’Stolen’ title still hurts
TRIPLE Eight boss Roland Dane has declared Jamie Whincup should have at least one more Bathurst 1000 win to his name after the 2016 crown was “stolen off him” in a result the seven-time champion said was “still hard to accept”.
As the retiring Whincup aims to go out on a high by adding to his four Bathurst 1000 titles in his final race as a full-time driver at Mount Panorama this week, Dane remained adamant Whincup had been robbed five years ago.
In a dramatic edition of the 2016 race, Whincup took the chequered flag, however a 15second time penalty relegated him to 11th place, with Tekno Autosport pair Will Davison and Jonathon Webb crowned the winners.
Whincup was penalised for an incident with Scott McLaughlin that became a three-way tangle with Garth Tander late in the race.
Triple Eight’s appeal against the time penalty was dismissed by the Supercars National Court of Appeal nine days later.
Reflecting on Whincup’s hits and misses at the Bathurst 1000 ahead of his final race, Dane said the win had been taken away from the team due to “somebody’s personal opinion”.
“Over the years Jamie has lost one, the team have lost a couple for him where he definitely should have won and he had one stolen off him in 2016, which he won,” Dane said.
“The powers that be took that win away from him, but he won the race. It’s not a question of feeling hard done by, the reality is we have moved on from it a long time ago, but Jamie won the race. Unfortunately, the inconsistency of application of the rules meant that somebody’s personal opinion took it away from us.
“But it is what it is and we have moved on … He knows that he won it … he has put it behind him and it’s a shame to really undermine the performance of Will Davison and Jono Webb that day, who got the trophy, but the reality is that Jamie won it.”
The controversy unfolded when Whincup attempted a pass on the inside of the effective race leader McLaughlin at The Chase on lap 150, but made contact that forced the Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo wide.
Whincup slowed on the exit in a bid to redress the clash, but Tander was caught behind him and as the then Holden Racing Team driver moved right in a bid to move past, he collided with McLaughlin as he rejoined.
Whincup’s penalty was for “careless driving” in the initial incident with McLaughlin.
Supercars’ greatest championship driver said the result
still left a bitter taste.
“I don’t want to disrespect the eventual winners of that race but, for sure, we thought we were harshly punished,” Whincup said.