18 Nov 2011 - 20 Nov 2011
Sandown International Raceway
Cool suits usually work wonders at lowering V8 Supercar drivers' core temperature but when they fail, as Andy Jones' did at Sandown today, they can make life twice as hard.
The Team BOC stand-in driver was making good progress in the opening stages of today's 65-lap race until his cool suit jammed around lap ten. He then began sweltering in cabin temperatures of more than 50 degrees, intensified by the water-filled cool suit's thermal properties.
Jonesy held on to a top 20 spot until the last stages of the race when he made contact with Greg Murphy and broke his steering. He spent five laps in the pits before limping home in 26th.
Team BOC's regular driver Jason Bright was ruled out this weekend with a fractured rib but is now confident he will be fit to return at the final round of the V8 Supercar Championship, the Sydney Telstra 500, in two weeks' time.
Andrew Jones
"The biggest problem is that we would have been better off without a cool suit rather than have one that fails. I was using the drink bottle to keep wetting myself and then there was no more water left and they couldn't fill it at the stop.
"I bumped somebody after the second stop and bent the steering and then I hit Greg Murphy, which bent it a bit more. I ran down Murph's inside and lost a brake. I couldn't do anything. After the race I went and said 'I'm really sorry about running into you.' It certainly wasn't my intention."
Norton 360 Sandown Challenge - Races 25 & 26
SANDOWN INTERNATIONAL MOTOR RACEWAY
Qualifying Race 26
01 Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone, 1:09.6789
02 Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon, +0.0974
03 Lee Holdsworth, Fujitsu Racing GRM, +0.1588
04 Craig Lowndes, TeamVodafone, +0.2352
05 Shane Van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing, +0.2811
06 Will Davison, Trading Post FPR Falcon, +0.2922
07 Michael Caruso, Fujitsu Racing GRM, +0.3456
08 Paul Dumbrell, The Bottle-O Racing Team, +0.3527
09 Tim Slade, Lucky 7 Racing, +0.4331
10 James Moffat, Jim Beam Racing, +0.5441
25 Andrew Jones, Team BOC, +0.9459
Norton 360 Sandown Challenge - Races 25 & 26
SANDOWN INTERNATIONAL MOTOR RACEWAY
Race 26
01 Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone
02 Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon
03 Will Davison, Trading Post FPR Falcon
04 Craig Lowndes, TeamVodafone
05 Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing Team
06 Shane Van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing
07 Tim Slade, Lucky 7 Racing
08 Lee Holdsworth, Fujitsu Racing GRM
09 Rick Kelly, Jack Daniels Racing
10 Steve Owen, VIP Petfoods
26 Andrew Jones, Team BOC