EVENT 14, WINTON MOTOR RACEWAY
RACES 27 & 28 OF THE 2012 V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP
Point of Interest: Winton hosted the first-ever international Group A round of the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1985. The ATCC/V8 Supercars Championship has returned to the venue every year since bar 1987, 1996 and 2005. This year's event is the 25th time the ATCC/V8SC has visited Winton.
Circuit Length: 3-kilometres
Circuit Direction: Clockwise 2011
Crowd: 63,617 (3 days)
Circuit Description: The tight and twisty rural layout features a range of slow corners, which combine to make Winton the slowest circuit on the V8 Supercar calendar. A total of 12 corners linked by short straights, the circuit was lengthened by a kilometre in 1997 with new pit garages and a new pit lane constructed.
10 Fast Facts
1. V8 Supercars Championship leader Jamie Whincup could possibly wrap up his fourth championship at Winton Motor Raceway.
Whincup leads Mark Winterbottom by 296 points and only needs to score four more points than the Ford pilot over the two races at Winton to seal the title.
Should Whincup seal the championship at Winton, it will be the first time since 2002 (when Mark Skaife claimed his fifth and final crown) that the fight for the title has not gone down to the final event.
Having said all of that, it should be pointed out that any championship points penalties received due to driving or pit lane infringements would alter the mathematics of the championship situation.
2. Mark Winterbottom is fighting to stay in the title chase as rival Jamie Whincup inches closer to the 2012 crown. Despite Winton being Ford Performance Racing's home test track, Winterbottom has never won a V8 Supercar Championship race at the circuit and has just one podium finish there - he was second in the Sunday race in 2009.
However, there's no doubting Winterbottom's overall pace at Winton given he's taken three pole positions there and not qualified out of the top 10 there since joining FPR in 2006.
Winterbottom finished second in the 2008 V8 Supercars Championship, was fifth in 2009 and third in 2010 and 2011. He has not finished outside the top five in the V8 Supercars Championship pointscore since joining FPR.
3. Tekno Autosport's Jonathon Webb will make his 50th V8 Supercars Championship event start at Winton Motor Raceway.
The team owner/driver made his V8SC debut at the 2006 Sandown 500 as an endurance co-driver and has been full-time in the 'main series' since 2010.
Exclusion from the final race in Abu Dhabi and a 50 Championship point penalty has dropped him from 13th to 15th in the V8 Supercars Championship.
Webb is yet to qualify or finish in the top 10 at Winton, with a best grid position of 15th (2010 Sunday) and a best race result of 11th on the same day.
However, he does have a history of success in the Dunlop Series at Winton, taking pole position and the round victory back in 2009 - the same year he won the development category title.
4. Four drivers are making their first V8 Supercars Championship event start at Winton Motor Raceway.
They are Tim Blanchard (Jack Daniel's Racing), David Wall (Wilson Security Racing), Taz Douglas (left, Team iSelect) and Alex Premat (Fujitsu Racing/GRM).
Blanchard and Douglas have raced at Winton in the Dunlop Series, while Wall has experience in Porsche Carrera Cup. The venue shouldn't be a concern for any of them given it is the test track for all four drivers' teams.
5. This year's Winton event date - November 16-18 - is the latest in a calendar year that an ATCC/V8 Supercars Championship event has been held at the circuit.
Previously, the 2001 event - on September 7-9 - was the latest in a season that Winton has hosted an ATCC/V8SC event.
Of the 24 previous ATCC/V8SC events at Winton, the majority (11) have been held in the month of May with three each in April, June and August.
6. Much is made of the 'home track advantage' for Victorian teams at Winton Motor Raceway given they regularly test there, but the Queensland teams have scooped the majority of the silverware in recent years.
The 'invaders' have won nine of the last 13 V8 Supercar races at Winton with six wins to TeamVodafone and three to Jim Beam Racing (including two to James Courtney in 2010, left).
However, it's only been in recent years that the Queensland teams have regularly got on top of their Victorian counterparts.
On the whole across the five-litre V8 era since 1993, the Victorian teams have won 26 of the 40 races (65%), while Queensland-based squads have won 14 (35%).
Victorian teams have taken 13 of the 20 pole positions, which also equates to a 65% success rate.
7. Will Davison has moved to the front in the fight for the ARMOR ALL Pole Position Award - which sees the driver with the most poles for 2012 receive a $20,000 prize.
The Tradingpost FPR pilot took three poles in Abu Dhabi to move his season tally to eight - two clear of Jamie Whincup - and that leaves he and Whincup the only drivers able to win the award.
