Jamie Whincup is back in the lead of the V8 Supercar Championship but is he in control of it? Only time will tell after another ‘heated’ battle with his arch rivals in Darwin today.
TeamVodafone’s Whincup was very much in control behind the wheel today to win the first leg of the SkyCity Triple Crown in a steamy Darwin, beating home Trading Post FPR Racing’s Will Davison and Orccon Steel FPR Racing’s Mark Winterbottom.
Whincup was the master in the uncomfortable conditions, gliding his Holden Commodore effortlessly through the 42 laps. He now holds just a two-point Championshp lead over Ford pilots Davison with Winterbottom not far behind in third.
“I won’t say we have had a tough start to the year but we have certainly had our challenges and we are working through them,” Whincup said.
“Most of our fan base and sponsors are asking what’s going on but we are working in every area where we are weak. Today is a step forward but we are going to keep pushing hard right to the end of the year.”
Team boss Roland Dane was relishing the victory and the challenge FPR have offered this year.
“Jamie did a great job today and used the pace of the car in a very controlled manner,” Dane said.
“It’s a red hot Ford versus Holden battle between two top teams and its been a great contest so far. Hopefully it will be all year.
“That’s what we are in sport for. We want to win, they want to win and that’s what brings out the passion. Everyone feels very passionate on both sides.”
Davison was lamenting car set up on a day when speed and tyres were the key. He pointed towards a different approach tomorrow in the second and final race of the weekend, which begins with an early qualifying session.
“The points battle is super close at the moment and it can go 150 point either way in one race,” he said. “We have to make sure we get these results when the car is not quite right. We didn’t quite have the longevity of Jamie today but we will work on that.”
Whincups’ combination of speed and tyre preservation was key.
A focused Whincup put his head down to get around Winterbottom on lap 14, beginning the chase for Davison as Ford stablemate David Reynolds maintained the initial lead. It only took three laps as Whincup was absolutely hammering on the hard tyre.
As the fastest man on the track even on the harder compound he harassed Davison continually until slipping down the inside on the final turn on lap 17. Then for Reynolds. In two laps he nabbed Reynolds who was all out of tyre life on the soft compound.
Most of the rear of the field including Craig Lowndes started on the hard tyre, hoping to fly home in the second stanza of the race. A mechanical issue during qualifying left Lowndes' Holden right back in the pack next to fellow former Champion James Courtney.
The drive of the day ultimately came from Lowndes. He went from 20th to fourth in a race that included an early spin in his bright red Commodore.
Most of the rear of the field including Lowndes started on the hard tyre, hoping to fly home in the second stanza of the race. A mechanical issue during qualifying left Lowndes right back in the pack next to fellow former Champion James Courtney.
Despite being ill with a virus, Winterbottom has set the fastest time in qualifying before the shootout when he was topped by team-mate Davison.
The Orrcon Steel Ford pilot, picked up the virus from young son Oliver, led his FPR stablemates, clocking a 1m08.5587s lap to book himself a place in the ARMOR ALL Top 10 Shootout.
The factory Ford team again flexed their muscle by taking the top three positions with the three pilots to run last in the Shootout which follows soon in Darwin.
In the ARMOR ALL shootout Davison took his eighth career pole position and first in Darwin. The Championship leader nailed a brilliant 1m08.6664s to outpoint Reynolds.
Reynolds' front row qualifying effort is his third straight front row effort after achieving the feat both days in the last event at Phillip Island. Second is his career-best performance in the V8 Supercars Championship.
Whincup was third fastest on the second row with Winterbottom, who couldn't replicate his form from the 20-minute session in the one-lap run against the clock.
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