The Mountain was calling his name and Jamie Whincup answered on Day Two of the Bathurst 1000.
Jamie produced a record breaking lap around Mount Panorama on Friday with a blistering time that sent previous efforts tumbling.
J Dub was on another level in practice five as he turned in a lap we’ve coined ‘Whincup’s Wonder’. The time of 2:04.9097 was set in perfect conditions for him and his #1 Holden Commodore.
Jamie’s effort bumped down Fabian Coulthard who had previously set a new record yesterday for a V8 Supercar with a 2:05.4786.
Today’s planned qualifying has been postponed until tomorrow due a heavy crash involving ProDrive’s Chaz Mostert. All the team at Red Bull Racing Australia wish those involved a speedy recovery.
Final practice kicks off tomorrow at 10.20am, with a rescheduled qualifying time of 12.30pm. You can check out the telecast times here.
What they said:
JAMIE WHINCUP / PAUL DUMBRELL
Practice 4: 4th (Fastest Lap 2:06.2838 ) – PD
Practice 5: 1st (Fastest Lap 2:04.9097 ) – JW
Qualifying: POSTPONED
Jamie Whincup:
“It’s never nice seeing an accident like the one Chaz had. It’s just a reminder that our sport is dangerous and at the end of the day we are strapped in to missiles. The last thing we want to see is anyone hurt and something like this reminds us we’re all part of a big family and united together in the sport. I’ve got my fingers crossed for Chaz and I wish him the best in his recovery. The car was real good this morning. The lap itself felt real good. It’s a money can’t buy experience and something that’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t raced a car around one of the best bits of road in the world. A good, balanced V8 Supercar on new tyres around this joint flat out is one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. I’m glad the sport is able to give me that thrill, but hopefully I can do it again in qualifying.”
Paul Dumbrell:
“We were working through some older sets of tyres earlier in the day so it was a little bit challenging to find the balance. Obviously we made some inroads with the car and Jamie was super quick in practice five. The car looks like it’s quick over one lap, but I don’t know what it’s going to be like over a race or stint distance which we’ll work out tomorrow. Bathurst is such a high risk circuit and we probably lose sight of how dangerous all motorsport is. Our thoughts are with Chaz and his parents.”
CRAIG LOWNDES / STEVEN RICHARDS
Practice 4: 12th (Fastest Lap 2:06.6305 ) – SR
Practice 5: 13th (Fastest Lap 2:06.3528 ) – CL
Qualifying: POSTPONED
Craig Lowndes:
“We had a good day today and we made more progress with the car. We did a simulated qualifying run in the last practice session which was good up until the last corner when I made a small mistake. Time-wise I think potentially the lap could have been in the top five so that was really encouraging. In qualifying we were prepared to bolt on a fresh set of tyres to go out and try a lap when the accident halted all proceedings. Hopefully Chaz and the marshals are ok and I hope he makes a speedy recovery.”
Steven Richards:
“It’s pretty average really when these things happen in our sport. That’s all part of the game we play, but you don’t want anyone getting hurt whether it’s a driver, spectator or official. It’s probably the right thing to call it quits and come back tomorrow. The #888 car feels really good. I’m really pleased with how it’s going and I think we’re in a better position this year to last year in terms of handling. We’ll see how we go in qualifying tomorrow.”
