Garth Tander and Will Davison have today taken out the Phillip Island 500 in spectacular fashion, the reigning champion winning the race on the final lap.

 

Garth Tander and Will Davison were on the money all afternoon, driving a faultless race to take the honours in today’s race.

 

Tander was embroiled in a battle for the race win with the team’s biggest Championship rival, Triple Eight Racing, with Craig Lowndes at the wheel.

 

In what was a nail biting finish, Tander managed to claw back the two second lead Lowndes had gained over the closing laps and out lasted the three times Bathurst winner.

 

Tander was told to give it all he had by his team back in pit lane and he delivered. The 2007 Champion drove the wheels off the #2 Toll HRT Commodore and snuck past Lowndes to seal the win.

 

Tander’s team-mate, Will Davison, was nervously counting the down the laps from the team’s pit and had almost resorted to settling for second place.

 

But the team didn’t give up and it paid off with Tander crossing the line in first place when the chequered flag was dropped. This race win gives the team all the motivation for the Bathurst 1000 next month.

 

Tander and Davison’s team-mates, Paul Dumbrell and Craig Baird, also had a successful outing at the ‘Island’ finishing the day inside the top ten in eighth.

 

Dumbrell started the day impressively, moving the #2 Toll HRT Commodore up the order over his first stint, before handing the car over to Craig Baird at the first pit stop on lap 21.

 

Baird drove consistently over his 65 lap run, pushing hard and gaining on the field in front. He handed the car back to Dumbrell for his second stint on lap 86, inside the ten. Dumbrell drove well to cross the finish line in eighth position.

 

The rain held off for the race and poured onto the circuit at its conclusion.

 

With the win today Will Davison maintains second place in the Championship while Tander breaks out a narrow gap on fourth placed Craig Lowndes.

 

The next event is the Bathurst 1000 from October 8-12.

 

Garth Tander - #2 Toll Holden Racing Team VE Commodore (Race 17: 1st)

“A fantastic win for the Toll Holden Racing Team, our supporters, and especially Holden which celebrates its 40th anniversary of official factory involvement in motorsport tomorrow. I was in fuel saving mode for a little while towards the end, but once we’d got past that they said to me on the radio as I began the last lap ‘go as hard as you can and see what happens’. Lowndesy was sliding around a bit and I couldn’t see anything else so I wondered whether he was saving fuel as well. I knew he was going to defend at Honda hairpin, but I thought it was going to be later in the lap that I was going to slip by. Once I got to him I just managed to get by, he obviously had some sort of issue, and we brought it home. It was an amazing race – to go 500kms absolutely flat out, and there was pretty much less than two seconds separating us all race, was incredible. There was pretty much less than two seconds all race, so I’m sure it looked good on TV. To capitalise when something went wrong with the other guys – we’ll take it!”

 

Will Davison - #2 Toll Holden Racing Team VE Commodore (Race 17: 1st)

“It’s a good feeling to win this one, very, very special. The race threw it all at us, debris, oil, but no one blinked. We’d had a chat towards the end and agreed that second was going to be a great day and we’d use the result as motivation for Bathurst, but in this sport you learn never give up. We all know what a battle it is to monitor your tyres and how easy it is for something to go wrong with them. I was very happy with my two stints. It was just a great fight all day [with Triple Eight’s Lowndes and Whincup] – 500ks, less than two seconds between us all day ... brilliant. We got to the lead, then lost the lead and I nearly thought second was it, but I had all the faith in the world sitting there watching GT do what he does best. It’s great to be a part of this win.”

 

Paul Dumbrell - #22 Toll Holden Racing Team VE Commodore (Race 17: 8th)

“What a good day for the whole team, and eighth for Bairdo and I was good. Our Achilles heel for the weekend was keeping longevity with the tyres. We improved the car for the race and moved forward four or five spots in the race, but it’s a pity we didn’t get a handle on that earlier. Overall first and eighth is very good, while I’ve moved up in the championship. I’m feeling comfortable in red and it’s clear red cars are faster!”

 

Craig Baird - #22 Toll Holden Racing Team VE Commodore (Race 17: 8th) “A good day for us and a great day for the whole Toll Holden Racing Team and Walkinshaw Racing. It would have been nice to get up the front a little further, but I thought we perhaps didn’t have the speed. I think we did a good job; we got caught up in the pits having to queue behind the lead car, but that happens. I was really happy with my stint and Paul drove extremely well. For me, I always use this race as a warm-up for Bathurst and it was a great opportunity for me to blow the cobwebs out. I’m looking forward to Bathurst, I think we’re going to be strong.”