Garth Tander has cautioned that scoring a thrilling victory in yesterday’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 does not mean that the Toll Holden Racing Team’s rebuilding process is complete.
The factory Holden team was given a major restructure partway through the 2011 season, which included the installation of Mike Henry into the role of racing operations manager.
CLICK HERE for Mike Henry’s reaction to yesterday’s race win
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s Bathurst race report and results
CLICK HERE for more on the race with Tander, Lowndes and Percat
Having won just three of the 15 races contested this season prior to Bathurst, Tander and team-mate James Courtney headed to The Great Race fifth and 17th in the points standings respectively.
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The #2 Commodore showed strong speed at Phillip Island last month on the way to a fourth place finish in the L&H 500, before Tander held-off a charging Craig Lowndes to win the team’s seventh Bathurst 1000 alongside rookie Nick Percat yesterday.
“It’s not complete,” said Tander when asked if the team’s rebuilding phase had been completed by the win.
“There is still a lot of stuff we need to improve within the team and we know what those areas are.
“What this win will do is give the team a lot of belief that we’re headed in the right direction.
“Phillip Island proved that we are heading in the right direction, and we continued that on this weekend. To win this weekend is amazing – it’s fantastic for the team.”
Tander also dedicated the victory to the team’s founder Tom Walkinshaw, who passed away last December after a battle with cancer.
“He was all about this place (Bathurst), and to win it straight up after his passing is very special,” said Tander.
“We’ll get a lot from this, but we’ve still got work to do.”
Tander now sits fourth in the points standings after yesterday’s victory, while Courtney is 16th after finishing seventh alongside Cameron McConville yesterday.
