Four-time V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and co-driver Paul Dumbrell have set the pace for this weekend’s Gold Coast 600 after posting the fastest laps of the day in their respective practice sessions.
The battle pack for the V8 Supercars Championship lies between Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes and Ford Performance Racing duo Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom. With only three rounds remaining in the season and the Pirtek Endurance Cup up for grabs this weekend, the race is not one that will be taken lightly.
The Red Bull Racing Australia drivers will have to rely on more than just their own skills and those of the pit crew to see them through on the Gold Coast 600. Like Sandown and Bathurst before them, they share the race with co-drivers Warren Luff and Paul Dumbrell, both having secured podium finishes at the last two enduro races.
“Qualifying is crucial at this round.” Whincup said.
“Ideally you want to qualify in the top two rows to get that clean air and give yourself the best chance of keeping your nose clean. We’re pretty much doing all of our work on a qualifying car for now and we’ll start thinking about the race car later on.”
On a track renowned for red flags, chaos and carnage, Lowndes is well placed to keep his nose clean, being one of only two drivers to have finished all 29 races to date in this year’s V8 Supercars Championship.
“I’m excited to be back on the track,” Lowndes said.
“The circuit itself is quite quick, better than we expected. Depending on weather, there could be lap records broken this weekend. There is a definite possibility that some decent laps can be produced.”
Qualifying kicks off tomorrow at 10:30am AEST followed by the all-important top ten shoot-out at 11:45am. Check TV times here or stream all the action live at www.v8superview.com.