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His nickname is Frosty. But it can now also sum up Ford driver Mark Winterbottom’s relationship with series leader Jamie Whincup after a dramatic V8 Supercars round in Darwin.
Kiwi youngster Shane van Gisbergen flew the Ford flag by holding out Holden veteran Craig Lowndes to claim Sunday’s 200km race.
However, Winterbottom claimed he had gained the most motivation from the Top End round to threaten for the V8 crown after again clashing with Whincup on Sunday.
Pole sitter Winterbottom finished third on Sunday – then accused Whincup of hitting him from behind for the second straight day.
“It is something that could escalate into something,” Winterbottom told AAP.
“He gave me a few hits today, tried to push me out of the way and unsettle me, but I sprayed champagne today and he didn’t.
“Sometimes you come out with the last laugh.
“We all remember what happened, you don’t have to talk about it – you sort it out on the track.
“It’s good to be back – we will feed off this for the rest of the season.”
Winterbottom was still unhappy after claiming Whincup hit him in Saturday’s 120km race, prompting chaos after a controversial re-start.
Winterbottom led for 36 of the Saturday race’s 42 laps, only to run off the track on turn one with Whincup and van Gisbergen.
Adding extra spice before Sunday’s re-match, Whincup’s team boss Roland Dane pointed the finger at Winterbottom after the race one drama, saying he drove like an “amateur”.
Stewards penalised Whincup, Winterbottom and Van Gisbergen 25 championship points each on Sunday over the incident.
But Winterbottom believed he had the last laugh after Whincup was relegated to sixth on Sunday.
Winterbottom was among five drivers on faster soft tyres that swamped race leader Whincup after a re-start with 10 laps left.
“I was called an amateur. I am sure Roland is a very intelligent guy but that word means someone who doesn’t get paid and I am professional last time I checked my bank accounts,” Winterbottom said.
“And I thought I did pretty well today.
“They (stewards) have also pinged him (over Saturday’s incident) and Roland still calls me an amateur.
“But I don’t care what people say, I know who is right – I will just use it as motivation.”
Winterbottom said he had no intention of talking with Whincup over the tense weekend.
“I haven’t spoken to Jamie about it, I don’t really care – I will just go out and do my job,” he said.
“As long as my team supports me it doesn’t really matter if there is bad blood.”
Van Gisbergen, 22, was the big mover after his second 2011 win – ensuring he is the only Ford driver to taste victory this season.
He jumped into third spot with 1134 points, behind second placed Lowndes (1239) and leader Whincup (1395).
Whincup duelled with Holden’s Lee Holdsworth for the lead before the first safety car arrived after Jason Bright’s Commodore blew its engine on lap 12.
The lead changed hands as teams juggled fuel, soft tyre and pit stop strategies before Whincup again emerged at the front.
However, everything changed when the safety car again emerged after Karl Reindler spun off on the 59th lap.
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