Triple Eight Race Engineering

Full name	Triple Eight Race Engineering
Base	Brisbane, Australia
Team principal	Roland Dane
Race drivers	88.Jamie Whincup, 888.Craig Lowndes
Model	Ford Falcon BF
Engine	SBR 5.0L V8
Debut	2004
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
Round Wins	9
Race victories	11
Pole positions	4
2006 Placing	3rd
Bathurst 1000 Wins	1 (2006)
Website	http://www.tripleeight.com.au

Triple Eight Race Engineering is one of the leading motorsport teams competing in the Australian V8 Supercars series. Currently, the team's title sponsor is Vodafone. Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and is the third largest city in Australia, with a metropolitan population of 1. ... Jamie Whincup signing autographs at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. ... Craig Lowndes signing autographs at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hell Corner of the Mount Panorama Circuit The Bathurst 1000 is a 1000-kilometre motor race for touring cars, conducted each October at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... V8 Supercars in action The V8 Supercar is a category of touring car racing that evolved in Australia in the early 1990s. ... Vodafone Group plc is a British mobile network operator headquartered in Newbury, Berkshire, England. ...

History

Triple Eight Race Engineering originated in the UK, winning 12 British Touring Car Championships before the decision to expand into the Australian V8 Supercars in late-2003. Triple Eight took over the Briggs Motorsport team, and moved it to a new custom-built base at Bowen Hills (a Brisbane suburb), and employed 35 people (among them, former SBR engineer Campbell Little) to build a new pair of V8 Supercars for the 2004 season. Engineers in Brisbane worked closely with the Triple Eight staff in the UK, while team bosses managed to attract substantial financial support from Ford Australia The current BTCC logo The British Touring Car Championship is a series of races for saloon cars which is held each year in the United Kingdom and Ireland. ... V8 Supercars in action The V8 Supercar is a category of touring car racing that evolved in Australia in the early 1990s. ... The Old Museum -- former home of the Queensland Museum -- later, home of the Queensland Youth Orchestras Bowen Hills is a suburb in the inner north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and is the third largest city in Australia, with a metropolitan population of 1. ... 2005 V8SCS Champion Russell Ingall with his #1 Caltex Falcon Former SBR pilot and dual V8SCS Champion Marcos Ambrose in his SBR Falcon at Indy 2005 Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) is one of the premier motorsport teams competing in the Australian V8 Supercar series, formed in 1998 by experienced New... Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria in 1926 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. ...

2004 was Triple Eight's first full season in V8 Supercars. It was a disappointing year for all involved, with both cars dogged by mechanical problems. Paul Radisich came 19th in the championship, while Max Wilson finished a lowly 28th. The team's car speed, however, was certainly up with the front-runners for many weekends. Paul Radisich is a New Zealand racing driver currently competing in the V8 Supercar series in Australia. ... Max Wilson was born on August 22, 1972 in Hamburg, Germany. ...

2005 saw a massive form reversal for Triple Eight. Star driver Craig Lowndes was signed to replace Radisich, and Steve Ellery replaced Wilson. Lowndes in particular was a catalyst for change, which along with powerful and reliable SBR-sourced engines saw a massive improvement in the team's performance. Lowndes finished 2nd in the championship, finishing the year strongly and narrowly missing out on snatching the title from Russell Ingall. Ellery came 13th. The year's highlights included a win to Lowndes and co-driver Yvan Muller in the Sandown 500, a 3rd placing to Ellery and co-driver Adam Macrow at the Bathurst 1000. Lowndes won a further three rounds, and qualified on pole position four times (including pole at the Bathurst 1000) Craig Lowndes signing autographs at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. ... 2005 V8SCS Champion Russell Ingall with his #1 Caltex Falcon Former SBR pilot and dual V8SCS Champion Marcos Ambrose in his SBR Falcon at Indy 2005 Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) is one of the premier motorsport teams competing in the Australian V8 Supercar series, formed in 1998 by experienced New... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Yvan Muller (born August 16, 1969) is a French auto racing driver. ... The Sandown 500 is a 500 kilometre motor race for touring cars, conducted at the Sandown Raceway Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Hell Corner of the Mount Panorama Circuit The Bathurst 1000 is a 1000-kilometre motor race for touring cars, conducted each October at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. ... Hell Corner of the Mount Panorama Circuit The Bathurst 1000 is a 1000-kilometre motor race for touring cars, conducted each October at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. ...

