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Mixed Bathurst fortunes set title race up perfectly

Roar Rookie
13th October, 2008
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Ford’s Bathurst delight and Holden’s absolute horror have set up an intriguing run home in the V8 Supercar title race.

With four rounds to go, three men are well and truly in the hunt — Ford’s Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom, both young guns vying for a maiden crown, and Holden’s reigning champion Garth Tander.

Whincup’s historic third straight win at Mount Panorama saw the 25-year-old jump two spots to the top of the pile on 2316 points heading into his hometown round at the Gold Coast, starting on Friday week.

Tander’s shocking Sunday, where he and Mark Skaife battled to 12th after blowing the start and later hitting the wall, saw him drop from first to third (2234) in a considerable dent to his title defence.

And wedged between them is Falcon pilot Winterbottom (2283), who finished a respectable fourth in the Great Race with Steven Richards in a dud car.

“I was disappointed not to be on the podium but you can only deal with what you’ve got and the car just wasn’t making sense,” said Winterbottom, 27.

It will be a whirlwind end to the year, with four rounds in a month-and-a-half including a trip to the Middle East for the Desert 400 in Bahrain.

Interestingly, over the same period last year it was these same three drivers who really stepped up, Tander winning on the Gold Coast, Winterbottom in Bahrain and Whincup in Launceston.

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Tander then took out the finale at Phillip Island to secure his first championship by just two points from Whincup.

This year the finale will be at Sydney’s Oran Park in a farewell to the long-standing circuit.

“The final result at Bathurst wasn’t what we’d planned and it’s certainly hurt us championship-wise,” said Tander, 31.

“We’ve got four races to go but I’d rather be leading.”

Sitting in fourth is Whincup’s four-time Bathurst-winning teammate Craig Lowndes, but the endurance king appears to be too far away on 1923 points, especially given his struggles in the sprint rounds this season.

If Whincup or Lowndes can go on to win the title they will become the first driver since 1996 to complete the Bathurst/championship double.

Coincidentally it was Lowndes himself who achieved the feat 12 years ago, also winning the Sandown 500 endurance event in an incredible season for the Holden Racing Team.

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Bookmakers have installed Whincup as a $2.25 favourite, with Tander at $3 and Winterbottom $3.25.

Lowndes is rated a $21 chance to claim a fourth title and his first for Ford.

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