Todd Kelly has won race one at the V8 Supercar support event for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
Kelly, who qualified fastest for today's race, put in a flawless performance from start to finish in the ten-lap sprint, winning the race by a solid 3.3 seconds.
The pole sitter started alongside new Ford signing Jason Bright, who put considerable pressure onto Kelly going into turn one, though the Holden driver withstood the pressure, and the field made it through turns one and two without drama.
However, at the third turn, Rick Kelly made contact with the Falcon of Jason Bargwanna, spoiling the race for both drivers, as the twenty-minute race did not give contenders much of a chance to make up lost time.
On lap five Tony Longhurst clashed with Brad Jones, spinning Longhurst across the track. With only superficial damage suffered, both drivers were able to re-join the race, albeit several positions worse than they had intended to.
Two laps later, Marcos Ambrose made his mark on the race, passing Steven Richards, then Jason Bright, before rounding up Mark Skaife, which allowed the reigning champ to set off after Kelly, who by now enjoyed a four-second lead.
On lap eight, brain fades struck experienced players Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander, both of whom found the kitty litter, prematurely ending their race.
One lap later, Skaife passed Bright, putting the HRT team principle in position to secure the second podium finish for the Holden Racing Team.
Meanwhile, Kelly was able to hold-off increasing pressure from Ambrose, responding with quick, consistent laps, earning him the first race win of the season.
The V8s race again on Saturday and Sunday, and
Crash.net will be bringing you all the news and results from the Grand Prix.
Race One: Top Ten
1.
Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team
2.
Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Racing
3.
Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team
4.
Russell Ingall Caltex Racing
5.
Jason Bright Ford Performance Racing
6.
Cam McConville Repco Valvoline Cummins
7.
Paul Radisich Team Kiwi Racing
8.
Steven Richards Team Perkins Racing
9.
Greg Ritter Ford Performance Racing
10.
Steven Johnson Westpoint Racing
