Craig Lowndes erased the memory of a tough Saturday when he turned the tables on Red Bull Racing teammate Jamie Whincup at Symmons Plains, extending his V8 Supercars championship lead.

After surging ahead of Whincup with a sharp start from the front row, Lowndes’ Holden never looked likely to be beaten in Sunday’s 84-lap race.

He was only headed for the lead during his pit-stops, cruising to a second race win of the season, ahead of Whincup in second and James Courtney in third.

After being nudged off the track by Whincup in race one and handed a stewards penalty in race two on Saturday, race three at the Tasmanian circuit brought Lowndes the reward his efforts deserved.

“The way the race unfolded for us was perfect,” said Lowndes.

“It really came down to the start… I got away pretty well and put my head down and tried to get a gap.”

Lowndes’ win bolstered his hopes of a long-sought fourth championship title – extending his lead at the top of the standings to 70 points, ahead of Whincup who improved from seventh to second, having also won both of Saturday’s races.

Sunday’s race was largely devoid of controversy, with pit-stop strategy playing a major role.

Whincup surprised all by pitting after lap one and was never able to bridge the divide between himself and Lowndes.

He said the team’s strategy was for the leader to choose either to pit straight away or race on.

When Whincup saw his team-mate surge past him off the grid and bypass the pit lane, he knew his number was up.

“I didn’t get a bad start but Lowndesy got an absolute rocket,” he said.

“Today was a race to turn one.”

The reigning champion was caught up in a battle for podium places with Courtney, Mercedes’ Will Davison, Fabian Coulthard and Volvo sensation Scott McLaughlin – who eventually finished in that order.

Davison’s drive equalled the best V8 result for Mercedes, while McLaughlin’s strong showing continued his rise.

The Ford pair of Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert struggled after a poor qualifying showing, finishing ninth and 14th respectively.

Their Pepsi Max crew drifted to fourth in the constructors championship, well below the dominant Red Bulls, who hold an ominous 283 point lead over second-placed Holden Racing Team.

The Supercars head to Winton in regional Victoria for round three next weekend.