2009 Australian Grand Prix

Late drama in Australian Grand Prix

It ended in the most dramatic, heart-breaking fashion. The 2009 Australian GP will be remembered not for the accident at the start that eliminated Joe Consiglio and Mark Wicks, or for the almost simultaneous engine explosion of both Allen GPs.

What will remain forever in the memories of all those who watched the race is the way Janne Tanskanen, after leading all the race with a dominating display of racing skill, saw his dream of being the first ever GPVWC on-line winner go up in smoke with barely a few hundreds of yards from the finish line, his Cosworth engine blowing in flames.

The Finnish driver was classified 2nd - his car pushed to the finish line by Dave Carr-Smith's Woods Racing, but the honour of the win was reserved for Adam Rouse, who was rewarded for keeping out of trouble and collected his first win of the season. In third place, Carr-Smith scored a podium in his first race with Woods.

The race had started messily, with a certain trouble at the first turn that resulted in Consiglio and Wicks watching the rest of the race from the pit wall. As the race unfolded, the unforgiving walls of Melbourne and the relative fragility of the cars provided to thin out the pack - in true Melbourne fashion, only 6 drivers ended classified for points.