[V8DS] Owen crowned champion



STEVE OWEN CROWNED 2008 FUJITSU V8 SUPERCAR SERIES CHAMPION


Tint-A-Car Racing’s Steve Owen is the 2008 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series Champion after a nail-biting weekend of racing at the Oran Park Grand Finale in Sydney (December 4-7). The Melbourne driver claimed the second-tier V8 Supercar Series championship with the best start possible, winning the coveted Pole Position Award with his fourth pole of the season.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing when the first green flag dropped in race one, with the #62 Tint-A-Car Commodore suffering engine issues that weren’t helped by the scorching 37-degree heat trackside. “You never like to finish the championship hoping the motor’s not going to blow up so I’m relieved that we wrapped up the championship early,” says Steve.

“It’s been a fantastic year for Tint-A-Car, for everyone at Loadsman Racing, and the ‘Earnhardt’ Commodore has been one of the best cars I’ve ever driven. So thanks to all the boys, they really deserve this one. It’s a great reward for everyone in the team to come away with what we’ve been working hard for all year.” Thanks to a healthy championship lead into the final round, Steve only needed to finish inside the top 20 in race one to claim the title, which he did easily by finishing fifth, despite an overheating engine.

Race two’s wet conditions on Sunday hampered any chance for one last podium finish, though, after contact in the opening laps caused a bent steering arm and unscheduled pit stops. However Steve ploughed through from rear of the field to 17th in the final, claiming ninth for the round and more importantly retaining overall victory for 2008 which has been his most successful racing season to date.

“I’m actually a bit surprised that we managed to hold on for fifth in race one because we had to race on seven cylinders for about 19 laps, it was off the gauge temperature-wise and it was a handful to bring home like that. “But it’s satisfying to finally get the title. I feel particularly happy for Paul Morris who’s been an enormous help this year and it’s nice to be able to get the first championship win for a Paul Morris Motorsport-manufactured car, particularly on the same weekend that Paul had his last full-time V8 Supercar race meeting as well.

I hope we get the chance to continue working closely with him in the future.” Although Steve claimed the 2008 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series title on Saturday, his final series pointscore by weekend’s end was 1762 points, 141 clear of his nearest rival.

In 2008, Steve scored three round victories – at the Adelaide Parklands, Sandown Raceway and Winton Motor Raceway – and seven race wins. While Steve’s six consecutive round podium finishes this year, added to the two he’s achieved in previous years, have also helped etch his name into the record books as having achieved the third highest amount of podium finishes of any driver’s career in the development series.

For all the racing highlights of the championship decider, tune into the Seven Network this Saturday December 13 at 1.00pm (check local guides).

The Tint-A-Car race team would like to also thank Beaumont Tiles, Bollé and Racer Industries for all their support this season in helping Steve Owen become Champion.




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