V8 Supercar title contender Jamie Whincup. Photo / Getty Images
On the verge of back-to-back V8 Supercar titles, Ford star Jamie Whincup won't risk his championship for a race win at this weekend's Sydney 500.
While the TeamVodafone driver admits he would like to win the season-ending race at the all-new Homebush street circuit, his first focus will be confirming
his championship. That should be a straightforward task for the 26-year-old, his 281-point lead over nearest rival - Holden's Will Davison - meaning he needs just 19 points. A 28th place finish in Saturday's opening 250km race at Sydney's Olympic Park circuit would give him 21 points and make him the first man to defend a V8 Supercar championship since Marcos Ambrose in 2004.
"The championship's our main goal," Whincup said. "When we started in February that's what we wanted to achieve."
In 2007 he was pipped for the championship by Holden's Garth Tander at Phillip Island, and last year he claimed the first of three races at Oran Park to secure the title in front of Ford rival Mark Winterbottom after a titanic year-long struggle. So he's more relaxed approaching this weekend's event.
"Obviously only needing 20 points you can't take it for granted but you can take in other aspects of the race," he said. "We're racing at an amazing facility, in front of a sell-out crowd."
Whincup says he's not sure what his future motivation will be if he does become a rare multiple-championship winning driver this weekend.
But his team's switch from Ford to Holden in 2010 may just hold the key.
"I don't know yet. I'll reassess next year on my goals for 2010," he said. "I don't think anyone's won a championship from Ford to Holden yet. [The Holden switch is] complete new motivation, complete new goals will have to be set for another year.
"I don't know what they'll be yet, I'll work that out over the break."
- AAP
