GARTH Tander has expressed his pride in how Rick Kelly handled the fallout from one of Supercars’ most controversial championship deciders, 20 years ago.
A tense 2006 title fight between Kelly (HSV Dealer Team) and Craig Lowndes (Triple Eight) came down to the last race at the last round, Phillip Island.
It boiled over after the pair made contact, with Kelly ultimately emerging victorious.
In his autobiography The Finish Line, Tander describes his three seasons alongside the hard-working Kelly as “probably the most fruitful teammate relationship I ever had – by a long margin” and stresses there was no malice in the infamous Kelly/Lowndes clash.
“There was a whole heap of crap flying around in the wake of the controversial collision between Rick and Craig. Rick couldn’t enjoy his achievement with the circus that played out around it,” he wrote.
“Triple Eight protested post-race that Rick’s penalty for the contact – a pitlane drive-through penalty – was insufficient. It was dismissed the day after.
“I was immensely proud of how he conducted himself in that period.
“I was excited for him to be the champion.”
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
The triumph also reaffirmed to Tander that he himself had made the right call in leaving Garry Rogers Motorsport for the HSV Dealer Team.
“By the end of 2006 things were clear to me,” he added.
“I’d gone to the right place at the right time to set myself up for success.”
Tander went on to win the championship the following year in another Phillip Island thriller.
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