A deserving champ

V8 Supercars greats have congratulated Mark Winterbottom after the Ford hero broke through to win his first Championship at home in Sydney today.

Winterbottom, 34, finished third in the second race at the Coates Hire Sydney 500 this afternoon, which earned him enough points to snag the trophy ahead of closest competitor Craig Lowndes.

Next year Winterbottom’s Prodrive Falcon will run the #1, breaking Jamie Whincup and Triple Eight’s four-year hold.

All-time champion Whincup – who has six titles to his name – complimented Winterbottom and his Prodrive team’s performance throughout 2015 after Whincup won both of today’s races in Sydney.

“Credit where credit is due and congratulations to Mark, he’s had a fantastic year,” Whincup said. 

“I’m happy that he’s been able to join the championship club and to pass on my title. Hopefully we can hold him at one title though!

“Credit to the Prodrive team, they’ve really stepped it up this year.” 

V8 Supercars Hall of Famer and five-time champ Mark Skaife said earlier this season that if Winterbottom didn’t win it this time, he never would.

But Frosty powered on with nine race wins to his name for the season and got the job done.

“He’s been Ford’s front man, he’s a local Sydney boy – it couldn’t happen at a better spot,” Skaife said on FOX SPORTS.

“An extraordinary result ­– he’s just applied himself so well, you could see the emotion on his face … this is career defining for Mark Winterbottom.”

Former teammate and V8 Supercars stalwart Jason Bright said Winterbottom was well-deserving of the title after a stellar year.

“I think it’s great,” he told v8supercars.com.au.  

“Frosty’s a good bloke, he’s great for the sport, he’s stuck by Ford and FPR. He’s come too close too many times not to win one!

“Good on him, he’s had a good year, he’s done everything he’s needed to do this the year to wrap it up.”

Bright drove with a young Winterbottom for one season at Ford Performance Racing, back in 2006. 

Winterbottom finished third that year, while Bright was fifth in the Championship. That started his run of top five finishes – he has finished  as one of the best few every year since 2006, but this is his first title.

“We got on really well that year, I had a pretty good relationship with Mark the whole year and we’ve stayed mates,” Bright said.

“I think he deserves it … this year they had a supercar at the start of the year and they made hay while they could. They haven’t been as strong later in the year and he’s had to work for it to keep that points gap.”