# 2012 Clipsal 500

The 2012 Clipsal 500 was a motor race for the Australian sedan-based V8 Supercars. It was the first event of the 2012 International V8 Supercars Championship, and the fourteenth running of the Clipsal 500. It was held on the weekend of 1–4 March at the Adelaide Street Circuit, in Adelaide, South Australia.

## Report
### Race 1
#### Qualifying

Triple Eight Race Engineering driver Craig Lowndes qualified on pole position for the first race — his pole at the Adelaide parklands circuit — ahead of Garth Tander and Will Davison. Lowndes' team-mate and reigning series champion Jamie Whincup qualified fifth, having started on the front row of the grid at every race since 2007.
| Pos. | No. | Name | Car | Team | Time |
| 1 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Holden VE Commodore | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 1:21.2738 |
| 2 | 2 | Garth Tander | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 1:21.2908 |
| 3 | 6 | Will Davison | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 1:21.4194 |
| 4 | 19 | Jonathon Webb | Holden VE Commodore | Tekno Autosports | 1:21.5164 |
| 5 | 1 | Jamie Whincup | Holden VE Commodore | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 1:21.5468 |
| 6 | 47 | Tim Slade | Ford FG Falcon | James Rosenberg Racing | 1:21.6288 |
| 7 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 1:21.7093 |
| 8 | 55 | David Reynolds | Ford FG Falcon | Rod Nash Racing | 1:21.8078 |
| 9 | 14 | Fabian Coulthard | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 1:22.0289 |
| 10 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 1:22.3105 |
| 11 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Jack Daniel's Racing | 1:21.2386 |
| 12 | 3 | Tony D'Alberto | Ford FG Falcon | Tony D'Alberto Racing | 1:21.3746 |
| 13 | 22 | James Courtney | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 1:21.4035 |
| 14 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Jack Daniel's Racing | 1:21.4148 |
| 15 | 4 | Lee Holdsworth | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 1:21.4880 |
| 16 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 1:21.4966 |
| 17 | 49 | Steve Owen | Ford FG Falcon | Paul Morris Motorsport | 1:21.5431 |
| 18 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Ford FG Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 1:21.5915 |
| 19 | 18 | James Moffat | Ford FG Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 1:21.5928 |
| 20 | 66 | Russell Ingall | Holden VE Commodore | Walkinshaw Racing | 1:21.7532 |
| 21 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Holden VE Commodore | Kelly Racing | 1:21.7964 |
| 22 | 12 | Dean Fiore | Ford FG Falcon | Triple F Racing | 1:21.9426 |
| 23 | 30 | Taz Douglas | Holden VE Commodore | Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport | 1:22.1907 |
| 24 | 33 | Alexandre Prémat | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 1:22.1991 |
| 25 | 21 | David Wall | Holden VE Commodore | Britek Motorsport | 1:22.4358 |
| 26 | 8 | Jason Bright | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 1:29.3326 |
| — | 11 | Karl Reindler | Holden VE Commodore | Kelly Racing | no time |
| EX | 91 | Michael Patrizi | Holden VE Commodore | Tekno Autosports | 1:21.6802 |
| Source: ||||||

##### Notes

    ^1 – Michael Patrizi was moved to the back of the grid for ignoring red flags during qualifying.

