Motorsport: Winterbottom wins V8 Supercars championship

V8 frontrunner Mark Winterbottom. Photo / Getty

Ford driver Mark Winterbottom has claimed his first V8 Supercars championship at the season-ending Sydney 500.

Winterbottom wrapped up the title on Saturday evening after finishing fifth and third respectively in the round's opening sprint races.

The results take his lead over Holden rival Craig Lowndes to 220 points - a gap too big to overtake with only 150 points available in Sunday's final race.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," an emotional Winterbottom said over the team radio.

"I've got a few tears under this visor - I'm speechless.

"I wish my mum was here; I wish she was here."

The man affectionately known as 'Frosty' has finished inside the top five every year since he joined Prodrive Racing Australia in 2008 but never crowned champion.

With six-time winner Jamie Whincup out of contention this year, fellow Red Bull Racing driver Lowndes was Winterbottom's only remaining challenger heading into the season finale.

But disaster struck the ever-smiling veteran, who crashed in the first qualifying session and had to start race one from last on the grid.

He ended up finishing 15th, then seventh in the second sprint.

Lowndes has gone 16 seasons without winning a V8 trophy, his third and last being in 1999.

Winterbottom will have to wait until after Sunday's race to be officially crowned champion.
His title win ends a decade-long drought for Ford, with Russell Ingall the last man to steer the Blue Oval to victory in 2005.

20 YEARS OF V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONS

2015 - Mark Winterbottom (Ford)
2014 - Jamie Whincup (Holden)
2013 - Jamie Whincup (Holden)
2012 - Jamie Whincup (Holden)
2011 - Jamie Whincup (Holden)
2010 - James Courtney (Ford)
2009 - Jamie Whincup (Ford)
2008 - Jamie Whincup (Ford)
2007 - Garth Tander (Holden)
2006 - Rick Kelly (Holden)
2005 - Russell Ingall (Ford)
2004 - Marcos Ambrose (Ford)
2003 - Marcos Ambrose (Ford)
2002 - Mark Skaife (Holden)
2001 - Mark Skaife (Holden)
2000 - Mark Skaife (Holden)
1999 - Craig Lowndes (Holden)
1998 - Craig Lowndes (Holden)
1997 - Glenn Seton (Ford)
1996 - Craig Lowndes (Holden)

- AAP