# 2001 V8 Supercars Phillip Island round

The 2001 Phillip Island V8 Supercar round was the first round of the 2001 Shell Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 23 to 25 March at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, Australia.

## Race report

The weekend was dominated by Mark Skaife and the Holden Racing Team. Taking pole position in the top-ten shootout followed by two victories, Skaife collected maximum points for the weekend. Craig Lowndes achieved second overall for the round in his first race weekend under the Ford banner and Jason Bright acquired third place in his return to the Shell Championship after he left for Indy Lights at the end of 1999.

## Race results
### Qualifying

| Pos | No | Name | Team | Vehicle | Time |
| 1 | 18 | Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:32.9761 |
| 2 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.0539 |
| 3 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.2111 |
| 4 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.2147 |
| 5 | 6 | Steven Richards | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.3521 |
| 6 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.3714 |
| 7 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Kmart Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.3749 |
| 8 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.4275 |
| 9 | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.4373 |
| 10 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.4539 |
| 11 | 11 | Larry Perkins | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.5014 |
| 12 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.5850 |
| 13 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Kmart Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.7035 |
| 14 | 10 | Mark Larkham | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.8426 |
| 15 | 35 | Jason Bargwanna | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.9563 |
| 16 | 600 | John Bowe | Briggs Motor Sport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.9596 |
| 17 | 9 | David Besnard | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:34.1019 |
| 18 | 31 | Steven Ellery | Steven Ellery Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:34.1156 |
| 19 | 29 | Paul Morris | Paul Morris Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VT) | 1:34.1371 |
| 20 | 46 | John Faulkner | John Faulkner Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:34.1707 |
| 21 | 43 | Paul Weel | Paul Weel Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:34.3605 |
| 22 | 3 | Cameron McConville | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:34.4222 |
| 23 | 21 | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:34.7174 |
| 24 | 16 | Dugal McDougall | McDougall Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:34.7739 |
| 25 | 40 | Cameron McLean | Paragon Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:34.8708 |
| 26 | 32 | Tomas Mezera | Tomas Mezera Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:34.9070 |
| 27 | 7 | Rodney Forbes | Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:34.9869 |
| 28 | 24 | Paul Romano | Romano Racing | Holden Commodore (VT) | 1:35.1329 |
| 29 | 54 | Tony Longhurst | Rod Nash Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:35.4848 |
| 30 | 75 | Anthony Tratt | Paul Little Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:35.5860 |
| 31 | 23 | Trevor Ashby | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VS) | 1:35.8194 |
| 32 | 76 | Matthew White | Matthew White Racing | Holden Commodore (VS) | 1:37.4580 |
| DNQ | 14 | Greg Ritter | Imrie Motor Sport | Holden Commodore (VT) | Did not qualify |
| DNQ | 45 | Dean Canto | RPM International Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | Did not qualify |
| DNQ | 50 | Tyler Mecklem | Clive Wiseman Racing | Holden Commodore (VT) | Did not qualify |
| DNQ | 021 | Jason Richards | Team Kiwi Racing | Holden Commodore (VT) | Did not qualify |
| Source: ||||||

### Top Ten Shootout

| Pos | No | Name | Team | Vehicle | Time |
| 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:32.5121 |
| 2 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:32.7961 |
| 3 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:32.8745 |
| 4 | 18 | Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.0265 |
| 5 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.0690 |
| 6 | 6 | Steven Richards | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.2409 |
| 7 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 1:33.2985 |
| 8 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.5311 |
| 9 | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.6165 |
| 10 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Kmart Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 1:33.6533 |
| Source: ||||||