With four poles still available at Winton and Sydney Olympic Park, it's still very much up for grabs.
Whincup has had a stranglehold on the award having won it for the last four years straight.
8. TeamVodafone could seal the 2012 Champion Team Award at Winton and win the team's title for the fourth time in five seasons.
TeamVodafone currently has a 513 point lead over Ford Performance Racing and will clinch the Teams Championship if it leaves Winton 576 points or more in front of FPR with only the Sydney Telstra 500 remaining.
The maximum any team can score in a race at Winton or Sydney Olympic Park is 288 points, with 150 for a victory and 138 for a second place.
9. The Bottle-O Racing Team and Racing Entitlements Contract owner Rod Nash is on target to win the Most Improved Award in the V8 Supercars Championship for the second time in three years.
First awarded in 2006, the award recognises the improvement of a particular team and its entry over the course of 12 months. It is judged from the final championship results year-to-year.
The team's #55 Falcon finished 24th in last year's championship in the hands of Paul Dumbrell and this year sits ninth in the points in the hands of David Reynolds - an improvement of 15 positions.
Ironically, the team also won the award in 2010 after Dumbrell had improved the #55 entry from finishing 24th in 2009 (when Nash's REC was leased out to Tony D'Alberto's team) to ninth in 2010.
The nearest contender in 2012 is the #14 Brad Jones Racing entry, driven under the Lockwood Racing banner this year by Fabian Coulthard.
Last year it finished 22nd in the hands of Jason Bargwanna and it currently sits 10th in the championship - an improvement of 12 positions over where the car finished in 2011.
10. The penultimate round of the Dunlop Series is the primary support category at Winton.
Ford Performance Racing's Chaz Mostert leads by just 20 points over Fujitsu Racing's Scott McLaughlin, with Bathurst round winner Nick Percat third in the Coates Hire Commodore and 124 points behind Mostert.
Monster/Triple Eight pilot Scott Pye is four points behind Percat in fourth with Luke Youlden sitting fifth.
2012 SUMMARY AFTER RACE 26
PODIUM FINISHES
RACE WINS
ARMOR ALL POLE POSITIONS
Jamie Whincup 22
Jamie Whincup 11
Will Davison 8
Mark Winterbottom 17
Will Davison 7
Jamie Whincup 6
Will Davison 16
Craig Lowndes 5
Craig Lowndes 4
Craig Lowndes 10
Mark Winterbottom 3
Mark Winterbottom 3
Garth Tander 4
Warren Luff 1
Garth Tander 3
Shane van Gisbergen 4
Paul Dumbrell 1
David Reynolds 1
Paul Dumbrell 2
Sebastien Bourdais 1
Shane van Gisbergen 1
Warren Luff 2
Mika Salo 1
Luke Youlden 1
Sebastien Bourdais 2
Will Power 2
Tim Slade 2
Jason Bright 1
Steve Richards 1
David Reynolds 1
Dean Canto 1
Jonathon Webb 1
Marc Lieb 1
Mika Salo 1
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER RACE 26
TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
1. TeamVodafone 6356 pts
1. Jamie Whincup (TeamVodafone) 3360 pts
2. Ford Performance Racing 5843 pts
2. Mark Winterbottom (Orrcon Steel FPR) 3064 pts
3. Stone Brothers Racing 4347 pts
3. Craig Lowndes (TeamVodafone) 2971 pts
4. Holden Racing Team 4093 pts
4. Will Davison (Tradingpost FPR) 2779 pts
5. Brad Jones Racing 3349 pts
5. Shane van Gisbergen (SP Tools Racing) 2434 pts
6. Jack Daniel's Racing 2987 pts
6. Tim Slade (Lucky 7 Racing) 2319 pts
7. Tekno Autosports 2869 pts
7. Garth Tander (Holden Racing Team) 2232 pts
8. Fujitsu Racing/GRM 2571 pts
8. Lee Holdsworth (IRWIN Racing) 1913 pts
9. Lucky 7 Racing (#47) 2319 pts
9. David Reynolds (The Bottle-O Racing) 1875 pts
10. The Bottle-O Race Team (#55) 1925 pts
10. Fabian Coulthard (Lockwood Racing) 1843 pts
PREVIOUS WINTON ATCC/V8SC RACE WINNERS
1985 Jim Richards JPS Team BMW BMW 635 CSi
1986 Jim Richards JPS Team BMW BMW 635 CSi
1988 John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500
1989 George Fury Gibson Motorsport Nissan Skyline GTS-R
1990 Jim Richards Gibson Motorsport Nissan Skyline GTS-R
1991 Jim Richards Gibson Motorsport Nissan GT-R
1992 Mark Skaife Gibson Motorsport Nissan GT-R, Mark Skaife Gibson Motorsport Nissan GT-R
1993 Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EB, Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EB
1994 Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EB, Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EB
1995 John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon EF, John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon EF
1997 Larry Perkins Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VS, Russell Ingall Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VS, Russell Ingall Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VS
1998 Russell Ingall Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VS, John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon EL, John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon EL
