Whincup Extends Championship Lead With Emphatic Win At Sandown

Jamie Whincup takes victory in race two at Sandown Photo Credit: TeamVodafone

Jamie Whincup has tightened his grip on a third V8 Supercars championship after winning the final race of the Norton 360 Sandown Challenge – his 10th victory of 2011.

Whincup now holds a 188-point lead over the Championship's only other title contender Craig Lowndes, who finished fourth and conceded 30 points to his TeamVodafone team-mate. A slow start from the second row of the grid for Lowndes meant he lost vital positions before the first corner and a subsequent reverse pit-stop strategy failed to pay off.

In stark contrast to race one's wet and treacherous conditions, the race remained dry and Whincup controlled the 65-lap, 200-kilometre contest from flag to finish. Two Safety Car periods for debris slowed the field during the race, the first of which on lap 17 proved a controversial moment. Whincup and Orrcon Steel FPR's Mark Winterbottom made minor contact as Whincup returned to the circuit from the pits and into Winterbottom's path. A drive-through penalty was feared for an unsafe release but both continued without issue.

“The car was on rails today and the guys did a great job in the stops,” said Whincup.

“It was just a matter of getting there at the end. I couldn't be happier. Both cars have been quick all year. We take the battle to Sydney, which is the way it should be,” he continued.

Ford Performance Racing continued its late-season offensive with Winterbottom and Trading Post FPR's Will Davison securing the final two podium places. Starting from second on the grid, Winterbottom pursued Whincup but was unable to get on racing terms with the TeamVodafone driver. However, the Safety Car deployment and some polished pit-stops kept him in contention and he went on to take second at the chequered flag. Davison meanwhile, overhauled Lowndes to snatch third ahead of an exciting four-way battle between the pair and Winterbottom and Toll Holden Racing's Garth Tander over the final ten laps. Tander who came through from 16th finished fifth behind Lowndes to keep his battle with Winterbottom for the championship’s third place alive. SP Tools Racing's Shane van Gisbergen finished in a hard-fought sixth despite an off-track excursion on lap 18 after his pitstop and an unscheduled pit-stop four laps later to replace a set of flat-spotted tyres. Battling Lee Holdsworth for most of the race, Lucky 7 Racing's Tim Slade eventually passed the Fujitsu Racing GRM driver on the last lap to cross the line in seventh place. Race one winner, Jack Daniels Racing's Rick Kelly and Steve Owen who took the VIP Petfoods Commodore from 27th to tenth, rounded out the top ten.

With just two races remaining, Whincup only needs to finish fourth in race one at the Homebush circuit in Sydney next month to secure the title. Lowndes on the other hand, will need to finish ahead of his teammate in both races and hope Whincup runs into trouble in at least one race to make off with the championship.

The final event is the Sydney Telstra 500 in a fortnight's time.

Race 26 results: