# 2009 V8 Supercar season

The 2009 V8 Supercar season was the thirteenth season in which V8 Supercars contested the premier Australian motor racing series for touring cars. It was the 50th season of touring car racing in Australia from the first Australian Touring Car Championship, latter to become the V8 Supercar Championship Series, and the first Armstrong 500, which would evolve into the Bathurst 1000.
The season featured the thirteenth V8 Supercar Championship Series which began on 21 March at the Clipsal 500 on the streets of Adelaide and finished on 6 December at the Homebush Street Circuit. The championship comprised 26 races held at 14 events, visiting all states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as New Zealand. A non-championship event supported the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. The season also included the tenth second tier Development Series, promoted as the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, with all seven rounds held as support races for the V8 Supercar Championship Series. For the second year, a third tier series was run, as the Shannons V8 Touring Car National Series. Its five rounds were held at rounds of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships.

## Review

The 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series was dominated by the season long rivalry between the leading Ford team, Triple Eight Race Engineering and its drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes and the leading Holden team, the Holden Racing Team and its drivers, Will Davison and Garth Tander. Between them they won 22 of the seasons 26-point scoring races. HRT won the most of the seasons prizes, winning the teams prize, leading the charge to Holden regaining the manufacturers prize, the drivers combining to win the Bathurst 1000 and the Phillip Island 500, but Triple Eight won the biggest prize with Jamie Whincup retaining the drivers' championship. Whincup personally won half of the 22 races the two teams won together, the backbone of his title retention with his season beginning Adelaide 500 as his centrepiece and Lowndes chipped in by dominating Winton and winning the non-championship event held on the Australian Grand Prix support program. Lowndes was fourth in the championship behind Tander, but Davison was the revelation of the season, stepping up to HRT after a strong season with Dick Johnson Racing in 2008, Davison pushed Whincup almost all the way to the title until Davison faded over the final two events at Barbagallo and the new Sydney 500.
Best of the rest was a battle between two Ford teams. Mark Winterbottom won at Surfers Paradise and finished fifth in the drivers championship for Ford Performance Racing while at Dick Johnson Racing, Steven Johnson finished sixth and his teammate James Courtney took two street circuit victories at the Townsville 400 and Sydney 500. The only upset win was Michael Caruso's debut win at Hidden Valley Raceway. Caruso's win for Garry Rogers Motorsport was also the only Holden race win not scored by the Holden Racing Team as the three top Ford team shared honours.
Ford also had success in the second tier series with MW Motorsport driver Jonathon Webb charging to the series crown, utterly dominant in the second half of the series as Ford drivers swamped the top seven positions in the development series. James Moffat was series runner up from David Russell with TV personality racer Grant Denyer putting his best ever season to finish a strong fourth position. The emerging third tier series was won strongly by Adam Wallis in his self-run Holden Commodore.

