The two-car Ford team of WPS Racing finished the Sandown 500 looking more like rally caℱrs than Supercars but still managed to place 16th and 21st in the ninth round of the Australian V8 Supercar Series.

David Besnard, who piloted car 23 with co-driver Charlie O'Brien, had a disastrous staౠrt to the race when he speared off the track on the first corner and had to be towed out of the mud.

The incident saw him drop a lap on the field and, while pushin🧜g the car trying to make up lost ground, he repeated the exercise just nine laps later to go to the tail of the field and four laps▨ down on the leaders.

When he came in for his first driver change on lap 58 he had edged into 28th spot and was well out of 🤡contention for a top 10 finish.

O'Brien, who was seconded on Saturday morning to partner Besnard after scheduled partner Neil McFadyen fell ill, then completed his 54-lap session and, while he also had 🌄a few incidents, he had pushed the car into 21st 🔯position.

Besnard then saw out of the balance of the 160-lap endurance race and brought car 23, sponsored by team owner Craig Gore's Wright Patton Sh♋akespeare Financial Group, home in 16th place.

"I was just trying too hard at the start," said Besnard. "It wasn't an𝓰 ideal siꦓtuation with the driver combination change and I was trying to compensate for that.

"We had a good car but🏅 we never really got✨ a chance to show that."

O'Brien said he was happy to hand the ca🥃r back to Besnard after completing his stint behind the wheel.

"My knees and hips are pretty sore at the moment because I was pretty crampeꦓd in there," said O'Brien. "I reckon I could have soldiered ♚on for another 20 laps but any longer and I would have had to come in."

WPS Racing's Car 48, driven by John McIntyre and Alex Yoo🦩ng, had a strong start to the race and was knocking on the door of the top 10 before﷽ it too had a number of journeys into the mud.

McIntyre🤪, who started in the car and climbed to a race-high 11th place before coming in on lap 58 for the first driver change, said it was a great experience to𓃲 compete in just his second V8 Supercar race.

"It was a fantastic experience but you ꦺtend to underestimate how tough it is and how hard they go in💎 the endurance races," said McIntyre.

"I settled in pretty quickly but with al💧l of the safety cars it was tough to get into a rhythm. I managed to keep the car straight and I held my ground against guys who have been driving in the series for the whole year so that ൩was pleasing."

After the first driver chaܫnge Yoong returned to the track in 22nd position and was very competitive in his first V8 Superca𝔍r race.

By lap 96 he had climbed into 13th position before running through an oil spill and sliding of﷽f the track.

"The car was going well and we 🔯were on the lead lap and then s🐈omeone dropped some oil and I spun into the gravel and got stuck in the mud," said Yoong.

"I also lost both 🌳side mirrors so it was difficult to see any cars trying to dive up my ﷽inside.

"Anyway, it was good to get the first ra🧔ce under my belt and I think we showed we are competitive."

Yoong handed the car back to McIntyre for the final race home andꦿ they 💜completed the race in 21st position.

"It probably wasn't indicative of how we went toda�💟�y," said Yoong.