#### Race

Garth Tander took an early lead in the race, but was re-passed by Craig Lowndes after three drivers — James Courtney, Jason Bright and Taz Douglas — crashed heavily at Turn 8. Shortly after the accident Jamie Whincup switched from a two-stop to a three-stop strategy as Will Davison took the lead of the race, leading team-mate Mark Winterbottom. David Reynolds also crashed at Turn 8 just before lap 50, prompting an early round of pit stops and forcing the leaders to enter fuel-saving mode. Whincup used his shorter fuelling window and a brand-new set of tyres to catch the leaders, passing Davison at the hairpin on the final lap when Davison ran out of fuel. Tander finished third after Winterbottom was forced to pit for fuel himself.
| Pos. | No. | Name | Car | Team | Laps | Time/retired | Grid |
| 1 | 1 | Jamie Whincup | Holden VE Commodore | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 78 | 1:56:34.2914 | 5 |
| 2 | 6 | Will Davison | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 78 | 1:56:39.8163 | 3 |
| 3 | 2 | Garth Tander | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 78 | 1:56:55.0784 | 2 |
| 4 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Holden VE Commodore | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 78 | 1:57:13.5690 | 1 |
| 5 | 4 | Lee Holdsworth | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 78 | 1:57:14.0389 | 15 |
| 6 | 14 | Fabian Coulthard | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 78 | 1:57:15.1127 | 9 |
| 7 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Jack Daniel's Racing | 78 | 1:57:16.0684 | 14 |
| 8 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Jack Daniel's Racing | 78 | 1:57:16.8003 | 11 |
| 9 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 78 | 1:57:18.8675 | 7 |
| 10 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Ford FG Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 78 | 1:57:20.0157 | 18 |
| 11 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 78 | 1:57:21.3316 | 10 |
| 12 | 47 | Tim Slade | Ford FG Falcon | James Rosenberg Racing | 78 | 1:57:22.0020 | 6 |
| 13 | 66 | Russell Ingall | Holden VE Commodore | Walkinshaw Racing | 78 | 1:57:26.8003 | 20 |
| 14 | 91 | Michael Patrizi | Holden VE Commodore | Tekno Autosports | 78 | 1:57:32.3598 | 28 |
| 15 | 18 | James Moffat | Ford FG Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 78 | 1:57:34.0494 | 19 |
| 16 | 12 | Dean Fiore | Ford FG Falcon | Triple F Racing | 78 | 1:57:38.0943 | 22 |
| 17 | 33 | Alexandre Prémat | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 78 | 1:57:50.6825 | PL |
| 18 | 21 | David Wall | Holden VE Commodore | Britek Motorsport | 77 | 1:56:39.7479 | 25 |
| 19 | 49 | Steve Owen | Ford FG Falcon | Paul Morris Motorsport | 77 | 1:56:46.5581 | 17 |
| 20 | 11 | Karl Reindler | Holden VE Commodore | Kelly Racing | 77 | 1:57:25.1651 | 27 |
| 21 | 3 | Tony D'Alberto | Ford FG Falcon | Tony D'Alberto Racing | 77 | 1:57:28.8299 | 12 |
| 22 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 77 | 1:57:39.1991 | 16 |
| 23 | 19 | Jonathon Webb | Holden VE Commodore | Tekno Autosports | 76 | 1:56:40.7697 | 4 |
| 24 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Holden VE Commodore | Kelly Racing | 67 | 1:56:53.0618 | 21 |
| Ret | 55 | David Reynolds | Ford FG Falcon | Rod Nash Racing | 44 | Accident | 8 |
| Ret | 22 | James Courtney | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 4 | Accident | 13 |
| Ret | 30 | Taz Douglas | Holden VE Commodore | Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport | 4 | Accident | 23 |
| Ret | 8 | Jason Bright | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 4 | Accident | PL |
| Source: ||||||||

##### Notes

* ^2 — Alexandre Prémat and Jason Bright started the race from pit lane.

### Race 2
#### Qualifying

After missing pole position for Race 1, Jamie Whincup claimed his first pole of the season, beating Garth Tander by one-tenth of a second. The twenty-minute qualifying session saw a heavy collision between Greg Murphy and Jonathon Webb when Webb slowed on the approach to the final corner, attempting to create a window of clean air for a flying lap. Murphy, already on a flying lap himself, came around the penultimate corner at speed and was unable to move aside in time, rear-ending Webb's car. The accident was heavy enough to remove both cars out of the race.
| Pos. | No. | Name | Car | Team | Time |
| 1 | 1 | Jamie Whincup | Holden VE Commodore | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 1:20.5353 |
| 2 | 2 | Garth Tander | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 1:20.6395 |
| 3 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 1:20.6436 |
| 4 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Holden VE Commodore | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 1:20.8034 |
| 5 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Jack Daniel's Racing | 1:20.8160 |
| 6 | 6 | Will Davison | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 1:20.9112 |
| 7 | 4 | Lee Holdsworth | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 1:20.9115 |
| 8 | 47 | Tim Slade | Ford FG Falcon | James Rosenberg Racing | 1:20.9172 |
| 9 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 1:20.9816 |
| 10 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 1:20.9816 |
| 11 | 55 | David Reynolds | Ford FG Falcon | Rod Nash Racing | 1:21.1962 |
| 12 | 15 | Todd Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Jack Daniel's Racing | 1:21.3300 |
| 13 | 3 | Tony D'Alberto | Ford FG Falcon | Tony D'Alberto Racing | 1:21.3329 |
| 14 | 14 | Fabian Coulthard | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 1:21.4095 |
| 15 | 8 | Jason Bright | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 1:21.4880 |
| 16 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Ford FG Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 1:21.4408 |
| 17 | 91 | Michael Patrizi | Holden VE Commodore | Tekno Autosports | 1:21.5278 |
| 18 | 49 | Steve Owen | Ford FG Falcon | Paul Morris Motorsport | 1:21.5429 |
| 19 | 12 | Dean Fiore | Ford FG Falcon | Triple F Racing | 1:21.6351 |
| 20 | 18 | James Moffat | Ford FG Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 1:21.6741 |
| 21 | 66 | Russell Ingall | Holden VE Commodore | Walkinshaw Racing | 1:21.7964 |
| 22 | 33 | Alexandre Prémat | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 1:21.8156 |
| 23 | 19 | Jonathon Webb | Holden VE Commodore | Tekno Autosports | 1:22.0638 |
| 24 | 30 | Taz Douglas | Holden VE Commodore | Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport | 1:22.0928 |
| 25 | 11 | Karl Reindler | Holden VE Commodore | Kelly Racing | 1:22.3120 |
| 26 | 21 | David Wall | Holden VE Commodore | Britek Motorsport | 1:22.4150 |
| 27 | 51 | Greg Murphy | Holden VE Commodore | Kelly Racing | 6:38.1826 |
| — | 22 | James Courtney | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | no time |
| Source: ||||||

##### Notes

    ^3 – James Courtney failed to set a lap time after damaging his gearbox.