## Race calendar

| Race title | Circuit | City / state | Date | Series | Winner | Team | Report |
| Clipsal 500 | Adelaide Street Circuit | Adelaide, South Australia | 19 - 22 Mar | VSC 1 VSC 2 | Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Clipsal 500 | Adelaide Street Circuit | Adelaide, South Australia | 19 - 22 Mar | FVS 1 | David Russell | Howard Racing | |
| Sprint Gas V8 Supercars Manufacturers Challenge | Albert Park | Melbourne, Victoria | 26 - 29 Mar | | Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Hamilton 400 | Hamilton Street Circuit | Hamilton, New Zealand | 17 - 19 Apr | VSC 3 VSC 4 | Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Goulburn | Wakefield Park | Goulburn, New South Wales | 25 - 26 Apr | STCS 1 | Adam Wallis | Warrin Mining | |
| Winton | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 1–3 May | VSC 5 VSC 6 | Craig Lowndes Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Winton | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 1–3 May | FVS 2 | Jonathon Webb | MW Motorsport | |
| Falken Tasmania Challenge | Symmons Plains Raceway | Launceston, Tasmania | 29–31 May | VSC 7 VSC 8 | Garth Tander Jamie Whincup | Holden Racing Team Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Mallala | Mallala Motor Sport Park | Adelaide, South Australia | 6 - 7 Jun | STCS 2 | Adam Wallis | Warrin Mining | |
| Skycity Triple Crown | Hidden Valley Raceway | Darwin, Northern Territory | 19 - 21 Jun | VSC 9 VSC 10 | Jamie Whincup Michael Caruso | Triple Eight Race Engineering Garry Rogers Motorsport | report |
| Winton | Winton Motor Raceway | Benalla, Victoria | 27 - 28 Jun | STCS 3 | Terry Wyhoon | Image Racing | |
| Dunlop Townsville 400 | Townsville Street Circuit | Townsville, Queensland | 10 - 12 Jul | VSC 11 VSC 12 | Jamie Whincup James Courtney | Triple Eight Race Engineering Dick Johnson Racing | report |
| Dunlop Townsville 400 | Townsville Street Circuit | Townsville, Queensland | 10 - 12 Jul | FVS 3 | James Moffat | Sonic Motor Racing Services | |
| Norton 360 Sandown Challenge | Sandown Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 31 Jul - 2 Aug | VSC 13 VSC 14 | Will Davison Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team Holden Racing Team | report |
| Norton 360 Sandown Challenge | Sandown Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 31 Jul - 2 Aug | FVS 4 | David Russell | Howard Racing | |
| Queensland House and Land.com 300 | Queensland Raceway | Ipswich, Queensland | 21 - 23 Aug | VSC 15 VSC 16 | Jamie Whincup Will Davison | Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden Racing Team | report |
| Queensland House and Land.com 300 | Queensland Raceway | Ipswich, Queensland | 21 - 23 Aug | FVS 5 | Jonathon Webb | MW Motorsport | |
| Oran Park | Oran Park Raceway | Sydney, New South Wales | 29 - 30 Aug | STCS 4 | Shane Beikoff | Turbo Brisbane | |
| L&H 500 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 11 - 13 Sep | VSC 17 | Garth Tander Will Davison | Holden Racing Team | report |
| Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst, New South Wales | 8 - 11 Oct | VSC 18 | Garth Tander Will Davison | Holden Racing Team | report |
| Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Bathurst, New South Wales | 8 - 11 Oct | FVS 6 | Jonathon Webb | MW Motorsport | |
| Gold Coast Nikon SuperGP | Surfers Paradise Street Circuit | Surfers Paradise, Queensland | 22 - 25 Oct | VSC 19 VSC 20 | Garth Tander Mark Winterbottom | Holden Racing Team Ford Performance Racing | report |
| Desert 400 | Bahrain International Circuit | Manama, Bahrain | 5 - 7 Nov | VSC 21 VSC 22 | event cancelled | event cancelled | event cancelled |
| The Island 300 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | Phillip Island, Victoria | 7 - 8 Nov | VSC 21 VSC 22 | Jamie Whincup Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| BigPond 300 | Barbagallo Raceway | Perth, Western Australia | 21 - 23 Nov | VSC 23 VSC 24 | Jamie Whincup Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering | report |
| Sandown | Sandown Raceway | Melbourne, Victoria | 28 - 29 Nov | STCS 5 | Steve Owen | Power Plus 98 | |
| Sydney Telstra 500 | Homebush Street Circuit | Sydney, New South Wales | 4 - 6 Dec | VSC 25 VSC 26 | Garth Tander James Courtney | Holden Racing Team Dick Johnson Racing | report |
| Sydney Telstra 500 | Homebush Street Circuit | Sydney, New South Wales | 4 - 6 Dec | FVS 7 | Jonathon Webb | MW Motorsport | |
* - fastest lap of official pre-season test days
* VSC - V8 Supercar Championship Series
* FVS - Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series
* STCS - Shannons V8 Touring Car National Series