1999 Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VT, Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VT, Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VT
2000 Garth Tander Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VT, Glenn Seton Ford Tickford Racing Ford Falcon AU, Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VT
2001 Greg Murphy Kmart Racing Holden Commodore VX, Russell Ingall Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VX
2002 Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VX, Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VX, Jason Bright Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VX
2003 Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon BA
2004 Cameron McConville Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VY
2006 Jason Bright Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon BA, Jason Richards Tasman Motorsport Holden Commodore VZ, Craig Lowndes Team Betta Electrical Ford Falcon BA
2007 Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Ford Falcon BF, Garth Tander Toll HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VE, Garth Tander Toll HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VE
2008 Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Ford Falcon BF, Will Davison Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon BF, Garth Tander Toll Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE
2009 Craig Lowndes TeamVodafone Ford Falcon FG, Craig Lowndes TeamVodafone Ford Falcon FG
2010 James Courtney Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon FG, James Courtney Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon FG
2011 Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Holden Commodore VE II, Jason Bright Team BOC Holden Commodore VE II
Race Wins By Driver
5 - John Bowe, Glenn Seton, Jason Bright
4 - Jim Richards, Russell Ingall, Jason Bargwanna, Garth Tander
3 - Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup
2 - Mark Skaife, James Courtney
1 - George Fury, Larry Perkins, Greg Murphy, Marcos Ambrose, Cameron McConville, Jason Richards, Will Davison
PREVIOUS WINTON ATCC/V8SC POLE POSITIONS
1985 Jim Richards JPS Team BMW BMW 635 1m05.8s
1986 Gary Scott Gibson Motorsport Nissan Skyline Turbo 1m04.1s
1988 Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500 1m01.93s
1989 Peter Brock Mobil 1 Racing Ford Sierra RS500 1m00.82s
1990 Jim Richards Gibson Motorsport Nissan Skyline GTS-R 1m01.97s
1991 Jim Richards Gibson Motorsport Nissan GT-R 1m01.16s
1992 Mark Skaife Gibson Motorsport Nissan GT-R Dash Win
1993 Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon EB Dash Win
1994 Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EB 59.5473s
1995 John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon EF 59.517s
1997 Larry Perkins Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VS 1m24.0045s
1998 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VS 1m23.0877s
1999 Jason Bargwanna Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore VT 1m22.8849s
2000 Glenn Seton Ford Tickford Racing Ford Falcon AU 1m22.8529s
2001 Russell Ingall Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VX 1m24.3328s
2002 Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon AU 1m22.9447s
2003 Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon BA 1m23.7019s
2004 Craig Baird Team Kiwi Racing Holden Commodore VY 1m39.7544s
2006 Jason Bright Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon BA 1m23.6101s
2007 Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE 1m23.4793s
2008 Mark Winterbottom Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon BF 1m22.9727s
2009 Sat Mark Winterbottom Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon FG 1m23.0906s
2009 Sun Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Ford Falcon FG 1m23.1687s
2010 Sat James Courtney Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon FG 1m21.8739s
2010 Sun Rick Kelly Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE 1m21.8487s
2011 Sat Craig Lowndes TeamVodafone Holden Commodore VE II 1m22.0979s
2011 Sun Mark Winterbottom Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon FG 1m22.5338s
Poles By Driver
3 - Jim Richards, Mark Winterbottom
2 - Dick Johnson, Mark Skaife, Glenn Seton, Marcos Ambrose
1 - Gary Scott, Peter Brock, John Bowe, Larry Perkins, Jason Bargwanna, Craig Baird, Jason Bright, Todd
Kelly, Jamie Whincup, James Courtney, Rick Kelly, Craig Lowndes
Note:
* Current length circuit in use since 1997.
* The Top 10 Shootout was wet in 2004, therefore Baird's pole time was quite slow.
* Dunlop Soft tyres were used in 2010 in qualifying for the first time, hence the drop in lap times from 2009.