Rick Kelly – Toll HSV Dealer Team
“I’m stoked to win here in the new car first time out. Several things have motivated us to get the job done this year. One of those things is having the No. 1 on the door. There is nothing better than having it out there on the car as you are fighting to win. We copped a little bit of grief from Ford fans, which again drove us to success this weekend. To stand on top of the podium is exactly what we are after.”
Todd Kelly – Holden Racing Team
"It’s a fantastic start to the season and to think we had a new car in the mix between Phillip Island and here. We have learnt a lot about the car. At times it was a bit of a struggle today. I had to drive the car at 11 tenths the whole race, right from the first lap to the last.”
James Courtney – Jeld-Wen Motorsport
“We had a drama with the mapping of the engine getting off the line and it was also a problem coming out of the pits. The Jeld-Wen Falcon wasn’t happy leaving the mark. We lost a heap of time coming off the start and also in the stops. It’s something that we will have to go away and work out and knock on the head. I was pushing eleven-tenths in the race because I lost so much time at the start and I locked the front right badly into turn nine and also into 14. It was like having a 50-cent piece on the front right corner for most of the race. I had to nurse it but continue to push hard so it was quite a tough race mentally. To come away with third today and third in the championship, I really can’t complain. It’s a great start compared to 12 months ago and a great result for the team. If this is the results for a weekend where we have a few issues, I can’t wait to see the results when we have a really good one!”
Russell Ingall – Caltex Racing
“It’s good to be back and out of the wilderness. It is where we should be. The all changes the team has made in the off-season have certainly had a positive impact. The vibe in the team this weekend was what it felt like when we won those three consecutive championships. James looks as though he is the Marcos replacement we hoped he would be and there is no doubt that we will be pushing each other all season. We had a few problems that we need to sort from yesterday’s first race and the boys managed to achieve all that. The pit stops were better and we only lost one spot and that was to James. I flat spotted a tyre early in the race and then had a major lock up coming in for my stop, but apart from that we had a relatively incident-free race. After this weekend I feel there is no reason why either of us cannot win the championship.”
Jamie Whincup - TeamVodafone
“Overall I am very pleased to finish the weekend with a straight and competitive car. Although today didn’t run as well as we had planned I have got great confidence heading into the rest of the championship. Fourth overall is a good first up result and is on plan with my personal goals of being consistent this year.”
Steven Johnson – Jim Beam Racing
“I’m really happy with the car today; it’s been a great start to the season for the team, especially finishing the weekend in the Top 10. Racing with the leading cars is something we have not been able to achieve for quite some time, and to do this is extremely satisfying. We lost a bit of time in the pits today and this cost me one or two positions, but overall we were happy with our performance. During the race I had a slight problem with the battery and had to switch everything off in the car I possibly could; including my cool suit and helmet fan! Thankfully everything went smoothly after that and we continued to run strongly to the end of the race.”
Mark Skaife – Holden Racing Team
“To roll two brand new Commodores out and be so competitive is a testimony to the expertise and hard work of all the Team at HRT. We're learning more every time we go out and with this momentum we can't wait to get to Perth.”
Steven Richards – Ford Performance Racing/Castrol Racing
“The car was much better today from the start, I got off to a good start and made up a couple of spots. The car was consistent throughout the race but ultimately didn't quite have the pace we needed. I also flat spotted a tyre trying to pass a slower car and in nursing that I had to work the rear tyres harder, which made them wear excessively, costing some pace. The Safety Car period close to the end of the race helped to bring some grip back.”
Will Davison – Jim Beam Racing
![Rick Kelly - Toll HSV Holden Commodore [pic credit: Toll HSV media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/294483.jpg)
