Supercars star Jamie Whincup out to right pain of 2018 conditions that led to his crash

Jamie Whincup’s car was the first to victim of the torrential rain and wild storms that forced the second race of last year’s Gold Coast 600 to be abandoned and he is hoping to avoid the same carnage on the street circuit in 2019.

JAMIE Whincup’s car was the first to victim of the torrential rain and wild storms that forced the second race of last year’s Gold Coast 600 to be abandoned and he is hoping to avoid the same carnage on the street circuit in 2019.

The Hope Island resident has reflected on the fierce storms that firstly ended the Triple Eight Team’s race when co-driver Paul Dumbrell crashed into the wall before officials suspended the cancelled the event when others followed.

“Some of the fans don’t mind a little bit of rain and in team land we don’t mind a little bit of rain but that torrential rain we had is not great to drive in,” Whincup said of conditions that had drivers struggling to see out their windscreens while navigating tight corners at high speed.

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“They cancelled the race so we would have lost a heap of points that day but thankfully it worked in our favour and we didn’t lose any points margin because no one got any.”

The man who has won a record seven Supercars Championship titles enters the second Enduro Cup race and third-last event of the series in fifth following a difficult season that has included just one race win, at the Ipswich 500.

At 36 he still believes he has at least a couple of years of racing still in him and while an eighth title may be out of reach in 2019, Whincup still believes he can win it again before he retires.

Driver Jamie Whincup answering questions at a press conference in Surfers Paradise to kick off race Week festivities. Picture Glenn Hampson

“We are not where we would like to be,” Whincup said.

“Fifth isn’t quite good enough and it’s been a challenging year. This year it may be a little far-fetched to try and win but never say never. We will restart next year and do what we can.

“We have some of the biggest races of the year coming up still plenty of opportunity to prove ourselves. We will really focus on that rather than the championship.”

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Whincup, who bought a 15 per cent share in Triple Eight Racing at the end of 2018, is into his 16th Supercars series and while the sport has developed in multiple facets, the way he views racing and how he prepares remains the same.

“The crazy thing is I’m fairly simple person and the simple concept of building a car taking it to the track to race your mates to try and beat them to the finish line is what drives me,” Whincup said.

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“It’s what I loved about karting when I first started and that it’s exactly the same these days.

“It’s an awesome concept. It’s pure, it’s raw. There is always so many curve balls thrown at you during the day that you need to adapt to.

“I love the sport and probably will for many years to come. I won’t be driving forever but I’m a proud shareholder of this team so I look forward to great things with this category for a long time to come.”