The Bathurst 1000 race last Sunday (October 11) was both disappointing
and frustrating for me.

However, I'm now very determined to get the best possible results in the
remaining four events in the V8 Supercar Championship.

My disappointment at Bathurst was finishing 24th, which was a long way
back from my podium results in each of the previous three years.

It was also a frustrating race because the Jim Beam Racing Falcon I
shared with Steven Johnson had good car speed for the first half of the
race and we were among the front group of cars.

I felt we had the package to challenge for the win, but a series of
set-backs put us out of contention, which was a shame for our team and
supporters, and my personal sponsors JELD-WEN who have supported me
since 2006.

Our problems at Bathurst began during the middle stages of the 161-lap
race when I was spun after contact with Alex Davison's Falcon in the wet
across the top of Mount Panorama.

We recovered from the spin, but then I had to make a lengthy pit-stop
because of water in the distributor.

The delay put us more than 10 laps behind the leaders, and later an
upright on the car failed when Steve was driving.

Eventually we finished the race 30 laps adrift of the race-winning
Holden Racing Team Commodore driven by Garth Tander and Will Davison.

Steve and I each scored 66 championship points, and I dropped from
seventh to 10th position in the series.

Variable weather was a challenge for all the drivers and teams in this
year's race at Mount Panorama.

Steve qualified our car in 13th position. Rain fell before the start and
I drove the first stint of the race on wet-weather tyres.

Jason Bright spun on the first corner and narrowly missed me, but I was
able to improve to 10th after the opening lap.

The track soon started to dry, and I made a pit-stop after five laps to
switch to 'slick' tyres.

The early pit-stop helped improve our track position and I slotted into
third behind Will Davison and Steven Richards in the Ford Performance
Racing Falcon.

My aim was to hold position and conserve fuel to stretch the length of
the stint, and everything was going to plan when Steve got in the car on
lap 30.

Steve drove until lap 69 when I got back in the car on a dry track. It
started to rain again and that's when I was spun around.

I was driving around the outside of Alex Davison, and his Falcon made
contact with the rear of my car.

I didn't hit any of the concrete walls, but I was left facing the 'wrong
way'. Fortunately none of the following cars hit me and I was able to
turn the JBR Falcon around and resume racing.

A few laps later I made a pit-stop to have wet-weather tyres fitted to
our car. Soon after I had to return to the pits because of the water in
the distributor. It was effectively 'game over' for us.

Although Bathurst didn't work out as we had hoped, it was still a great
event to showcase our sport and remains a highlight of our championship
calendar.

As usual, there were plenty of fans camped out across the top of Mount
Panorama, and they seemed to be having a good time, despite cool weather
and rain on race day.

This week I've been busy with sponsor commitments, including a golf day
at Katoomba on Wednesday, the 2010 Clipsal 500 launch in Adelaide on
Thursday, and then a three-day function for JELD-WEN in Hervey Bay.

Then it's back home to the Gold Coast to get ready for the next
championship event at Surfers Paradise (October 22-25).

We spend a lot of time travelling around Australia or overseas to most
events, and I enjoy the chance to stay at home with my family and race.

The weather will also be warmer compared to the recent endurance races
at Phillip Island in Victoria and Bathurst.

In past years we've had three 'sprint' races on the 4.4km Surfers
Paradise street circuit, but this year the format has changed to two
200km races.

My best previous results on the Gold Coast were in 2007, when I
qualified second, and finished fourth, sixth, and 15th in the three
races.

In 2008 I had brake problems, but my FG Falcon has water-cooled brakes
which should be better.

The track itself is in a spectacular location beside the Pacific Ocean
and winds around highrise buildings, with many thousands of fans
watching from balconies.

There is virtually no margin for error on this circuit. There aren't
many run-off areas and if you make a mistake you are probably going to
hit a concrete barrier.

The rear end of my car sustained some damage at Bathurst, but the JBR
team are working hard to have it fixed for Surfers Paradise.

Keep smiling.

JC

BATHURST RESULTS - JAMES COURTNEY
EVENT 10, V8 Supercar Championship, (October-8-11)

Qualifying: did not start - Steve Johnson qualified 13th
Race Result: 24th (with Steve Johnson)

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after event 10): Jamie Whincup (Ford) 2,476; Will
Davison (Holden) 2,383; Garth Tander (Holden) 2,038; Craig Lowndes
(Ford) 1,947; Steven Johnson (Ford) 1,656; Mark Winterbottom (Ford)
1,574; Lee Holdsworth (Holden) 1,568; Rick Kelly (Holden) 1,516; Russell
Ingall (Holden) 1,484; James Courtney (Ford) 1,436