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Queensland V8 Supercars: James Courtney wins with wise strategy

James Courtney pulled off a strategically brilliant victory in the third V8 Supercars race at Ipswich's Queensland Raceway, while Jamie Whincup moved to the top of the championship standings

Factory Holden driver Courtney held back a set of soft tyres in qualifying for Saturday's races and those, coupled with two perfectly timed pitstops, allowed him to secure his second win of the season.

The 2010 V8 Supercars champion slipped behind poleman James Moffat's Nissan at the start and then had to sit behind an out-of-sequence Craig Lowndes during the second stint of the race, but when the stops played out, it was Courtney who came out on top.

He took the lead of lap 34 of 65 as his Triple Eight rival had to make a long final stop for tyres and fuel, and it was a position he held with ease until the chequered flag, taking victory by a 5.5 second margin.

Lowndes gained seven positions overall to finish second, ahead of Chaz Mostert, who was in the mix all race long and held off a determined Moffat towards the finish.

Ford Performance Racing's rising star was struggling with tyre wear and Moffat tried a last-lap lunge at Turn 3, which went awry and he ran wide, relinquishing his position to Scott Pye.

Whincup was not far away from the scene of the incident and greeted the flag in sixth. In doing so, moved to the top of the drivers' standings after title rival Mark Winterbottom had a nightmare race.

The erstwhile championship leader was forced to pit on lap 12 with a tyre issue and was hit with another tyre delamination on lap 43.

He rejoined the action and fell down the order of not only the race, to 22nd position, but also the championship, as he now trails Whincup by 15 points.

Results - 65 laps:
Pos Driver Team Car Time/Gap
1 James Courtney Holden Racing Team Holden 1h18m18.0553s
2 Craig Lowndes Red Bull Racing Australia Holden 5.5847s
3 Chaz Mostert Ford Pepsi Max Crew Ford 7.9592s
4 Scott Pye Wilson Security Racing Ford 11.9481s
5 James Moffat Norton Hornets Nissan 14.3465s
6 Jamie Whincup Red Bull Racing Australia Holden 14.8925s
7 Nick Percat Walkinshaw Racing Holden 18.7261s
8 Michael Caruso Norton Hornets Nissan 18.8903s
9 Garth Tander Holden Racing Team Holden 20.1539s
10 Shane van Gisbergen Team TEKNO V.I.P. Petfoods Holden 27.7754s
11 Fabian Coulthard Lockwood Racing Holden 29.9486s
12 David Wall Wilson Security Racing Ford 36.3256s
13 Russell Ingall Repair Management Australia Racing Holden 37.7840s
14 Tim Slade Supercheap Auto Racing Holden 40.4111s
15 Rick Kelly Jack Daniel's Racing Nissan 40.7326s
16 Robert Dahlgren Valvoline Racing GRM Volvo 43.0796s
17 Jason Bright Team BOC Holden 45.2293s
18 Will Davison Erebus Motorsport Mercedes 45.6099s
19 Scott McLaughlin Valvoline Racing GRM Volvo 46.5478s
20 Dale Wood Team ADVAM/GB Holden 49.1147s
21 Todd Kelly Jack Daniel's Racing Nissan 50.9901s
22 Mark Winterbottom Ford Pepsi Max Crew Ford 1m03.3805s
23 Lee Holdsworth Erebus Motorsport Mercedes 1m03.8131s
24 Jack Perkins Team JELD-WEN Ford 1m05.6551s
25 David Reynolds The Bottle-O Racing Team Ford 1 Lap

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