Garth Tander
| Garth Tander | |
|---|---|
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| Garth Tander at a press conference in 2007. | |
| V8 Supercar Record | |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Car # | 2 |
| Current team | Holden Racing Team |
| Series Championships | 1 (2007) |
| Races | 181 |
| Round Wins | 19 |
| Podium finishes | 53 |
| Race Wins | 51 |
| Pole positions | 11 |
| 2011 Championship position | 5th (2574 pts) |
Garth Tander (born 31 March 1977 in Perth, Western Australia) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most prestigious motor race, the Bathurst 1000. Since 2008 Tander has raced with the Holden Racing Team.
Tander also owns a motor racing team TanderSport, with his wife, fellow racing driver Leanne Tander. TanderSport presently competes in the Australian Formula Ford Championship.
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[edit] Early career
As a child, Tander started racing gokarts, and by the time he was 17 years old, he had won 7 state titles and one Australian title.[1]
Tander was Australian Formula Ford champion in 1997.[2]
After failing to find a budget to run in Formula Holden in 1998, Tander was offered the seat in one of Garry Rogers Motorsport's V8 Supercars.[1]
[edit] Garry Rogers Motorsport
Tander finished second in the 2000 championship taking the championship to the last round where he was beaten by now five time championship winner Mark Skaife. After winning the famous Bathurst 1000 race in 2000 with Jason Bargwanna, he found limited success.
Tander was the winner of the first Bathurst 24hr race driving a modified Holden Monaro running a 7.0L (427cui) motor rather than the 5.7L Gen III that the road car runs. He co-drove this race with Steven Richards, Cameron McConville and Nathan Pretty while driving for V8 Supercar team boss Garry Rogers Motorsport. The following year Tander, again driving the very same Monaro from 2002 with the same co-drivers in the same team, came second to the teams second Monaro driven by Peter Brock, Greg Murphy, Jason Bright and Todd Kelly. Driving at the end, Tander finished only 0.2 seconds behind Greg Murphy. They were 13 laps ahead of the third place Porsche 911 GT3 RC.
In 2004 Tander remained at Garry Rogers Motorsport but it was announced in the early part of the season that he would not be returning to the team in 2005. His season started poorly at Adelaide with a DNF in Race 1 and he was unable to even start Race 2. The rest of the year improved slightly for Garth with his stand out results being 4th overall for the Round at Barbagallo and Sandown. He ended the year 11th in the Championship. In November of 2004 it was announced that Garth would move to the HSV Dealer Team on a 3 year deal starting in 2005.
[edit] HSV Dealer Team
In 2005 moved to a newly re-named team, the HSV Dealer Team (formerly K-Mart Racing Team) partnered with dual Bathurst winner Rick Kelly.
Tander was leading the V8 Supercar championship in 2006 after six rounds, but a disastrous round in Oran Park lost him the championship lead. The endurance races following were no better. Tander participated in a highly controversial driver swap with the Holden Racing Team which involved Todd Kelly coming to the HSV Dealer Team. Garth and co-driver Mark Skaife dominated the entire Sandown round until a broken steering problem destroyed the almost certain victory. At the next round at Bathurst, the car failed off the line and was smashed off the track before the second turn on lap one. After a crushing end to his Bathurst 1000 campaign, Tander was visibly upset, probably realising that his run at the V8 Supercar title was all but over. The car had been near on fastest in every practice and qualifying session prior to the race on the Sunday.
For the second year in a row Tander won the Symmons Plains round, winning two of the three races, even with engine troubles resulting in the car running on seven cylinders. During race one, someone rear-ended him from first to finish fourth with a few laps to go.
Tander raced the #16 Toll HSV Commodore in 2007, and won the second round (held at Barbagallo Raceway in his home state of Western Australia), winning all three 50-lap races. He also repeated this at Queensland Raceway. This saw him take the points lead from his team mate Rick Kelly. Late in the season, Tander had a disappointment at Bathurst where brake issues forced his retirement, but at Surfers Paradise and Bahrain he scored solid points to take the lead in the championship back off Jamie Whincup. At the penultimate Symmons Plains round in Tasmania, Tander won the first race, before a slow pitstop in the second race dropped him to tenth. A clash with Steven Richards over second position broke his steering column, ending the third race prematurely.
Tander claimed the 2007 V8 Supercars Championship, just two points ahead of Jamie Whincup with Craig Lowndes in third, and defending champ Rick Kelly in fourth. All four were in contention for the title in the Grand Finale. His round win at Philip Island also saw Holden secure the manufacturers title, and Toll HSV Dealer Team took the teams championship.
[edit] Holden Racing Team
In 2008 Tander moved to Holden Racing Team after three years at the HSV Dealer Team. Tander had a bad start to the season with a DNF in both races at the Clipsal 500, He his first round of 2008 came in New Zealand at the Hamilton 400, his second round win came at Winton in July, Tander and his team mate Mark Skaife won the first enduro at the L & H 500 at Phillip Island and Tander was looking strong at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 but a slipping clutch spoilt a pole position start. 100 laps later his co-driver Mark Skaife crashed lightly into the wall coming up to Forrests Elbow, ending their chances of a win.
Tander came third in the 2008 V8 Supercars Championship season behind Mark Winterbottom and series champion Jamie Whincup. Tander won the Bathurst 1000 twice in 2009 with Will Davison and in 2011 with Nick Percat.
[edit] Career results
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Racing History". Garth Tander. http://www.garthtander.com/template11.asp?CategoryID=440&parentid=412&sideParent=440. Retrieved 2006-12-02.
- ^ "Australian Formula Ford Championship: Records and Statistics". Australian Formula Ford Championship. http://www.formulaford.com.au/content/about_records.php. Retrieved 2006-12-02.
[edit] External links
- http://www.garthtander.com/ – Tander's website
- http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/video/?Channel=Herald+Sun+Sport&ClipId=1396_tander&bitrate=300&Format=flash/ – Tander takes fans on a virtual tour around Mt Panorama
- http://www.dseg.com.au/default.aspx?s=clients – client page of Tander's management company,DSEG
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steven Richards Greg Murphy |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 2000 (with Jason Bargwanna) |
Succeeded by Mark Skaife Tony Longhurst |
| Preceded by Rick Kelly |
Winner of the V8Supercar Championship Series 2007 |
Succeeded by Jamie Whincup |
| Preceded by Craig Lowndes Jamie Whincup |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 2009 (with Will Davison) |
Succeeded by Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife |
| Preceded by Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife |
Winner of the Bathurst 1000 2011 (with Nick Percat) |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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