Tander makes it three

Tander was in control again as he took the race and overall round win, his first round win since he conquered Bathurst with Jason Bargwanna in 2000. Rick Kelly took second place to finish third overall, while Steven Richards' fourth place was good enough to secure second overall for the round, though Craig Lowndes who finished the third race in third place ran him close.

The championship battle changed once more, as the battle prepares to enter the final round. With only Phillip Island remaining, Russell Ingall, who finished the third race in tenth, remains in control, but the gap has closed to his challengers, who all finished ahead of him in the final race.

Ingall sits 49 points ahead of Lowndes, 86 points ahead of Marcos Ambrose, 122 ahead of Todd Kelly, 132 ahead of Mark Skaife and 153 ahead of Steven Richards. These drivers are the only ones who can still win the title, with 192 points available at the final round, 64 points in each of the three races.

Realistically, it appears to be a three-way battle between the Ford drivers of Ingall, Lowndes and Ambrose, with Ingall well-placed provided he continues to finish in the top ten in each of the remaining races. But one slip-up and it could be thrown wide open.

The start saw Tander lead ahead of Richards, Lowndes, Rick Kelly with Paul Dumbrell moving ahead of Greg Murphy for fifth.

Murphy took the place back a few laps later when he went in too deep under brakes at the hairpin and tapped the back of Dumbrell, forcing Dumbrell wide which allowed Murphy to sneak through.

The leaders took their compulsory pit-stops early in the third race. Craig Lowndes had a fantastic stop which saw him emerge almost alongside Tander.

Tander wasn't giving the lead away and so Lowndes lost momentum, allowing Richards to pass him and take second as well. Lowndes' frustration would have increased further when Rick Kelly emerged the next lap between Richards and himself. A chance at the lead ended up dropping him to fourth.

After his late-race dramas in race two, Ambrose stayed out as long as he could in race three. It paid off, as he emerged from his pit-stop in seventh place, after starting the race in 27th.

Lap 37 saw Richards drop from second to fourth when he avoided a spun Craig Baird at the hairpin and spun himself, allowing Rick Kelly and Craig Lowndes through. A lap later Ambrose took sixth place when Todd Kelly had brake dramas again and ran wide at the hairpin.

But it was all Tander at the front, and he took the win ahead of teammate Rick Kelly with Craig Lowndes in third, ahead of Steven Richards and Greg Murphy.

Result of race three:

Pos  Driver              Car
 1.  Garth Tander        Holden Commodore VZ
 2.  Rick Kelly          Holden Commodore VZ
 3.  Craig Lowndes       Ford Falcon BA
 4.  Steven Richards     Holden Commodore VY
 5.  Greg Murphy         Holden Commodore VZ
 6.  Marcos Ambrose      Ford Falcon BA
 7.  Todd Kelly          Holden Commodore VZ
 8.  Steven Johnson      Ford Falcon BA
 9.  Mark Skaife         Holden Commodore VZ
10.  Russell Ingall      Ford Falcon BA
11.  Paul Dumbrell       Holden Commodore VY
12.  Paul Radisich       Holden Commodore VZ
13.  Paul Morris         Holden Commodore VZ
14.  Jason Richards      Holden Commodore VZ
15.  Max Wilson          Holden Commodore VZ
16.  Jason Bright        Ford Falcon BA
17.  Cameron McConville  Holden Commodore VZ
18.  Steve Ellery        Ford Falcon BA
19.  David Brabham       Ford Falcon BA
20.  Brad Jones          Ford Falcon BA
21.  Glenn Seton         Ford Falcon BA
22.  Paul Weel           Holden Commodore VZ
23.  Matthew White       Ford Falcon BA
24.  Mark Winterbottom   Ford Falcon BA
25.  Owen Kelly          Holden Commodore VZ
26.  Dean Canto          Holden Commodore VZ
27.  Craig Baird         Ford Falcon BA
28.  Jason Bargwanna     Ford Falcon BA
29.  John Bowe           Ford Falcon BA
30.  Jamie Whincup       Holden Commodore VZ
31.  David Besnard       Ford Falcon BA
32.  Anthony Tratt       Holden Commodore VY