Defining Moment: Down to Two Points at Phillip Island
For the second consecutive year, the same teams were battling for the title. But this time, different drivers. Our Championship Defining Moments countdown continues in the lead-up to the Sydney 500 – this year looking at 2007.
Jamie Whincup had hit his stride and been a force to be reckoned with in his TeamVodafone Ford Falcon that year. But 2000 title runner-up Garth Tander, a Holden foe yet to win a Championship, stood in the way.
Tander, then with the Toll HSV Dealer Team, had won 15 races that season to Whincup’s five. But those five included the prestigious Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
While the Western Australian was dominant earlier in the season – his first-ever win at home at Barbagallo Raceway a stand-out – he had a tough run home, surrendering the points lead to Whincup after the penultimate round at Symmons Plains.
But Whincup’s run wasn’t smooth sailing either, after scoring no points at Bahrain, the event before Tasmania.
Headed to the Island, the deficit was a mere seven points. And Tander closed that gap the best possible way – winning the first two races.
But starting from pole position on the third and final race of the weekend, Tander dropped back to fourth and Whincup speared ahead.
With each position gained, Whincup added more points to his total. But unable to pass race leader, then Holden Racing Team driver Todd Kelly, that 0.8 second gap meant Tander secured the cup by a mere two points – even closer than the previous year’s margin.
Tander reminisced about his Championship win with v8supercars.com.au.
“Coming into Philip Island I’d made a massive error at Symmons Plains, the second last round and coughed up a lot of points … and put Jamie into the lead,” he began.
“It was disappointing going into the final round not leading the points given we’d been leading most of the year and pretty much dominated.
“The mindset was pretty simple, it was just go and score as many points as we could. I couldn’t control what Jamie was doing, all I could do was look after myself as best as I could.”
Tander flagged Sandown that year as the start of his tough run, recording a fourth at the first enduro and then failing to finish Bathurst.
“It wasn’t the greatest, smoothest run into the end of the Championship – but I guess that’s probably what you look back on as far as driving through adversity and probably makes it that little bit more special. At the time it was probably not ideal, but what can you do.
“Obviously it means a lot – so far I’ve only been fortunate enough to win one Championship. So at the moment as far as Championships go, it’s the jewel in the crown personally.
“And given how tight it was at the end and how much of a battle it was, certainly in the last three or four rounds as well, you look back with fond memories.
“I’m sure Jamie looks back on it as the one that got away – he’s probably got a few stories from that year that cost him some point as well.
“I think genuinely it’s one of those Championships that could have gone either way and both of us probably had a legitimate claim to it.”
But funnily enough, Whincup feels as if the rightful competitor held up the trophy that year.
“At the end of the day, Garth was the superior driver and in the superior team that year,” Whincup told v8supercars.com.au when asked of 2007.
“We were very lucky to be in contention and to come into the last round with the lead. But really, Garth was definitely the stand out and the best that year without a doubt…
“If I had’ve got that Championship – which I was so close to, two points – if I had’ve got Todd Kelly in that last race … I would’ve felt like I really stole it off him rather than I deserved the win.
“So the right thing happened on that day – he was the standout and deserved it.
“I lost it by a couple of points. I think I came into the last round with the lead and my usual Phillip Island luck, I got done – that was the start of many!”
While Whincup didn’t feel one particular moment was reflective of that year's Championship, he also noted the enduros and Symmons Plains as rounds that had a huge effect.
“Garth had a really bad run at the endurance races where I picked up a lot of points and we made massive inroads.
“There’s no real defining moment.
“I led race two at Symmons Plains. I think once again one round to go and there was a big crash into the back straight and everyone was going crazy, my engineer was yelling at me on the radio and I could hear everyone in the background yelling, thinking I was going to come around the straight and barrel into everyone, I just remember that moment clearly, I told everyone to calm down, it was under control, everyone just keep the peace and we could win that race.
“I took the Championship lead before Philip Island. It was a really cool moment as well.”
Tander continued his strong form at Phillip Island last weekend, recording the race win on Saturday. Whincup won the final of three races there and now leads this year’s Championship heading to grand finale the Sydney 500, just 20 points ahead of his Red Bull teammate Craig Lowndes. Join the conversation on Twitter now with #WHOWILLWIN.
V8supercars.com.au is counting down Defining Championship Moments as we head to the title decider – is Tander’s two-point win your favourite? Click here to vote now and go into the draw to win a chequered flag signed by the 2013 Champion – all you have to do is tell us in 25 words or less your favourite moment.
