Craig Lowndes extends Ipswich streak in Race 16

Craig Lowndes has recorded his fourth consecutive victory at Queensland Raceway by taking out Race 16 of the 2012 V8 Supercars Championship at the Coates Hire Ipswich 300.

Pole-sitter Lowndes led home Mark Winterbottom by 1.7s at the end of a 45 lap encounter defined by an early Safety Car intervention.

While Lowndes and Winterbottom followed a conventional strategy by switching from the hard to the soft compound together on Lap 20, 10 drivers elected to pit for the stickier rubber as soon as the yellows flew on the second lap – locking them into two-stop schedules.

Having dropped from second to eighth with a clutch problem off the start, eventual third place finisher Whincup was among those to take the two-stop gamble. Restarting 18th, the TeamVodafone driver fought through the hard tyre runners ahead of him in his second stint, climbing to third before the midrace stops began.

The final 20 lap stint to the flag proved to be a high speed procession, with neither Winterbottom nor Whincup able to challenge the dominant Lowndes.

Filling fourth and fifth respectively at the completion of the race were Fabian Coulthard and Russell Ingall, while Will Davison was the second best of the two-stoppers in sixth.

The one-stopping Shane van Gisbergen, Michael Caruso, Tim Slade (who struggled to the finish with a sticking throttle) and Steven Johnson rounded out the top 10.

The race’s one and only Safety Car proved somewhat unnecessary, with the cars of Michael Caruso and David Reynolds rejoining from simultaneous Turn 1 spins under their own steam as Race Control made the call. While Caruso was able to salvage a top 10 result, Reynolds ended the race 22nd.

Others to endure difficult days were Lee Holdsworth (who lost a lap while his crew tightened a rear brake nipple early in the going), Garth Tander (who pitted for a new steering arm on Lap 2), and Jonathon Webb (who was the race’s only DNF after suffering engine problems).

Jason Bright also had a tale of woe to tell after being spun out of 14th place with just five laps remaining. Todd Kelly had tapped the rear of the Team BOC Commodore heading into Turn 6, and received a 25 point post-race penalty for his actions.

Jacques Villeneuve fought hard towards the rear of the field, eventually finishing 23rd after a late-race spin while battling with Taz Douglas. Douglas had been the only driver to start on the soft tyres and finished 22nd.

The results see Winterbottom trim Whincup’s championship margin to 91 points, with Davison and Lowndes continuing to round out the top five.

A 200km race will complete the Coates Hire Ipswich 300 tomorrow.

See below for the full Race 16 results

See below for the updated points standings

See below for Speedcafe.com’s Coates Hire Ipswich 300 Race Guide