2006 saw a continuation of this strong form, with new recruit Jamie Whincup replacing Ellery, and making an instant impact in the form of a win at the Clipsal 500. Lowndes scored four round wins, including victory at the Bathurst 1000 with Jamie Whincup, winning the inaugural Peter Brock Trophy. Jamie Whincup signing autographs at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. ... The Adelaide 500 (also known as the Clipsal 500 for naming sponsor Clipsal Electronics) is an annual racing carnival for Touring Cars held on a street circuit in the east end of Adelaide on a shortened form of the former Australian Grand Prix track. ... Hell Corner of the Mount Panorama Circuit The Bathurst 1000 is a 1000-kilometre motor race for touring cars, conducted each October at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. ... Jamie Whincup signing autographs at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. ... The Peter Brock Trophy is the trophy awarded to the winners of the Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercars race. ...

The fight for the 2006 Championship

Having led the championship to Round 11, Lowndes lost the series lead at the Symmonds Plains weekend. Having seen a big chunk of his lead evaporate at the previous round on the Gold Coast following two (somewhat harsh) penalties for dangerous driving approaching the starting grid, the pressure was on Lowndes to perform at the Tasmania event. Unfortunately for Lowndes, he was caught in a massive crash on the opening lap of the first race, forcing him to the rear of the grid for the next race. He recovered, but he lost the series lead to Rick Kelly, who took a handy 73-point lead. At the next round in Bahrain, Lowndes stormed back into contention as Kelly encountered problems of his own. The stage was set for a spectacular finale at Phillip Island, with the two contenders separated by just seven points. Gold Coast is a city and local government area set on the Coral Sea in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. ... Rick Kelly (born on January 17, 1983 in Mildura, Victoria, Australia) is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. ... Named after Governor Arthur Phillip, Phillip Island in Victoria (Australia) forms a natural breakwater for the shallow waters of Western Port Bay. ...

Lowndes qualified on the third row of the grid, while Kelly was further back on the fifth row. However, Kelly fought back in the first race to be right on Lowndes' bumper at the conclusion of the race - Lowndes was 4th, Kelly 5th. In the second race, Lowndes came 3rd while Kelly was 4th - again close behind. The points going into the final race of the year were tied. On the opening lap of the final race, Kelly lightly touched Lowndes on the rear bumper while in the high-speed section between Turns 3 and 4, sending Lowndes into a spin, eventually cleaning out both Lowndes and Todd Kelly (Rick's older brother). Rick Kelly was given a drive-through penalty, and finished 18th. Lowndes' car was extensively damaged and was only able to salvage 29th place. Rick Kelly had won the championship. Todd Kelly (born on October 9, 1979 in Mildura, Victoria, Australia) is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. ...

However, Lowndes and his Triple Eight team protested, claiming that Kelly had deliberately taken Lowndes out of the race. The stewards, after deliberation, dismissed the appeal, saying that the drive-through penalty was sufficient punishment for Kelly. Furthermore, Lowndes and Triple Eight accused the Toll HSV Dealer Team and the Holden Racing Team for bad sportsmanship - Mark Skaife was given a bad sportsmanship flag in Race 1 for blocking Lowndes, while Kelly's team-mate Garth Tander was given a drive-through penalty for blocking Lowndes in Race 2. After the appeals were dismissed, Lowndes declared himself the "moral champion". Some days later, Lowndes was awarded the prized Barry Sheene Medal, which was some consolation. Toll HSV Dealer Team is a V8 Supercar racing team. ... V8 Supercars in action V8 Supercar is the main motor racing series in Australia. ... Mark Skaife (b 3 April 1967) is one of the most popular and successful touring car race drivers Australia has ever produced. ... Garth Tander is an Australian V8 Supercar driver. ...

2007 Championship

In 2007, the team's drivers are Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes. The new title sponsor is Vodafone replacing Betta Electrical, which was in financial ruin. 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... Jamie Whincup signing autographs at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. ... Craig Lowndes signing autographs at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. ...

External link

• Triple Eight Race Engineering
• TeamVodafone