Jamie Whincup joins an elite club in history of V8 touring car racing

JAMIE Whincup cemented his status as a V8 Supercars great by claiming a record-equalling fifth championship in Sydney yesterday.

Jamie Whincup

MOTORSPORT: Holden star Jamie Whincup cemented his status as a V8 Supercars great by claiming a record-equalling fifth championship in Sydney yesterday.

The 30-year-old joins the late Ian Geoghegan, Dick Johnson and Mark Skaife as the only five-time title winners in Australian touring car history.

Whincup clinched the crown with a third-place finish in the final race of the season at Sydney Olympic Park, won by Shane van Gisbergen. Jason Bright was second.

"Unbelievable," Whincup told the Seven Network after a few celebratory doughnuts.

"It's just a huge team effort. It's been a tough year without doubt for everyone. A big thanks to Lowndesy -- this is just as much his as it is mine. Wow, number five, I can't believe it!"

He needed only to be among the top 21 finishers to secure the championship after his victory in Saturday's Sydney 500 opener gave him a comfortable 110-point lead over teammate and nearest rival Craig Lowndes.

Lowndes failed to get the win he needed to snatch the title from the man at the opposite end of the Red Bull garage. He was fifth.

He ends the year as runner-up for the third straight season behind Whincup, who becomes the first driver to win three championships in a row since Skaife in 2002.

He is now also on track to match Geoghegan's all-time record of four back-to-back titles.

Only a fortnight ago, Whincup trailed Lowndes by six points on the drivers' standings. But victories to both drivers at Phillip Island turned that into a 20-point lead heading into the weekend's showdown in Sydney's west.

Lowndes appeared less than upset after yesterday's racing, admitting Whincup deserved to win the championship.

"He was class all week, he's been class all year," he said.

"It's a credit to him. He's a legend."

Whincup proved a dominate force over the weekend, topping the timesheets in Friday's practice and qualifying, and winning the penultimate race from pole position on Saturday.

Until the weekend, Sydney was the only circuit on the current calendar where he had not won.

Despite so much riding on him finishing yesterday's race, Whincup got a little greedy and threw himself between Jason Bright and David Reynolds with less than 10 laps to go, hoping to get on the podium.

He had already survived an early onslaught into the first corner, which gobbled the Holden of Tony D'Alberto.

D'Alberto managed to stay on track, but the day ended early for four drivers - Scott Pye, James Moffat, Garth Tander and Tim Blanchard.

The race was interrupted by two safety cars, tightening the field and causing some tense moments for Lowndes and Whincup in the closing stages.

Ford's Mark Winterbottom, whose bid for a maiden championship ended with a DNF on Saturday, came home sixth to finish fourth overall. Teammate Will Davison's seventh-placing in his final drive for Ford Performance Racing earned him third spot on the standings.

Just over 131,000 people attended the event over three days.

AAP