Jamie Whincup was at a loss to explain his horror day at Symmons Plains

Jamie Whincup declared someone must have run over a black cat after his bid to close the gap on series leader Scott McLaughlin was shattered in a horror day for the Holden star.

Jamie Whincup had a tough day at Symmons Plains.

Jamie Whincup declared someone must have run over a black cat after his bid to close the gap on series leader Scott McLaughlin was shattered in a horror day for the Holden star.

After setting the lap record in practice on Friday, Whincup’s day went from bad to worse at Symmons Plains on Saturday when he finished last after costly qualifying and race errors.

Whincup was forced to start from 15th on the grid for the opening race after running off the track in qualifying at the turn four hairpin.

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The seven-time Supercars champion had worked his way up to 12th in the race when he clipped the back of Chaz Mostert’s Mustang at turn six and suffered a puncture that forced him to the pits.

While he was able to return to the race, he was unable to improve on 25th.

“Had better days for sure. Any 50-50 today went the wrong way unfortunately,’’ Whincup said.

“I’m not one to make excuses up at all. It all started from qualifying with the locked wheel. I wish there was something to explain what happened.

Jamie Whincup returns to the pits. Picture: Getty Images

“The car in qualifying and the race has been fantastic, that’s what makes it more disappointing was we didn’t maximise.

“I got a really good run out of the hair-pin, was on Chaz, the pass was on down the inside and he just come across at the last minute and my tyre must have hit his wheel nut and boom, just so unlucky for it to blow the tyre out like that.”

Whincup had started the round in Tasmania in second place in the championship, just 31 points behind McLaughlin, but now sits fourth and 151 points behind.

“You’ve got to be consistent in this game, consistently up there and we have been able to do that up until today,’’ Whincup said.

“I do not know what has happened, someone has run over a black cat or someone has done something.

Jamie Whincup had a tough day at Symmons Plains.

“Normally there is something going on, I am either not feeling well or there is a mental distraction there or something to produce so many errors, but there is nothing like that. I’ve never been more keener to get in the race car and get in and go hard in all my life.

“I feel good, trained well, car is excellent, it was just one of those days where nothing could go right.”