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Team smelt Whincup problem at first stop

05 Mar 2018
Red Bull HRT knew early that Whincup was in trouble
1 mins by James Pavey
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The Red Bull Holden Racing Team knew Jamie Whincup’s run in the second leg of the Adelaide 500 was in jeopardy after his first pitstop.

Seven-time Supercars champion Whincup got the jump on team-mate Shane van Gisbergen at the start and was in control of a race team owner Roland Dane believes he “was probably going to win by 30 seconds”.

He led by more than 10 seconds when he slowed on lap 31, limping back to the pits for what was his first retirement in 136 races, a run that dates back to the 2013 Gold Coast 600.

The gearbox failure was caused by a fitting issue with the transaxle oil cooler - causing a leak - and team manager Mark Dutton said Whincup’s first trip to pitlane on lap 16 offered an ominous sign.

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Whincup issues, pushed through pit lane

race and now it's just disappointing that we'll be at least 200 points down in the championship,” Whincup said.

“Thankfully there's still a long way to go.”

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