | Steven Richards | Perkins Engineering | 54 | + 20.583 | 6 |
| 7 | 27 | Neil Crompton | 00 Motorsport | 54 | + 23.937 | 15 |
| 8 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | 54 | + 24.661 | 31 |
| 9 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | 00 Motorsport | 54 | + 28.823 | 8 |
| 10 | 66 | Tony Longhurst | Briggs Motorsport | 54 | + 29.592 | 14 |
| 11 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | 54 | + 30.189 | 10 |
| 12 | 31 | Steven Ellery | Steven Ellery Racing | 54 | + 30.627 | 17 |
| 13 | 21 | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | 54 | + 31.622 | 9 |
| 14 | 021 | Jason Richards | Team Kiwi Racing | 54 | + 35.325 | 16 |
| 15 | 7 | Rodney Forbes | 00 Motorsport | 54 | + 42.069 | 27 |
| 16 | 65 | Max Wilson | Briggs Motorsport | 54 | + 43.940 | 11 |
| 17 | 10 | Mark Larkham | Larkham Motor Sport | 54 | + 51.169 | 23 |
| 18 | 3 | Cameron McConville | Lansvale Racing Team | 54 | + 52.876 | 30 |
| 19 | 35 | Jason Bargwanna | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 54 | + 56.053 | 19 |
| 20 | 888 | John Bowe | Brad Jones Racing | 53 | + 1 lap | 12 |
| 21 | 43 | Paul Weel | Paul Weel Racing | 53 | + 1 lap | 21 |
| 22 | 75 | Anthony Tratt | Paul Little Racing | 53 | + 1 lap | 25 |
| 23 | 9 | David Besnard | Stone Brothers Racing | 52 | + 2 laps | 13 |
| 24 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | 52 | + 2 laps | 26 |
| 25 | 600 | Dean Canto | Briggs Motorsport | 51 | + 3 laps | 24 |
| Ret | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 41 | Fuel pump | 28 |
| Ret | 46 | John Faulkner | John Faulkner Racing | 26 | Retired | 20 |
| Ret | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 24 | Engine | 1 |
| Ret | 11 | Larry Perkins | Perkins Engineering | 20 | Spun off | 29 |
| Ret | 40 | Cameron McLean | Paragon Motorsport | 20 | Wheel | 22 |
| Ret | 54 | Craig Baird | Rod Nash Racing | 0 | Retired | 18 |
| WD | 18 | Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | | Withdrawn | |
| Fastest Lap: Mark Skaife (Holden Racing Team), 0.57.9281 |||||||
| Sources: |||||||

