Owen captures first Shootout appearance

June 18, 2011
Owen captures first Shootout appearance for V.I.P. Petfoods

V.I.P. Petfoods driver Steve Owen has captured his first top-10 Shootout appearance in the 2011 International V8 Supercar Championship after a sterling drive, which resulted in a top-10 finish during today’s feature race at Hidden Valley Raceway.

Round 6 of the Championship is proving to be a fine one for the Gold Coast-based driver who is beginning to mix it up with the country's top V8 Supercar drivers throughout the race weekend.

“We put in a solid lap during Qualifying this morning which put us in the Shootout for the first time this year,” commented Owen.

“It was unfortunate I couldn’t produce a better time during the Shootout lap but the car wasn’t quite feeling the same as the morning and I ran wide on a corner which cost me a better spot on the grid.

“It’s extremely promising for me and the entire PMM team that we are starting to get on a roll and mix it with the front runners in the series.” Owen added.

During race 12 of the International V8 Supercar Championship, held today over 42 laps of the Hidden Valley circuit, Owen had consistent speed and was rewarded with a solid top-10 finish.

Running as high as 7th the V.I.P. Petfoods driver was looking set for a higher result but was clipped from the rear by fellow V8 Supercar driver Will Davison during the final laps and lost three spots after briefly venturing off the track.

“I came in a bit wide entering that corner and Will came in hot and tapped the back of me,” said Owen

“He came straight to my garage at the end of the race and apologised over the incident.

“There was nothing malicious in it so I don’t blame him but it is a shame as I think the team really deserved better than 10th today but still it’s a result in the forward direction once again.”

A cool suit malfunction and massive tyre degradation over the final stages of the race didn’t phase last year’s Fujitsu Series Champion and Owen will be looking to reproduce today’s turn of speed as teams gear up for the longer, 69 lap race, tomorrow afternoon.

Click here for Race 12 Results

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