HSV Dealer Team's Rick Kelly managed to salvage a top-ten result overall in the Falken Tasmania Challenge at Symmons Plains Raceway this weekend, the penultimate round of the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship.
Kelly only finished 19th in race one on Saturday, after an incident on lap two forced him to pit to change a shredded tyre and have some broken bodywork patched up. However he fought back on Sunday, taking a ninth place finish in race two and eighth in race three.
Speaking at the finish, he said he was content, especially given the team's tough luck over the past few rounds: "I only moved forward one spot in Race three but to be honest I think we should be pretty satisfied with that after the result we had yesterday," he explained.
"The pace up the front was tough, everyone was separated by a tenth here or a tenth there.
"We actually had a little bit of pace on the cars at the front in the end but unfortunately there was no way around.
"Eighth was pretty satisfying, we got a few points and moved a little bit closer towards sixth. The last couple of rounds have been tough on PD and I and the team as well. It was good to get back towards the front."
Paul Dumbrell, who also had a difficult opening race and only finished 21st, however, wasn't quite so fortunate.
Indeed while he was 13th in race two on Sunday, he came unstuck in R3 when he was tagged by Cameron McConville at turn four and then again at turn seven. Consequently he fell to the back of the pack and in the end was only 20th.
"Race 2 was reasonable we had relatively good pace, got a good safety car call so that was promising," said PD. "Race 3 was brought undone by a couple of incidents with Cam McConville. He hit me twice into the braking zone at turn four and then tagged me again at turn seven and turned the car around into the fence.
"At the end of the day outside of that the car was really quick and we were able to stay in front of the leaders. It was a disappointing way to end really."