### Race 3

Before the race, question marks lingered over whether the Holden Racing Team could rectify Skaife's engine issues to allow him to line up on the grid. Eventually, he would. Although these issues would resurface as the race went on. Todd Kelly perfected his launch off the line and shuffled into second behind Murphy off the start. Behind them, others were less-than-perfect. Jason Richards t-boned Brad Jones in turn two, sending them both into a spin and tumbling down the order. The safety car was brought out on lap 17 after McConville spun off at the hairpin. Not long after the race resumed, Bright's engine blew up on the back straight, making it a double-DNF for the Holden Racing Team.
By mid-race distance, Glenn Seton spun at turn two, taking out the tyre bundle in the process. This exposed a sharp bracket that was holding the bundle in place and multiple drivers began to experience punctures. One of them was race and round leader, Murphy. On lap 33, Murphy was forced to pit as a result, giving the lead to Ambrose, who also assumed the lead for round points as a result. The damage for Murphy was mitigated thanks to the deployment of another safety car after Besnard hit the wall at Ford Mountain. The safety car came out for the third time just a few laps later when Steven Richards went off the circuit at turn three.
When the race resumed with seven laps remaining, Todd Kelly began to exert pressure onto Ambrose. It appeared as if the Tasmanian had everything under control. But with three laps to go, he locked up massively into the hairpin; destroying the tyre and dropping him out of the lead. He would limp around to the finish line to pick up valuable points for the championship. Todd Kelly cruised to victory while brother Rick and Larry Perkins squabbled for the podium. Perkins would end up prevailing for second while Rick Kelly finished third. Finishing fourth, Murphy took the overall round honours, keeping up his undefeated round record at Pukekohe. This race also marked the last podium appearance in V8 Supercars for Larry Perkins.
| Pos | No | Name | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Grid |
| 1 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | 54 | 1hr 10min 49.8778sec | 4 |
| 2 | 11 | Larry Perkins | Perkins Engineering | 54 | + 0.669 | 29 |
| 3 | 02 | Rick Kelly | Holden Young Lions | 54 | + 1.640 | 5 |
| 4 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | 54 | + 2.672 | 1 |
| 5 | 600 | Dean Canto | Briggs Motorsport | 54 | + 5.955 | 25 |
| 6 | 43 | Paul Weel | Paul Weel Racing | 54 | + 6.542 | 21 |
| 7 | 21 | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | 54 | + 8.203 | 13 |
| 8 | 40 | Cameron McLean | Paragon Motorsport | 54 | + 19.437 | 30 |
| 9 | 65 | Max Wilson | Briggs Motorsport | 54 | + 20.244 | 16 |
| 10 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | 54 | + 1:10.890 | 3 |
| 11 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | 53 | + 1 lap | 11 |
| 12 | 35 | Jason Bargwanna | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 53 | + 1 lap | 19 |
| 13 | 66 | Tony Longhurst | Briggs Motorsport | 53 | + 1 lap | 10 |
| 14 | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 52 | + 2 laps | 26 |
| 15 | 27 | Neil Crompton | 00 Motorsport | 52 | + 2 laps | 7 |
| 16 | 75 | Anthony Tratt | Paul Little Racing | 52 | + 2 laps | 22 |
| 17 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | 51 | + 3 laps | 24 |
| 18 | 16 | Steven Richards | Perkins Engineering | 51 | + 3 laps | 6 |
| Ret | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | 53 | Suspension | 8 |
| Ret | 888 | John Bowe | Brad Jones Racing | 49 | Accident | 20 |
| Ret | 46 | John Faulkner | John Faulkner Racing | 48 | Suspension | 27 |
| Ret | 54 | Craig Baird | Rod Nash Racing | 47 | Accident | 31 |
| Ret | 9 | David Besnard | Stone Brothers Racing | 31 | Accident | 23 |
| Ret | 10 | Mark Larkham | Larkham Motor Sport | 29 | Retired | 17 |
| Ret | 7 | Rodney Forbes | 00 Motorsport | 28 | Retired | 15 |
| Ret | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | 25 | Engine | 2 |
| Ret | 3 | Cameron McConville | Lansvale Racing Team | 17 | Spun off | 18 |
| Ret | 00 | Craig Lowndes | 00 Motorsport | 16 | Engine | 9 |
| Ret | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 13 | Engine | 28 |
| Ret | 31 | Steven Ellery | Steven Ellery Racing | 8 | Radiator | 12 |
| Ret | 021 | Jason Richards | Team Kiwi Racing | 0 | Accident | 14 |
| WD | 18 | Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | | Withdrawn | |
| Fastest Lap: Greg Murphy (Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia), 0:57.9784 |||||||
| Sources: |||||||

## Gallery

* Russell Ingall's Castrol Perkins car in the garage
* David Besnard and Steven Ellery in the pitlane
* Jason Bright undertaking a pitstop

## Aftermath
### Championship standings

| Pos. | No | Driver | Team | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 2064 |
| 2 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | 1403 |
| 3 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | 1376 |
| 4 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Tom Walkinshaw Racing Australia | 1303 |
| 5 | 16 | Steven Richards | Perkins Engineering | 1278 |