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Holden’s Jamie Whincup labelled it one of the toughest races of his V8 Supercar career. An unrelenting 77-lap battle through ever-changing weather and sundry lead changes finished with the Team Vodafone driver claiming his fifth win in the past eight Clipsal 500 races.
Added to a second to Holden’s Garth Tander in Saturday’s opening race, Whincup was delighted with a good weekend’s work which helped extend his championship lead.
With heavy rain falling at the start there were four lead changes inside the first half hour on Sunday as polesitter Will Davison, Whincup, James Courtney and Rick Kelly all took turns at running at the front.
But as the track dried mid-race after a succession of safety car periods, Whincup gained the upper hand.
He took the lead from Kelly for the last time on lap 44, then created an maintained a healthy buffer to the finish – the race shortened by one lap from its original distance because of time constraints.
Whincup wasn’t complaining.
“It was just about the toughest win of my career,” Whincup said.
“After yesterday when I was a bit disappointed with finishing second, to come back out in one of the toughest races I’ve ever been involved in and win, it was great.”
It was Whincup’s sixth Clipsal 500 race victory overall as he beat Holden driver Kelly and Ford’s Mark Winterbottom.
Defending series champion Courtney improved markedly on a difficult Saturday, finishing fourth with Holden teammate Tander fifth.
Several crashes marred the race early as rain made conditions difficult and hard to read for pit crews.
Team BOC driver Jason Bright ploughed into a fence head on.
And Holden’s Lee Holdsworth had a white knuckle ride followed by a trip into a wall as his team unsuccessfully gambled with slick tyres in wet conditions which didn’t dry out in time for them to take advantage.
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