### Race 1

In an action-packed opening lap that saw Jason Bargwanna and Mark Larkham spin off the track, Mark Skaife established a lead on the field that he would not relinquish. Following him was team-mate Jason Bright and rookie Marcos Ambrose. On lap 4, Ambrose pulled off an ambitious move on Bright for second place into Honda Hairpin. Behind them, Paul Radisich led a gaggle of cars that through to the mid-pack. Included in that bunch was Craig Lowndes, who had lost ground on the opening lap, and Greg Murphy, who was battling his way up from a poor qualifying position. John Bowe's race came to an end on lap 12 due to a suspected issue with the front-right suspension.
The pit window opened to allow for drivers to undertake their compulsory pitstops. Radisich lost a flurry of positions thanks to a slow stop – and would later encounter handling issues that would see him fall further down the pack. Lowndes meanwhile vaulted the pack up into third place, behind Bright. Up front, Skaife remained untroubled, taking the chequered flag by over 10 seconds. Bright, Lowndes, Ambrose, and Murphy rounded out the top five.
| Pos | No | Name | Team | Vehicle | Laps | Time | Grid |
| 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | 45min 25.3061sec | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 10.10 s | 2 |
| 3 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 11.65 s | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 12.19 s | 4 |
| 5 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Kmart Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 16.06 s | 13 |
| 6 | 6 | Steven Richards | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 20.56 s | 6 |
| 7 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 25.22 s | 12 |
| 8 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Kmart Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 25.63 s | 10 |
| 9 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 26.80 s | 8 |
| 10 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 29.24 s | 5 |
| 11 | 31 | Steven Ellery | Steven Ellery Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 32.00 s | 18 |
| 12 | 18 | Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 34.17 s | 4 |
| 13 | 29 | Paul Morris | Paul Morris Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VT) | 28 | + 37.44 s | 19 |
| 14 | 40 | Cameron McLean | Paragon Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 37.87 s | 25 |
| 15 | 43 | Paul Weel | Paul Weel Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 46.99 s | 21 |
| 16 | 10 | Mark Larkham | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 47.34 s | 14 |
| 17 | 21 | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 51.04 s | 23 |
| 18 | 35 | Jason Bargwanna | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 51.33 s | 15 |
| 19 | 54 | Tony Longhurst | Rod Nash Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 1:02.13 s | 29 |
| 20 | 11 | Larry Perkins | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 1:20.64 s | 11 |
| 21 | 16 | Dugal McDougall | McDougall Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 1:22.50 s | 24 |
| 22 | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 1:25.92 s | 9 |
| 23 | 7 | Rodney Forbes | Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 1:29.38 s | 27 |
| 24 | 32 | Tomas Mezera | Tomas Mezera Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 1:32.90 s | 26 |
| 25 | 76 | Matthew White | Matthew White Racing | Holden Commodore (VS) | 28 | + 1:34.06 s | 32 |
| 26 | 23 | Trevor Ashby | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VS) | 28 | + 1:34.86 s | 31 |
| 27 | 24 | Paul Romano | Romano Racing | Holden Commodore (VT) | 27 | + 1 Lap | 28 |
| 28 | 3 | Cameron McConville | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 27 | + 1 Lap | 22 |
| 29 | 9 | David Besnard | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 27 | + 1 Lap | 17 |
| 30 | 46 | John Faulkner | John Faulkner Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 27 | + 1 Lap | 20 |
| Ret | 600 | John Bowe | Briggs Motor Sport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 12 | Retired | 16 |
| DNS | 75 | Anthony Tratt | Paul Little Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | | Did not start | |
| Source: ||||||||

### Race 2

| Pos | No | Name | Team | Vehicle | Laps | Time | Grid |
| 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | 45min 24.9623sec | 1 |
| 2 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 4.09 s | 3 |
| 3 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Kmart Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 5.65 s | 5 |
| 4 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 6.31 s | 2 |
| 5 | 6 | Steven Richards | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 8.77 s | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 10.19 s | 4 |
| 7 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Kmart Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 15.60 s | 8 |
| 8 | 8 | Russell Ingall | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 18.68 s | 9 |
| 9 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 21.17 s | 7 |
| 10 | 5 | Glenn Seton | Glenn Seton Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 22.19 s | 10 |
| 11 | 31 | Steven Ellery | Steven Ellery Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 22.35 s | 11 |
| 12 | 34 | Garth Tander | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 23.14 s | 22 |
| 13 | 35 | Jason Bargwanna | Garry Rogers Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 23.29 s | 18 |
| 14 | 18 | Paul Radisich | Dick Johnson Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 25.18 s | 12 |
| 15 | 11 | Larry Perkins | Perkins Engineering | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 29.65 s | 20 |
| 16 | 40 | Cameron McLean | Paragon Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 30.60 s | 14 |
| 17 | 600 | John Bowe | Briggs Motor Sport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 36.68 s | 31 |
| 18 | 9 | David Besnard | Stone Brothers Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 43.16 s | 29 |
| 19 | 46 | John Faulkner | John Faulkner Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 46.94 s | 30 |
| 20 | 3 | Cameron McConville | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VX) | 28 | + 54.73 s | 28 |
| 21 | 7 | Rodney Forbes | Gibson Motorsport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 1:07.51 s | 23 |
| 22 | 21 | Brad Jones | Brad Jones Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 1:11.99 s | 17 |
| 23 | 23 | Trevor Ashby | Lansvale Racing Team | Holden Commodore (VS) | 28 | + 1:18.70 s | 26 |
| 24 | 76 | Matthew White | Matthew White Racing | Holden Commodore (VS) | 28 | + 1:30.82 s | 25 |
| 25 | 43 | Paul Weel | Paul Weel Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 28 | + 1:36.22 s | 15 |
| 26 | 32 | Tomas Mezera | Tomas Mezera Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 27 | + 1 Lap | 24 |
| 27 | 16 | Dugal McDougall | McDougall Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VX) | 27 | + 1 Lap | 21 |
| 28 | 54 | Tony Longhurst | Rod Nash Racing | Holden Commodore (VX) | 27 | + 1 Lap | 19 |
| 29 | 24 | Paul Romano | Romano Racing | Holden Commodore (VT) | 26 | + 2 Laps | 27 |
| 30 | 75 | Anthony Tratt | Paul Little Racing | Ford Falcon (AU) | 26 | + 2 Laps | 32 |
| 31 | 29 | Paul Morris | Paul Morris Motorsport | Holden Commodore (VT) | 24 | + 4 Laps | 13 |
| Ret | 10 | Mark Larkham | Larkham Motor Sport | Ford Falcon (AU) | 0 | Accident damage | 16 |
| Source: ||||||||

## Championship Standings

Standings after Round 1
| Pos. | No | Driver | Team | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | Mark Skaife | Holden Racing Team | 288 |
| 2 | 00 | Craig Lowndes | Gibson Motorsport | 238 |
| 3 | 2 | Jason Bright | Holden Racing Team | 235 |
| 4 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Kmart Racing Team | 201 |
| 5 | 4 | Marcos Ambrose | Stone Brothers Racing | 200 |