Garth Tander showed little signs of frustration following Race 35 at Phillip Island, despite losing the win as his Holden ran short of fuel in the final metres.

The Holden Racing Team driver had fended off Scott McLaughlin’s Volvo for the majority of the 200km journey, only to concede the position on the run to the chequered flag.

The dramatic finish came after the race’s second and final pitstops were triggered by a Safety Car period 30 laps from the end.

The result came just a week after Tander won the Highlands 101 GT race in New Zealand thanks to Richard Muscat’s Erebus Mercedes running out of fuel on the last lap.

“That’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes,” said Tander after Race 35.

“I’ve won plenty of fuel races and have lost a couple along the way as well. That’s the way it goes.

“The boys told me it was going to be really tight on the last lap and it was probably 100m the wrong side of the line.

“I won a race last week when the other dude ran out of fuel and this week I’ve lost one.”

Although there was minimal radio traffic about fuel throughout the stint, Tander insisted he had been driving to a fuel number following the early second pitstop.

Race engineer Blake Smith warned his driver at the start of the last lap that “it’s going to be real close” – words that soon proved prophetic.

“We hit all our numbers, did everything we were meant to do and just came up short,” continued Tander.

“Obviously we’ll go back and look at everything and make sure we learn from it, but while it’s disappointing, it’s not the end of the world.

McLaughlin had pulled away from Tander early in the race before the track position was reversed at the first round of stops, which took place for the two leaders over laps eight and nine.

The duo ran in close quarters for the remainder of the journey, with McLaughlin making big inroads in the slipstream of the Commodore down the main straight, but proving unable to make a move into the daunting first turn on each occasion.

“To be honest it was pretty comfortable,” said Tander of the battle.

“I could see where Scott was stronger and where I was stronger and all I had to do was make sure I got onto the front straight well so the 800bhp beast couldn’t pass me.

“I just hit my marks and put the car in the right spot so that Scott had dirty air.

“It was pretty much under control, but we just didn’t have enough fuel.”

The fuel shortage ensures Tander remains with just one win from the 2014 season to date, adding to the two scored by HRT team-mate James Courtney.

Tander sits ninth in points heading to the Sydney season finale, one place and 201 points behind Courtney.