After dominating Saturday qualifying and race one, Garth Tander's final day of racing at Symmons Plains has seen the Toll HSV Dealer Team driver drop from first to second place in the championship standings with one day remaining.
Having set a new touring car lap record during qualifying, Tander looked certain to defend his race one win with strong finishes in the final two sprints for the weekend.
However clutch problems in race two, and suspension breakage after hurdling off-track in race three saw Tander fail to capitalise on his Saturday progress and end the weekend in seventh overall.
With Jamie Whincup rising to take the championship lead after winning the round, Tander now trails in the title stakes by eight points, with just one round remaining.
“It was a disappointing way to end to a promising weekend,” said a disappointed Tander, who netted thirty-two points for the weekend.
“We had done a lot of the hard work, winning race one and coming back from seventeenth place after the clutch problem in race two.
“Richo went a fraction wide at the hairpin and I tried to go under him. We made contact and something broke and that was that.
“While it is disappointing, seven or eight points is not insurmountable.
“I have been reminded that Rick led by seven points last year going into Phillip Island and yet it was all even after race one. So, we just have to dig deeper and make up the gap and a bit more.”
Defending champion Rick Kelly now seems out of the championship picture after also failing to finish the last race of the weekend.
He retired after engine troubles force him to park his car after twenty-one laps.
Whilst a mathematical possibility to win the championship, Kelly seems unlikely to do so – now trailing Whincup by forty-eight points.
“We were still in touch until Race 3 and made up some points on a couple of the guys, but when we had the engine problem, we were going nowhere,” said Kelly.
“It is going to take some sort of miracle from here, but that doesn't mean we won't be going to Phillip Island and trying to win.”
