Whincup Wins at Sandown to Close In on V8 Supercars Crown
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Any hopes that Jamie Whincup had of claiming the 2011 V8 Supercars
championship before the season-ending race at Sydney were dashed when
his teammate and title rival Craig Lowndes finished ahead of him during
the opening race of the Norton 360 Sandown Challenge on November 19. But
overall, Whincup has to be happy with the results of the weekend as he
heads to the season finale with a solid – if not altogether comfortable –
lead in the points over Lowndes.
Saturday’s race took place in a downpour, and Whincup was one of the drivers who had trouble dealing with the wet conditions. He drifted back from his front row starting position throughout the race to finish 15th. Meanwhile, Lowndes charged from the back of the pack, eventually climbing to fifth to close the gap between him and Whincup in the championship race to 158 points. Both drivers were able to avoid major incidents, which is more than can be said for much of the field on a day when the safety car appeared to lead more laps than eventual race winner Rick Kelly.
With Lowndes having served notice that he was in the championship fight until the end, Whincup needed to respond from his poor Saturday drive with a strong performance on Sunday. He delivered in fine style, claiming his 10th race win of the season to put himself in prime position before the final two races of the season in Sydney on December 3-4. Whincup certainly benefited from dry conditions, as he was the dominant car from the drop of the green flag through the final lap.
Lowndes responded from a poor qualifying effort before Saturday’s race and was able to translate to a fourth-place finish. On any other race weekend, that might have been good enough to trim Whincup’s lead, but with Whincup winning the race, it’s clear that Lowndes will need to dominate in Sydney – and get some help – if he’s going to claim the V8 Supercars crown.
Whincup heads into the final two races of the season with a 188-point gap over Lowndes. Even if Lowndes sweeps the weekend races, Whincup can claim the series title by either finishing fourth on Saturday or 16th or better in each of the final two races. With Whincup having been a model of consistency this season, Lowndes will need a small miracle in order to win the title.
Saturday’s race took place in a downpour, and Whincup was one of the drivers who had trouble dealing with the wet conditions. He drifted back from his front row starting position throughout the race to finish 15th. Meanwhile, Lowndes charged from the back of the pack, eventually climbing to fifth to close the gap between him and Whincup in the championship race to 158 points. Both drivers were able to avoid major incidents, which is more than can be said for much of the field on a day when the safety car appeared to lead more laps than eventual race winner Rick Kelly.
With Lowndes having served notice that he was in the championship fight until the end, Whincup needed to respond from his poor Saturday drive with a strong performance on Sunday. He delivered in fine style, claiming his 10th race win of the season to put himself in prime position before the final two races of the season in Sydney on December 3-4. Whincup certainly benefited from dry conditions, as he was the dominant car from the drop of the green flag through the final lap.
Lowndes responded from a poor qualifying effort before Saturday’s race and was able to translate to a fourth-place finish. On any other race weekend, that might have been good enough to trim Whincup’s lead, but with Whincup winning the race, it’s clear that Lowndes will need to dominate in Sydney – and get some help – if he’s going to claim the V8 Supercars crown.
Whincup heads into the final two races of the season with a 188-point gap over Lowndes. Even if Lowndes sweeps the weekend races, Whincup can claim the series title by either finishing fourth on Saturday or 16th or better in each of the final two races. With Whincup having been a model of consistency this season, Lowndes will need a small miracle in order to win the title.
