FPR's latest comeback followed a bizarre incident in race two of the Darwin round, when a safety car was called to remove a banner - and a Holden banner at that - from the middle of the track. Amid suggestions that a fan, unhappy with Ford's recent domination of the result, may have allowed the flag to trespass onto the racing surface, the race turned on its ear under the caution.
It sparked the opportunity that Tander wanted, and the Toll HRT driver swooped at the restart, taking a look on the outside of Richards on the straight and then dipping to the inside on the switchback to take the race lead with five laps to go.
“I didn't see the flag as causing too much grief - and it didn't deserve a safety car,” Richards said, having also claimed that his car had stuck in gear at the restart, "It had been there for five or six laps, and wasn't an issue at all.”
For Tander, however, the flag was a turning point, albeit not enough to help him take overall victory.
“We got quite lucky at the restart,” he admitted, “After Sandown it's a great fight back. A lot of people asked a lot of questions of HRT after Sandown and I think we've now answered that.”
Winterbottom had lost his early advantage when the FPR crew struggled to turn him around quickly at his mandatory pit-stop, allowing both Richards and Tander through, and had to settle for third, ahead of the two Team Vodafone Falcons of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup. Russell Ingall took sixth, ahead of Jason Richards, Mark Skaife, Rick Kelly and Will Davison.
Tander and Winterbottom were equal on points going into the last of the weekend's three races, with Richards just four points off the pace, but it was the latter who made the most of the start, rocketing past Tander on the opening lap and never being headed thereafter - despite another safety car appearance - as he claimed his first round win since Perth two years ago. Winterbottom also passed Tander and was seldom troubled as he backed Richards up in a 1-2 result.
