Shane van Gisbergen during race 6 for the Phillip Island 500. Photo / Getty Images
They're nowhere near a spent Supercars force, but the once-supreme Red Bull Holden Racing Team left Phillip Island with their tails between their legs.
Jamie Whincup nicked a podium finish on Saturday but otherwise it was all misery for Shane van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes at the coastal circuit.
Lowndes
began the drama with a blown tyre in practice on Friday that sent his Commodore against a tyre wall and into the air.
On Saturday, van Gisbergen and Lowndes were two of several drivers to have their races ruined by stringent officiating of the dashed line on entry to the pit lane.
Van Gisbergen lashed out at the drive-through penalty he received, calling it "crap".
"The penalties being handed out were ridiculous. Crossing the line at pit entry is something that happens at every track, and the process is different on every track, yet now they decide to police it in a way they have never done here before," he fumed.
"It's pretty average if you ask me."
After finishing 16th on Sunday due to tyre failures, he was less angry and more disappointed.
"Our car felt great, and we were really safe on the tyre yesterday, but today for whatever reason was different," he said.
"We have obviously got some work to do before heading to Perth."
Van Gisbergen lost the championship lead to DJR Team Penske rival Fabian Coulthard over the weekend.
His teammate Jamie Whincup finished 18th on Sunday on what he called a "really tough day", while Lowndes backed up a 12th place with a 23rd finish.
If there was a silver lining for the heavyweight team, it's that rival Scott McLaughlin also endured a torrid weekend.
The ex-Volvo ace, now with DJR Team Penske, picked up nowhere near the points he deserved after winning two pole positions and setting new qualifying and race lap records.
Coulthard, who won on Saturday, was denied the chance to go back-to-back and increase his series lead over van Gisbergen when he missed a red light on the exit to pit lane.
"We had quick cars, and I'm disappointed in the fact that we couldn't capitalise on that today. That guts me the most," Coulthard said.
"I'Il have to cop that, and that's life.
"Our competition had a bad run today, and we have to take advantage on those days, and we didn't."
