Whincup breaks all-time win record

Jamie Whincup
Jamie Whincup

Jamie Whincup became the most successful driver in Supercars history while making a big statement in the chase for his seventh Championship title at the Red Rooster Sydney Supersprint

Whincup dominated a race of strategy ahead of a ferocious battle pack looking to fill the minor placings to register 106 race wins, now one ahead of his long-time team-mate Craig Lowndes.

“The only problem is Lowndsey will out-drive me, he will be around for another ten years at least," Whincup said. “I am not getting too excited by the numbers but it was certainly good to get a win."

His win and Scott McLaughlin’s fourth place reduced the Championship margin to just 12 points in a four-way battle heading into the critical PIRTEK Enduro Cup season of the Wilson Security Sandown 500, Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and Vodafone Gold Coast 600.

It became a game of cat and mouse as Whincup held on desperately in the last 10 laps with the Shell V-Power racers making up big ground lap by lap. Only Van Gisbergen came between them as they struggled to get past as Whincup sat out in front.

The three Kiwis went head to head lap after lap but Coulthard couldn’t get around Van Gisbergen soon enough. In the meantime, Whincup had bolted. Eventually Coulthard got around Van Gisbergen, who held on to third, for second.

“It felt good, car was good," Whincup said.

“I knew it was going to be a good battle at the end but thanks to my team-mate, we look after each other at Red Bull. I thought if Fabs and Chaz got through earlier it would have been on so I put my head down and pushed hard. It’s a good feeling heading into the big season of endurance."

Sengled Racing’s Rick Kelly sparked a safety car when a right rear tyre exploded on the front straight, literally ripping the rear end from his Nissan Altima at 250km/h which dictated the race.

Whincup takes the checkered flag
Whincup takes the checkered flag

The safety car triggered a reshuffle and gave Whincup the lead based on his earlier pit stop. Whincup did not pit on the safety car and pressed on as the majority of the field stopped.

Whincup was second behind Van Gisbergen after the Kiwis second stop. Coulthard and Chaz Mostert had better tires to plough through the field and into the mix in the closing laps.

“I let Jamie go, he was much quicker but I definitely wasn’t letting Scotty go," Van Gisbergen said.

“I was slowing up every corner to get a good exit so they couldn’t get me at the next one. I got my bumper beat up a few times but we got there in the end."

Earlier, McLaughlin immediately made amends for his error in yesterday’s first race with another dominant qualifying performance. Coulthard and Chaz Mostert had better tires to plow through the field and into the mix in the closing Positions with his thirteenth award and seventh in a row.

McLaughlin and Van Gisbergen were handed further penalties for their roles in the incidents from yesterday, both ultimately receiving pit lane penalties with 33 seconds added to their race times.

Van Gisbergen was penalized for over-lapping from the restart while McLaughlin, who was initially handed a 15 second penalty for spinning Van Gisbergen, was given an extra 18 second penalty.

Results

Pos # Driver Team Time Points
1 88 Whincup Red Bull Holden Racing Australia +0.000 288
2 12 Coulthard Shell V-Power Racing Team +9.863 249
3 97 Van Gisbergen Red Bull Holden Racing Australia +13.960 225
4 17 McLaughlin Shell V-Power Racing Team +14.103 174
5 55 Mostert Supercheap Auto Racing +15.924 258
6 8 Percat Brad Jones Racing +20.806 195
7 23 Caruso Nissan Nismo +20.846 204
8 56 Bright MEGA Racing +25.643 171
9 9 Reynolds Erebus Motorsport +32.780 159
10 7 T. Kelly Nissan Motorsport +36.744 147
11 33 Tander Wilson Security Racing GRM +40.328 120
12 95 Davison TEKNO Woodstock Racing +40.559 129
13 21 Blanchard MEGA Racing +42.735 108
14 34 Moffat Wilson Security Racing GRM +44.786 51
15 18 Holdsworth Preston Hire Racing +48.305 141
16 22 Courtney Mobil 1 HSV Racing +48.568 114
17 14 Slade Brad Jones Racing +49.101 147
18 2 S. Pye Mobil 1 HSV Racing +49.765 111
19 5 Winterbottom Prodrive Racing +57.317 153
20 15 R. Kelly Nissan Motorsport +1:01.673 102
21 3 A. Davison LD Motorsport +1:32.564 78
22 99 Wood Erebus Motorsport +1 Lap 81
23 78 S. De Silvestro Nissan Nismo +1 Lap 84
24 888 Lowndes Team Vortex +13 Laps 102
25 62 A. Rullo LD Motorsport +37 Laps 66
26 6 C. Waters Prodrive Racing +37 Laps 96