Last night’s Sydney SuperNight finale was a spectacle not witnessed for some time, darkness with a dash of wet, but it proved a hit for television audiences, spectators and drivers alike.
Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Jamie Whincup took his first win since the Repco Supercars Championship visited Tasmania back in April after a fast start from the third row of the grid.
In describing the challenges faced last night, Whincup admitted he was in two minds about restarting the race after it was red flagged with eight laps remaining.
“It was fairly torrential,” he said. “I don’t think they get much worse than that in the dark, teeming down.
“There was quite a decent river across the track at Turn 4 and Turn 1 was getting a bit ‘how’s it going’ as well with all the puddles.
“It was just a matter of tip it in and hang on.
“The driver in me wanted to keep on going, but the team owner in me thought it’s just sensible because we’re coming back next week and we can’t tear up six or seven cars and have a grid of about 18 next week.
“I believe it was the right call in the end.”
The only disappointment for Whincup was that the rain occurred prior to the race instead of halfway through. This would have added another challenge for not only drivers, but the engineers within the garages.
“In some way it would have been good if the rain had of delayed itself by 20 minutes, then everyone started on slicks and had that big game of when to put the wets on, but with the rain coming down just before the start of the race it just made it a no brainer,” Whincup explained.
“It was going to be a wet race the whole way through.”
Although his teammate and championship leader Shane van Gisbergen had a night to forget, he still holds a significant 337-point margin with three rounds remaining, one Whincup believes is improbable to overhaul.
“No, he’s over a round ahead,” Whincup admitted. “That’s a lot of points you know and he’s still probably the quickest out there.
“I’m still trying to get as many points out there and try to stand on that podium as many times as I can because I won’t get that opportunity forever.”