Motorsport: Whincup claims fourth straight V8 crown

Jamie Whincup driving the #1 Red Bull Racing Australia Holden is followed by Mark Winterbottom driving the #5 Pepsi Max Crew Ford and Craig Lowndes driving the #888 Red Bull. Photo / Getty.

Jamie Whincup staked his claim as the best V8 Supercars driver in history when he became the first man to win six championships in a dramatic day on Phillip Island.

Victory and third-place in two races on Saturday was enough for Holden's Whincup to claim a fourth-straight crown as his chief rivals faltered.

The Red Bull driver enjoyed a day when anything that could break his way did.

In race one, his closest title rivals Mark Winterbottom and Shane van Gisbergen finished in the bottom two.

Then in a decisive second race, where he simply needed to beat Winterbottom home, the Ford driver gave him a golden passing opportunity after just four laps.

Winterbottom misjudged his approach into turn one - the same corner that cost him in Saturday's earlier race - allowing Whincup to swoop past.

Craig Lowndes overtook Winterbottom on the following lap, giving his teammate a crucial buffer.

With superior pace, the Red Bulls ran away with the race, completing a one-two result ahead of Winterbottom and handing Whincup the crown.

Whincup said while he wouldn't get the trophy until the final meet in Sydney next month, there was plenty of emotion on the grid.

"Points wise, it's all done," he said.

"That trophy's going to be pretty sweet come the end of the year."

While Whincup moved past five-time champions Ian Geoghegan, Dick Johnson and Mark Skaife to be the only man with six crowns, he said he was not thinking about his place in the sport's history. "The numbers are one thing, I'm sure they're going to mean a hell of a lot when I hang the helmet up," he said.

"Hopefully that's not for a long time yet.

"Right now I'm in the heat of the battle, and never loved my motorsport than I do right now."

Red Bull's strong day - both drivers finished on the podium in both races - means the constructors' championship is also all but guaranteed to head their way.

Whincup's 2014 title is provisional - there remains the very unlikely possibility of stewards' punishment or suspension.

But his 461-point lead is now greater than the maximum points on offer from the four remaining races,and on form, no one could catch him anyway.

The 31-year-old has blitzed the field since ending an 11-race run without a win in Darwin.

Whincup's incredible streak since his visit to the Northern Territory is: nine victories and 13 podiums from 18 races.

Saturday's earlier race was claimed by Scott McLaughlin ahead of Lowndes and Whincup.

Lowndes' pair of second-place finishes on the coastal circuit lifted him above van Gisbergen into third in the championship standings.

-AAP