Whincup breaks season duck to close gap to top

Red Bull Holden Racing Team’s Jamie Whincup has finally won a race in the 2017 Supercars Championship.

The six-time series champion has been one of the most consistent performers this season but hadn’t managed to stand atop the podium until yesterday’s race at Townsville.

He becomes just the second Australian to win this year. The New Zealand trio of Scott McLaughlin (five), Shane van Gisbergen (four) and Fabian Coulthard (three) have won 12 of this season’s 14 races.

Whincup jumped pole-sitter and series leader McLaughlin early in the race and held him off to take a recordequalling 105th win in his outstanding career.

McLaughlin finished second in his Shell V-Power Racing Ford to retain the championship lead but is just six points ahead of Whincup.

Reigning series champion van Gisbergen got another slow start and fell to fourth from second on the opening lap but ran a nice race to finish third. Whincup was ecstatic with his win. “It took a while — what a relief,” he said. “We have been trying to get a win this year — it is bloody tough. Scotty’s thing is a rocket but we dug deep and I’d like to think we deserve this one.”

McLaughlin battled the Townsville heat with a failed cool suit and was content with second.

“I lost my cool suit, so that was tough,” he said. “Well done to Jamie. He is so consistent, it was only a matter of time. Absolute champion drive — we had nothing for him.”

After a terrible round at Darwin three weeks ago, van Gisbergen was happy to be back in the mix.

“Pretty awesome job by the team,” he said. “We lacked a bit in qualifying but turned them around for the races.”

Coulthard’s shocking weekend stretched into Sunday. After a lowly finish on Saturday that saw him lose his championship lead, he again qualified poorly yesterday.

Coulthard got caught up in a tangle with Tim Slade and Craig Lowndes on the opening lap and was eventually given a 15 second time penalty for causing Slade to spin.

The New Zealander dropped to the back of the field after serving the penalty at his first pit stop. He eventually finished 21st.

“One to forget,” Coulthard said. “I know my guys are trying their best but we couldn’t get on top of the car.

“A little bit of work to do, so we will go back to the drawing board and try and come back for the next one.”

Prodrive Racing Australia’s Mark Winterbottom finished fourth, with teammate Chaz Mostert fifth, backing up a solid run on Saturday in an improved showing from the Ford outfit.