Gold Coast 600: Jamie Whincup determined to make an amends for Gold Coast washout
Jamie Whincup admits he’s endured a tough season this year to be sitting fifth overall heading into this weekend’s Gold Coast 600 but he’s determined to finish the year at full throttle.
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Jamie Whincup’s car was the first 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 this weekend.
The Hope Island resident has reflected on the storms that ended the Triple Eight Team’s race when co-driver Paul Dumbrell crashed into the wall before officials 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 through their windscreens while navigating tight corners at high speed.
“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 tough season that has included one race win, at the Ipswich 500.
At 36 he believes he has at least a couple of years of racing in him and while an eighth title may be out of reach in 2019, Whincup said he can win it again before he retires.
“We are not where we would like to be,” he 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 have some of the biggest races of the year coming up, still plenty of opportunity to prove ourselves.”
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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 a 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.
“It’s what I loved about karting when I first started and that is exactly the same these days.
“It’s an awesome concept.
“It’s pure, it’s raw.’’
Originally published as Gold Coast 600: Jamie Whincup determined to make an amends for Gold Coast washout