Winton V8 Supercars: Nissan Altima gets first win with James Moffat
James Moffat claimed his and the Nissan Altima's first V8 Supercars victory as he led home team-mate Michael Caruso to a one-two finish at Winton
The duo looked set to snatch a historic pole for the team but were demoted in the dying seconds of qualifying by current championship leader Jamie Whincup.
The Triple Eight driver made a good start to the race and enjoyed an early advantage over both Nissans before disaster struck upon completion of the ninth lap when he was forced to retired with a gearbox malfunction.
This opened the door for Caruso to take control of the race, with Moffat and Mark Winterbottom in close pursuit until the half-time interval.
The Nissans then swapped position on the restart as Moffat made the better getaway after his team-mate missed a gear as they accelerated away.
The 29-year-old went on to lead every lap of the second encounter and took the chequered flag 0.807s ahead of Caruso, to give Nissan its first victory in the series for 21 years.
Jason Bright gained four positions to cross the finishing line in third position, ahead of Mark Winterbottom who he displaced on lap 21.
Fifth went to James Courtney, whose podium-finishing roll came to an end after twice claiming second and third in the last eight races.
Title challenger Craig Lowndes experienced a torrid afternoon following a rollbar failure in qualifying.
He lined up 15th and ultimately finished in 21st place having suffered from a lack of grip.
Results - 40 laps: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. James Moffat Nissan 1h22m06.5120s 2. Michael Caruso Nissan +0.8076s 3. Jason Bright Brad Jones Holden +5.4828s 4. Mark Winterbottom FPR Ford +6.1253s 5. James Courtney HRT Holden +6.3837s 6. Will Davison FPR Ford +11.0251s 7. Fabian Coulthard Brad Jones Holden +13.8307s 8. Garth Tander HRT Holden +18.0194s 9. Russell Ingall Walkinshaw/HRT Holden +18.3448s 10. David Reynolds Rod Nash/FPR Ford +20.0609s 11. Tony D'Alberto D'Alberto Holden +22.9482s 12. Scott Pye Dumbrell Holden +25.1893s 13. Shane van Gisbergen Tekno Holden +26.1160s 14. Rick Kelly Nissan +26.8501s 15. Alex Davison Schwerkolt/FPR Ford +28.0811s 16. Chaz Mostert Dick Johnson Ford +28.8134s 17. Alexandre Premat GRM Holden +28.8964s 18. Maro Engel Erebus Mercedes +29.0834s 19. Scott McLaughlin GRM Holden +31.5529s 20. Jonathon Webb Tekno Holden +32.1003s 21. Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Holden +32.4877s 22. Tim Slade Rosenberg/Erebus Mercedes +32.6408s 23. David Wall Britek/BJR Holden +35.0247s 24. Todd Kelly Nissan +35.2207s 25. Dean Fiore Dumbrell Holden +35.3934s 26. Lee Holdsworth Erebus Mercedes +35.5746s 27. Tim Blanchard Dick Johnson Ford +36.1073s Retirements: Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Holden 9 laps
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