Lowndes: qualifying all important

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THERE is always a slightly surreal feeling when the V8 Supercars circus heads to the tiny Victorian town of Winton.

Winton was once a major truck stop on the Hume Highway about two and a half hours north of Melbourne.

It has long been bypassed by the Hume Freeway, the truck stop is now derelict, the only motel in town is a private home these days, and all that's there now is a small primary school.

That and one of the busiest race tracks in the country.

Winton operates year round, with racing and road car testing, tyre testing, private practice, drive days and high performance driving schools. There is always something going on there.

The track is now 3km long thanks to an extension a decade ago. The original section of the track is twisty and difficult to pass on. Dick Johnson famously described it years ago as doing a "marathon around your clothes line".

Qualifying is critical to a good result at Winton.

If you can start upfront you can usually stay there and that is the secret to getting the big points haul which is so important across the whole season.

Winton is the test track for the Victorian V8 Supercar teams, so Ford Performance Racing are always strong there and so too are the Nissan factory team.

Winton's other unknown is the weather. It can be blazing hot, freezing cold or raining, often, as the local joke goes, on the same day.

■ TASMANIA'S round ended well but at midafternoon on Saturday I would not have bet on it.

I had just had an on-track run-in with my Red Bull teammate Jamie Whincup in the first race and found out I had been put to the back of the starting grid for the second race because of a technical infringement.

To win Sunday's third race was a real bonus because I was beginning to think Symmons Plains was my hoodoo track.

On Sunday we knew the start would be critical so we concentrated on that, got it right, and then from there I was able to control the race and run it as we needed to.

It all came together well and we extended our lead in the points.

Everyone wants to know about my run-in with Jamie in the first race. I guess all I can say is that the stewards looked at it and decided it was a racing incident, and I'm good with that.

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