Space race

Outgoing V8 Supercars champions Jamie Whincup has urged fans attending this weekend’s Coates Hire Sydney 500 to give title contenders Mark Winterbottom and Craig Lowndes some space and understanding.

While they are two of the most fan-friendly drivers on the grid, Whincup says Winterbottom and Lowndes will have massive pressure on their shoulders as the 2015 drivers’ championship boils down to three races at Sydney Olympic Park this weekend.

“If you are a fan of the sport and come out on the weekend, certainly don’t be offended if Mark or Craig don’t give you the absolute time you need,” said Whincup.

“Just consider their brains are absolutely on the three races this weekend and it is a huge deal for their whole lives.

“So if you are a true fan and you really want either Mark or Craig to win then the best thing you can do is give them space and hopefully they put in their best performances and the best man wins.”

Pepsi-Max Ford Falcon FG X driver Winterbottom leads Red Bull Racing Australia Holden Commodore VF driver Lowndes by 179 points with up to 300 points to be won in this weekend’s grand final.

If he does clinch the title it will be Winterbottom’s first since joining the championship full-time in 2004. He has not finished lower than fifth in his nine years with the Prodrive-owned squad.

The stakes are almost as high for Lowndes, who won the last of his three driver’s championship in 1999 for the Holden Racing Team. In 10 years racing for RBRA parent Triple Eight Race Engineering, Lowndes has finished fourth five times and second five times.

Meanwhile, this is the first time since the debut of the concrete-lined Sydney Olympic Park circuit in 2009 that Whincup races without having already wrapped up the championship, or being in contention for it.

That gives a him unique insight into the challenges facing both Lowndes and Winterbottom this weekend and the rewards winning the championship delivers.

“It's not just let’s see what happens and have a laugh,” Whincup explained. “It’s a huge thing for those guys. I know that because I have been there myself, so I don’t envy what they are going through at the moment.

“You do revolve your life around motorsport,” he added. “So to win a championship is a massive deal for every single driver that is on that grid. For Frosty and Craig it’s tough, but it’s revolving around two days of the year.

“Their brains would be absolutely full of what’s going to go on this weekend.”

But Whincup also made it clear the upside of that pressure – for the winner at least – is huge.

“One of those guys is going to be rewarded and they are going to feel that reward for the rest of their life,” he said.

“There are huge rewards you get from standing on the top step of that podium with the championship trophy knowing the quality of the field and the people, knowing that everyone has given it absolutely everything they had and you are the best.

“That is a money can’t buy experience. That is bucket list stuff which either Lowndesy or Frosty is going to experience this weekend and it’s well and truly worth the high stress.”

Whincup played down the amount of help he could extend to Lowndes in his battle to bridge the points gap to Winterbottom.

“When you see a team-mate say ‘yeah I will help my team-mate’ the first thing people think is you are going to take out the opposition, or you are going to fudge your own race or you are not going to try. But that is not the case.

“I am going to go out there and try as hard as I can. I am going to put in the best performance I can at the last race of the year. But if I can help Lowndesy at the same time I certainly will.

“But it’s certainly not my style to do anything wrong by Mark, I have got a lot of respect for Mark and the last thing I want to do is get involved in this championship between these two guys.”

But he did indicate he would defer to Lowndes on race pit stop strategy, as long as his own race prospects were still viable in the two x 125km races on Saturday and single 250km race on Sunday.

“If there are two strategies that are pretty similar and one is not quite as flash as the other then I am happy to take the non-preferred strategy,” he said.

“I am happy to do that because what goes around comes around. I have no doubt Lowndesy will be able to return me a little favour in the future.”