#### Race

Garth Tander lead the race away once again, but was caught and passed by Jamie Whincup before the first round of stops, and then the Fords of Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom after the stops. Whincup's car was reported to develop a misfire and was soon caught by Davison and Winterbottom, who also went on to pass Tander. The race was uninterrupted by safety cars, and Davison and Winterbottom went on to claim a one-two finish for Ford Performance Racing.
| Pos. | No. | Name | Car | Team | Laps | Time/retired | Grid |
| 1 | 6 | Will Davison | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 78 | 1:48:31.4231 | 6 |
| 2 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing | 78 | 1:48:36.2684 | 3 |
| 3 | 2 | Garth Tander | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 78 | 1:48:40.5133 | 2 |
| 4 | 1 | Jamie Whincup | Holden VE Commodore | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 78 | 1:48:52.5977 | 1 |
| 5 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Holden VE Commodore | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 78 | 1:48:57.7579 | 4 |
| 6 | 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 78 | 1:48:58.9003 | 9 |
| 7 | 55 | David Reynolds | Ford FG Falcon | Rod Nash Racing | 78 | 1:49:11.2822 | 11 |
| 8 | 4 | Lee Holdsworth | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 78 | 1:49:15.7393 | 7 |
| 9 | 14 | Fabian Coulthard | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 78 | 1:57:16.8003 | 11 |
| 10 | 47 | Tim Slade | Ford FG Falcon | Stone Brothers Racing | 78 | 1:49:25.8270 | 8 |
| 11 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Jack Daniel's Racing | 78 | 1:49:26.2042 | 5 |
| 12 | 3 | Tony D'Alberto | Ford FG Falcon | Tony D'Alberto Racing | 78 | 1:49:36.7330 | 13 |
| 13 | 66 | Russell Ingall | Holden VE Commodore | Walkinshaw Racing | 78 | 1:49:51.2999 | 21 |
| 14 | 49 | Steve Owen | Ford FG Falcon | Paul Morris Motorsport | 77 | 1:48:44.5064 | 18 |
| 15 | 91 | Michael Patrizi | Holden VE Commodore | Tekno Autosports | 77 | 1:48:47.1507 | 17 |
| 16 | 8 | Jason Bright | Holden VE Commodore | Brad Jones Racing | 77 | 1:48:49.4786 | 15 |
| 17 | 17 | Steven Johnson | Ford FG Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 77 | 1:48:55.2931 | 16 |
| 18 | 33 | Alexandre Prémat | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 77 | 1:49:03.0024 | 22 |
| 19 | 12 | Dean Fiore | Ford FG Falcon | Triple F Racing | 77 | 1:49:04.1539 | 19 |
| 20 | 11 | Karl Reindler | Holden VE Commodore | Kelly Racing | 77 | 1:49:19.0405 | 24 |
| 21 | 21 | David Wall | Holden VE Commodore | Britek Motorsport | 77 | 1:49:21.8256 | 25 |
| 22 | 34 | Michael Caruso | Holden VE Commodore | Garry Rogers Motorsport | 77 | 1:49:22.2612 | 10 |
| 23 | 7 | Todd Kelly | Holden VE Commodore | Jack Daniel's Racing | 77 | 1:49:27.9235 | 12 |
| 24 | 30 | Taz Douglas | Holden VE Commodore | Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport | 76 | 1:49:35.7057 | 4 |
| 25 | 22 | James Courtney | Holden VE Commodore | Holden Racing Team | 65 | 1:49:30.9975 | PL |
| Ret | 18 | James Moffat | Ford FG Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing | 16 | Power steering | 20 |
| DNS | 19 | Jonathon Webb | Holden VE Commodore | Tekno Autosports | 0 | Collision | |
| DNS | 51 | Greg Murphy | Holden VE Commodore | Kelly Racing | 0 | Collision | |
| Source: ||||||||

##### Notes

* ^5 — James Courtney started the race from pit lane.

## Standings

* After 2 of 30 races.
| Pos | No | Name | Team | Points |
| 1 | 6 | Will Davison | Ford Performance Racing | 288 |
| 2 | 1 | Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 270 |
| 3 | 2 | Garth Tander | Holden Racing Team | 258 |
| 4 | 5 | Mark Winterbottom | Ford Performance Racing | 222 |
| 5 | 888 | Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight Race Engineering | 206 |