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Jamie Whincup was on top of the world at the beginning of this year’s V8 Supercars series.
He boasted the last four Drivers’ series championship wins in a row, and six of the last seven. However, five events into the series, challengers for the throne are emerging.
Prodrive Racing Australia’s Mark Winterbottom is the man at the top of the order at the moment, with four race wins and two podium finishes from his last nine starts.
Winterbottom has finished between second and fifth every year for the last nine years running, but has never managed to clinch the top spot – he’s spent a lot of his career having to be satisfied with second or third place.
This year, however, just might be his.
With 1165 points on the table ‘Frosty’ sits comfortably ahead of Whincup’s teammate Craig Lowndes (1070).
Lowndes, who has three series championships to his name, with the most recent being back in 1999, won two of three races at the Tasmania Super Sprint at Symmons Plains Raceway earlier in the year, and has another four podium finishes to his name so far.
In the most recent event, the Skycity Triple Crown in Darwin, he won his 100th career race, become the first V8 Supercars driver to achieve the feat.
Whincup is sitting in eighth on the table, having won the first race of the series at the Clipsal 500 and the third Tasmanian race, but has just two other podium finishes for the year and with 879 points for the year, is 286 behind the lead.
He hasn’t finished in the first five in any of his last seven races.
Of course, it hasn’t always come easy for Whincup, and there’s plenty of time for him to make up the points difference and regain the lead as he seeks a seventh championship win.
When it comes to the Townsville 400, Whincup will have a great chance to bridge the gap at a track that he has seriously dominated in the past.
First held in 2009, the Townsville circuit has been raced thirteen times, and Whincup has been victorious in seven of those thirteen races.
The only other driver to have won multiple races at the track is Garth Tander of the Holden Racing Team. Winterbottom has won at the track on just one occasion, in 2010.
Advantage Whincup, but why?
One of only three Super Street events in the V8 Supercars line-up, the Castrol Edge Townsville 400 offers a point of difference for racing fans and the series.
The circuit is located south of Townsville’s CBD in Reid Park, with a similar set up to that of Melbourne’s Albert Park. When not being used for racing, it’s actually a popular spot for picnics, cycling and walking.
The track incorporates some existing roads but is mostly made up of new roads at the time of its construction. The 2.86km circuit crosses nearby Ross Creek three times and also speeds past the Townsville Rail Station, Civic Theatre and State High School.
The race is one of the favourites among drivers. Team owner and former champion Rick Kelly said it became a ‘must win’ race soon after it was first run in 2009.
It’s the first V8 Supercars event in Queensland for the year and one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar in Townsville, proving a favourite with the locals.
The 2015 event will also see the first Formula 4 race take place in Australia as younger drivers from around the world get their chance to compete in the single-seat race for drivers 15 and older.
With the situation at the top of the V8 Supercars leaderboard tense, those who make the trip may wind up seeing one of the most important events of the series as Jamie Whincup looks to make up the gap between himself and those at the top of the table.
What story will unfold? We might see Whincup rocket back up the standings and resume his place at the top of the rankings. We might see him fall further behind. Either way it promises to be a thriller.
Looking for a getaway?
Come and watch the Castrol Edge Townsville 400 and stay awhile to check out the Great Barrier Reef.