Motorsport: Two from two gives Whincup's V8 rivals reasons to worry

ABU DHABI - It's the last thing Jamie Whincup's V8 Supercar rivals want to hear but he feels he can only get better after winning both races of the season-opening event in Abu Dhabi.

The TeamVodafone ace yesterday made it two wins from as many starts this year with an almost flawless display at the spectacular Yas Marina circuit.

His unerring consistency came to the fore as his key rivals made critical mistakes or succumbed to bad luck.

Pole holder Mark Winterbottom was left spinning his wheels on the start line to hand Whincup an early advantage in the second 200km race, while Holden Racing Team's Garth Tander was leading when the locking device on his wheel nut fell off in the race's 30th lap.

Winterbottom recovered somewhat to secure a second-place finish ahead of impressive New Zealand youngster Shane Van Gisbergen, but Tander was forced to retire in a miserable opening weekend for the Holden factory team.

And if Whincup is to be believed, those chasing him will find it hard to make up the ground already lost as the series moves north to Bahrain for the Desert 400 this week, especially considering the Holden driver went on to win the 2008 and 2009 season titles after claiming maximum points in the opening event in both years.

"We made a change overnight and the car was much better today," Whincup said.

"The track was always getting grippier as the run went on, and we are still learning the track, to be honest.

"I found a few little lines round there as well which gave me a couple of tenths.

"The car was bullet-proof, we were sort of in control from the start.

"We have got five or six little issues that you can't see from the outside that we are going to have to improve before too long, but it's all pretty good.

"I can't believe I have won two from two."

Tander's misery just highlighted what has been a shocking first outing for HRT after their great rivals TeamVodafone switched to Holden.

His failure to finish yesterday's race followed a 26th place finish in Saturday's opener, brought on largely by a controversial penalty which forced him from second on the grid to start 29th.

Teammate Will Davison hardly fared better, after an engine failure resulted in an early retirement on Saturday, battling from a disappointing starting position of 22nd to eventually claim 14th yesterday.

That means with two podium finishes from the weekend, Ford Performance Racing's Winterbottom has emerged as Whincup's biggest rival in the championship's early stages.

And just like the reigning champion, Winterbottom is confident he will get better in Bahrain.

"Second was a good result," he said.

"With the improvements we are making and the way the car is I am pretty happy with what we have done this weekend.

"The car is straight, which is important, too, as we have got a race in a week so that was the goal.

"Get points, try to improve the car and go to Bahrain and have a harder go.

"It is nice to start without a zero, which I have had for the last three years. It is nice to see those points and it really kick-starts the year."

The championship's second round, the Desert 400 in Bahrain, begins on Friday.

Points:

1. Jamie Whincup (Holden) 300

2. Mark Winterbottom (Ford) 267

3. Craig Lowndes (Holden) 249

4. Shane Van Gisbergen (Ford) 231

5. James Courtney (Ford) 222

- AAP