Winterbottom claims top 5 finish

Frosty races flawlessly.

Pepsi Max Crew has endured a mixed weekend at the Clipsal 500 after a bittersweet end to the final race.
Mark Winterbottom enjoyed a positive start to race three where a strong lap-one strategy helped put him up the front after the first round of pit stops cycled through.
Winterbottom went on to finish fifth overall while enjoying a boost in championship points.
Chaz Mostert's strong form was marred by last-lap contact from Jamie Whincup resulting in significant damage to the car.
Mostert was classified as a non-finisher despite the carnage after holding fifth position on the final lap.
DRIVERS’ VIEW
Mark Winterbottom - #5 Pepsi Max PRA Ford: 
Race 3 Quali: 11th  
Race 3 Result: 5th
"We got a ripper start, made up positions and went for the lap one strategy which was effective. Eventually we got back in good position but I pushed really hard for those first five or six laps and burnt the tyres up a bit but gained position. At the end of the race, the car and those tyres were not digging into the track. When you're not good enough you've just got to survive and stay straight and we'll go back to the workshop and have a good look at it and work out a plan. P5 is probably better where I should have given the car pace but we raced hard and got through which is good."
 
Chaz Mostert - #6 Pepsi Max PRA Ford:  
Race 3 Quali: 17th
Race 3 Result: DNF
“I am gutted. To be on the last lap of the Clipsal 500 with a good bag of points in line and to get nothing is tough. I am not quite sure what happened to be honest. He had a 10 car-length gap on me and as I came out of Turn 8 that was gone. He was then slow out of Turn 9 and I thought he might’ve had a problem. He blocked me then out of (turn) nine and into the next complex I left him a bit of room just in case he recovered. I don’t know if I didn’t leave enough or if he got into me, I have no idea after that as it got pretty crazy. I am just gutted. We now have to look forward to the next few events and start clawing our way back. We leave here better off than we did last year and if we finished that last race it would’ve been amazing but that isn’t the case.”
 
Tim Edwards – Team Principal 
"Overall race three was a bit all over the place. Frosty had a positive result but again there were issues with race pace so there are things to work on there. Obviously the end for Chaz was not ideal, we are not exactly sure what happened there but he had good pace and good position before that so that is what we will focus on. There is work to do now for everyone but we are looking forward to the Grand Prix."

CLIPSAL 500 RESULTS – SUNDAY 
RACE 3
1) James Courtney – HRT 
2) Shane van Gisbergen – Tekno 
3) Garth Tander – HRT 
4) Jamie Whincup – Triple Eight 
5) Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew  
DNF) Chaz Mostert – Pepsi Max Crew 
DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS 
1) James Courtney – HRT: 258 
2) Fabian Coulthard – Brad Jones Racing: 241 Craig Lowndes – Triple Eight: 124
3) Garth Tander – HRT: 237
4) Shane van Gisbergen – Tekno: 222
5) Jamie Whincup – Triple Eight: 216
7) Mark Winterbottom – Pepsi Max Crew: 202
22) Chaz Mostert – Pepsi Max Crew: 69
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
1) HRT: 495 points 
2) Triple Eight: 424
3) Brad Jones Racing: 402 points
5) Pepsi Max Crew: 271