Micro-moments and precision will decide the V8 Supercar tug of war between TeamVodafone and Ford Performance Racing who between them have won every single race so far in the V8 Supercar Championship.
TeamVodafone boss Roland Dane said the difference between the two was so minute that the smallest detail would make the difference, on the eve of the endurance races at the Dick Smith Sandown 500, Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and Armor All Gold Coast 600.
The two teams faced off again today with Jamie Whincup winning from team-mate Lowndes, FPRs Winterbottom third and Will Davison fifth – split by the incredible resurgence of Supercheap Auto Racing’s Russell Ingall who had a cracking weekend - at the Sydney Motorsport Park 360.
With no safety cars or race dramas it was an elementary day for Whincup who was some eight seconds in front across the line.
Dane said these days would not always been the case, as it was when FPR smashed together six straight wins to open the season.
“The guys pushed a bit harder earlier in the year after we’d seen the FPR blokes get six on the trot so I am very, very happy with the way the guys have responded – on the back of the pressure of building the new cars for 2013 as well,” said Dane who was also hosting his new 2103 majoe partner Red Bull in the day of his teams’ 1-2.
“We definitely weren’t as strong in the pit lane (at the start of the year) and we have made strides in managing that. FPR handle that side very well. We’ve closed up in that area but also we got a bit smarter in set-up in a couple of areas.
“The team has pulled together. There’s a whole load of tiny little things that make a difference these days especially between those guys – Frosty (Winterbottom), Davo and our two guys. The differences are so small it’s really a matter of who drops the ball.
“Sometimes it obvious that we have dropped the ball like we did with Jamie yesterday and other times it is so subtle that only the team realises they could have done a slightly better job in a particular area.
“It’s a matter of minimising all the mistakes all of the time and cutting those margins as fine as you can it pit lane.”
Whincup expected no letup in the full-on stoush with FPR, a team that includes one of his longest rivals in motorsport in Winterbottom and one of his closest friends in Davison.
“I say this every year,” said Whincup. “It comes down to a handful of points in the last race on the last day. It sounds like it’s rigged but trust me, it’s not. It has been an absolute dog fight from the start of the year and I expect it to go right to the last race. I’m sure there will be a few different winners along the way but it all comes down to who is leading on the last lap in the last race.”
Whincup controlled the entire race and led home TeamVodafone teammate Craig Lowndes home in a stunning 1-2 result for the Holden team.
The only laps Whincup failed to lead were during the pit stop shuffle as he dominated the safety-car free race to beat Lowndes home by more than 10 seconds.
Ingall ran as high as third in the early stages of the race and was a legitimate podium contender until the final round of stops, where he was jumped by Winterbottom to score his fourth-place finishing result.
Ingall has now has finishes of fifth, sixth, fifth and fourth in the last four races, respectively.
Davison finished fifth, ahead of Lockwood Racing’s Fabian Coulthard who improved four places from his 10th place starting position. David Reynolds was seventh and Jason Bright eighth, the Team BOC driver having to charge through the field after a slow start dropped him from third to 11th on the opening lap.
Holden Racing Team drivers Garth Tander and James Courtney completed the top 10.
The Dick Smith 500 returns to Sandown in Melbourne from September 14-16.
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