Defending champion Jamie Whincup has scored his 90th career win in the opening race of the Clipsal 500, while the driver rated by many as his most likely 2015 V8 Supercar title challenger, Scott McLaughlin, failed to make the start.
The Volvo S60 V8 suffered an oil leak on the warm-up lap, fired out a heap of flame and then skidded to a halt, forcing McLaughlin to bail out. The Wilson Security Volvo Polestar Racing team is expected to get the car ready to start this afternoon’s second 125km race.
“I think the oil pump is gone and it’s dropped a heap of oil on the rear tyres – that’s what caused a little bit of a fire,” McLaughlin said.
“Just gutted for our fans and new sponsors Wilson Security. It just sucks. Not cool!”
Whincup’s win equalled him on the all-time list with another Holden hero, Mark Skaife, and edges him closer to team-mate Craig Lowndes who sits on 97 wins. He also collected 75 championship points towards a potential seventh title and record fifth in succession.
“The car was fantastic,” he said. “It was all about getting off the line – there was plenty of drama as you saw. You just want to get going in the New Year.”
After launching into the lead from pole position in the Red Bull Racing Australia Holden VF Commodore, Whincup survived some early pressure from Fabian Coulthard’s Freightliner Commodore, gave up the lead through the pit stop cycle on lap six and then resumed top spot on lap 15 after the entire field had stopped.
A safety car called when Will Davison’s Erebus Motorsport V8 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG ground to a halt with an electrical issue on lap 29 brought Whincup back to the field for a one-lap dash to the time-certain finish.
He negotiated that despite some heavy pressure from Chaz Mostert, who gave the Pepsi-Max Ford Falcon FG X a highly promising debut to finish second.
The young charger leap-frogged Coulthard through the pits, while Craig Lowndes was fourth in the second RBRA Commodore. Mark Winterbottom was fifth in the second Pepsi-Max FG X despite front bumper damage. Lee Holdsworth went within a lap of finishing sixth to celebrate his new partnership with Charlie Schwerkolt and Walkinshaw Racing, but out-braked himself to drop to ninth at the finish.
Shane van Gisbergen was sixth, the Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander seventh, Tim Slade eighth and James Courtney 10th. Courtney had looked set to finish in the top four until he had a poor tyre change in the Holden Racing Team Commodore.
Marcos Ambrose raced forward to 16th from his 24th starting place on the grid.
James Moffat led the Nissan Altima runners home in 11th place, with David Wall debuting for Volvo in 17th. Ash Walsh finished 20th for Erebus despite hitting fellow rookie Andre Heimgartner after the young New Zealander spun his Super Black Racing Falcon at turn nine after contact with Dale Wood’s Commodore.
