Asian Motor Sports

Holden’s Garth Tander had a perfect round at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway, winning race two and three yesterday to add to his race one win in the V8 Supercar Championship second round.

Tander dominated in Perth like no one in recent memory. After being quickest in official practice on Friday, he was on pole after qualifying on Saturday and then won all three of the weekend races.

And he did it all in front of a home-town crowd which enjoyed and celebrated every moment.

Tander had never before won a race, let alone a round of the V8 championship, in his home state of Western Australia. Indeed, over a period of 13 years he had never won any other major event either.

Success certainly came with a rush. “Winning every session. That was just awesome,” Tander told a rapturous crowd.

The three wins moved Tander to second in the V8 Supercar championship behind his Toll HSV teammate Rick Kelly who, for the most part of the weekend, was his only rival.

That changed in the third race when Kelly’s tyres faded and Mark Skaife came on strongly to take second place and third place in the round.

Holden’s dominance must be worrying the major Ford teams, even at this early stage of the season. The new VE Commodore looks to have the wood on anything Ford can produce at the moment and even Ford stars such as Craig Lowndes, Steve Richards and James Courtney are struggling to make an impact.

Unless there are some drastic changes of fortune in the rounds ahead, the Toll team and its sister Holden Racing Team will dominate the championship.

Lowndes continually lost ground during the weekend, Richards was never quick enough and Courtney crashed twice - although it should be emphasised neither of the high-speed accidents were his fault.

More worryingly the Jeld-Wen Falcon was at fault and the young driver, tipped by many to be a star this season, was a dejected figure at the end of the day.

But winners are grinners and Tander’s face was split by his toothy grin.

Many would argue he was robbed of a chance of winning the 2006 title and there doesn’t seem any doubt Holden will not repeat that mistake this year.

Skaife chased him home yesterday and thought about having a go at one stage and then thought better of it.

“Discretion was the better part of valour,” Skaife said.

“I dont think I’d have been very popular if I put Garth into the sand.” Tander agreed. “You would have struggled to get out of the state alive,” he said with a laugh.

The championship continues in New Zealand next month with the third of 14 rounds.