V8 Supercars: Winterbottom wins Winton race three

Mark Winterbottom rounded off the Winton V8 Supercars weekend with a commanding victory in race three.

The FPR Ford driver made the best of starts, but found himself with nowhere to go as he got stuck behind pole man Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen, before the latter pitted on lap six as he struggled for grip. Unleashed, Winterbottom began to reel in the race leader and eventually passed McLaughlin at Turn 10 after a 14-lap pursuit.

The pair then made their stops a lap later and while Winterbottom reclaimed the lead, the GRM Volvo driver slotted behind an out-of-sync Tim Slade.

McLaughlin was later handed a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pitlane, which the Kiwi duly served on lap 32 and tumbled down the order as a result.

Winterbottom then had Fabian Coulthard for close comfort and the race leaders made their second pit stops in unison on lap 48. The race one winner, however, was then handed the fifth drive-through penalty of the race and subsequently fell out of contention of a probable podium finish.

His pain was James Courtney's gain, but he could not match the performance of Winterbottom who, after an imperious drive, finished 9.4 seconds ahead of the chasing pack.

Tim Slade joined his HRT Holden teammate on the podium – his first this season – after an impressive showing by the young charger, who gained five positions during the race. He finished 9sec ahead of Jason Bright and David Reynolds, who squabbled for fifth in the final laps of the race.

Series leader Lowndes came home seventh while Triple Eight teammate Jamie Whincup was forced to fend off Coulthard for 10th.