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Holden V8 Supercar driver Jason Bargwanna says he’s lost respect for Ford star Jamie Whincup after a late incident cost him a podium finish at Sunday’s Bathurst 1000.
The Sprint Gas racing driver and partner Mark Noske were sitting third in the 1,000km enduro with three laps to go when Whincup pushed Bargwanna into a spin on the final corner of the famous 6.2km circuit.
He ended up finishing sixth but was left fuming after the race.
“I had a lot of respect for Jamie. He’s achieved a lot and done very well over the last couple of years, but I just expected more from him than that,” Bargwanna told AAP.
“That was just appalling. I mean, this is Bathurst, you don’t do that. That’s not what this sport’s all about.”
The top-10 finish was a surprise for the former Holden Young Lions duo, but the 37-year-old, who was without a drive in the 2008 season, will still leave Mount Panorama with a sense of frustration.
His problems were only compounded when a late safety car cost stablemates Greg Murphy and Mark Skaife their own shot at glory, with the veterans having to settle for fourth place after a late charge by the New Zealander.
“At the start of this race if you said we’d be fourth and sixth we’d probably be happy,” Bargwanna said.
“But when you’re on the podium and it’s in your fingertips, and to be taken out in that fashion – it’s just shattering, it really is.”
For his part, Whincup said the accident had been a cruel blow to Bargwanna, but denied he’d done anything outside the rules.
“I didn’t do anything wrong, and I’d do the same thing again,” the reigning V8 Supercars champion told AAP.
“I made an attack on him down the inside, he moved on the brakes and blocked.
“Actually when I saw him spin I tried to tap the front of his car to straighten him up again but physics had taken over, it was past the point of no return.
“Emotionally it’s not ideal what happened. It’s Bathurst, it’s the biggest race of the year and Bargs has worked so hard to get back and it would have been a great result for him so the last thing I wanted was for him to get turned around.”
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