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It has been a championship affair that has nonchalantly begun to take shape in the Supercars series this season.
Ten different winners in the first 12 races, saw each of the four manufacturers achieve at least one victory. Before the juggernaut that is Triple Eight stamped its authority on the championship, from Hidden Valley onwards.
Seven of the last eight wins have been split across the three chief protagonists in the title hunt. Jamie Whincup and his now de-facto teammate in Craig Lowndes remain perennially at the top, while it’s been a season of emergence for the new face in the Triple Eight camp in Shane van Gisbergen.
Realistically, it’s the Triple Eight triumvirate and the fourth placed, lone wolf for Ford in Mark Winterbottom that remain in with a shot at the crown. 276 points are spread across the four contenders.
Heading now into the three-pronged Enduro Cup, it really is the crux of the championship this year. The 900 points spread across the fabled events at Sandown, Bathurst and the Gold Coast will be the crucial points needed for overall success.
Here is a look then at the top four driver’s endurance pairings, where the co-drivers arguably have the biggest pressure they’ve ever had in the four years the Enduro Cup has been contested.
#88 Red Bull Racing Australia Holden – Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell
One of the most reliable pairings in the history of the Enduro Cup continues for a fourth campaign.
Together with Paul Dumbrell, Whincup won the 2014 Enduro Cup en route to his sixth crown. Both have held up the famed Peter Brock trophy in 2012, winning the Bathurst 1000.
Since then, the pair’s run at The Mountain has been lean. Running out of fuel in 2014 and then a penalty under safety car the following year has meant Bathurst glory has eluded them.
Despite that, Dumbrell’s continuous contesting of the development category below the Supercars, sees him race fit for this crucial period.
In Dumbrell, the six-time series champion has a safe pair of hands throughout the next three events – if he is to see a historic seventh added to the tally.
#97 Red Bull Racing Australia Holden – Shane van Gisbergen/Alex Prémat
It was no surprise to see in his debut season for Triple Eight, that Kiwi young-gun Shane van Gisbergen in the thick of the title race.
With five victories (the most of any) under his belt this season, the onus turns to his new co-driver in the form of Frenchman Alex Prémat to deliver the goods.
A contentious decision at best, Prémat’s poaching from the Garry Rogers Volvo stable this year by Triple Eight has caused a lot of debate. Particularly at whether the Frenchman can deliver the consistency needed to win races.
Widely documented was the aggressive riding of the kerbs at the Gold Coast event in 2015, where against his inherent speed – Prémat is a ‘wild-child’ that needs reeling in.
However, Roland Dane wouldn’t have chosen the former Supercars regular if he didn’t feel he was the adequate choice for van Gisbergen. So therein lies some faith in that decision.
#888 Caltex Team Vortex Holden – Craig Lowndes/Steven Richards
The evergreen Lowndes has an equally evergreen Steven Richards as his wingman for a third consecutive season.
Currently 198 points in arrears of the standings leader Whincup, Lowndes is a figure whom typically capitalises during these long-distance races, with his vast experience coming to the fore.
Four-time Bathurst 1000 winner in Richards also sits as a reliable figure in the co-driver sphere. A regular within the Porsche Carrera Cup and Australian GT category, sees the 44-year-old having solid race mileage under his belt.
1999 seems like an eternity ago and the question on everyone’s minds is whether 42-year-old Lowndes can at last break through to capture that elusive fourth title? Once again, he’s in the right place to do so.
#1 Bottle ‘O Racing Ford – Mark Winterbottom/Dean Canto
It could be argued that the reigning series champion is an outside bet to retain that maiden title, but that 276-point gap could easily be bridged across the three endurance events.
Apart from the obvious change in livery from Pepsi Max to Bottle ‘O, Winterbottom has also been given a new co-driver from within his Prodrive stable.
While new to Frosty, Dean Canto isn’t new to the Bottle ‘O racer, having been a successful partner to David Reynolds during his tenure at the Ford outfit.
Canto is a reliable driver, but for the sake of consistency it seemed rather bizarre to swap the former development series champ with the incumbent Steve Owen, whom now sees himself paired with Chaz Mostert in the #55 Prodrive Ford.
Nevertheless, these two do have the capability to provide an upset on the Triple Eight stranglehold and stabilise the championship charge for the #1 car.
Movers and shakers
Apart from the four key contenders in terms of the Supercars title, there are still 22 pairings on the grid hoping to have an impact on the season of endurance.
Typically this where we see the likes of the Holden Racing Team, who’ve had abysmal pace all season take advantage of strategy within the long races to get their cars up in the mix.
Garth Tander and Warren Luff in the #2 HRT car enter this Enduro Cup as the reigning champions, while James Courtney and Jack Perkins in the sister #22 enjoyed success on the Gold Coast last year.
The #55 Prodrive Ford mentioned above will certainly have a part to play, with Mostert looking to convert his superior qualifying pace into that belated race victory. Returning to the scene of his season ending crash at Bathurst too will be an intriguing prospect.
One of Triple Eight’s key customer outfits in Tekno has enjoyed a strong run in the endurance races too, during the time of van Gisbergen. Now with Will Davison in place, paired with the fast Jonathon Webb – the #19 always stands as a formidable force.
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