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Whincup humbled after tributes paid

13 Dec 2014
And his message to the 'haters' - "no chance I'm going to change".
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Jamie Whincup has declared his title-winning week "one of the craziest and most humbling weeks" of his life. But he also has a message for the haters - he isn't going to change or slow down.

Whincup took to his personal website to thank his fans, family, team and the V8 Supercars community after being officially awarded his sixth Championship title on Sunday.

A number of tributes have been paid by the greats of the sport, his fellow team members and competitors - all of which have moved him.

And the 31-old year old also has some short, sharp words for those who try to knock him down, despite his efforts on-track.

"It is widely publicised that I have a few hundred haters out there that don't like the way I live my life," Whincup wrote, "but there is no chance I am changing that."

"To the thousands of fans that have come out to the track in rain, hail or shine, sent me very kind messages ... I really appreciate your support and it's all not worth it without you. For the ones that have been there right from the start, I hope you are feeling the joy of #6 as much as I am."

While the Red Bull racer had already locked in the 2014 V8 Supercars Championship title at the previous round at Phillip Island, the weekend and Monday's Gala Awards presentations touched Whincup, who admitted words from friends and respected colleagues in pit lane moved him to tears.

"I was hoping no one realised that I broke the Championship record but instead I was absolutely floored," Whincup wrote.

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"I hate to admit it but I was brought to tears by extremely kind words from close friends in Will Davison, Mark Dutton and the boss Roland Dane along with highly respected members of the sport including Mark Skaife, Dick Johnson and James Warburton.

"I actually had a speech written for the first time in a long time but due to the moment I decided to leave it in my pocket and talk from the heart."

Whincup - who dropped as low as seventh in the title fight early on in the season - acknowledged the tenacity in the 25-car field.

"I absolutely love racing and the intensity this year was insane. Every single pole position and race win is earned from throwing everything on the line and hanging on for grim death."

As well as detailing the efforts of his team, he also paid tribute to long time friends Paul Dumbrell, who co-drove with him to victory at Sandown and the Gold Coast, "PD, what a machine this bloke was again this year. Not only is he one the best blokes around that can tear up any dance floor (actually he doesn't even need a dance floor), but given a good car he can drive it as good as anyone" and Will Davison after his first pole position for Erebus. He also acknowledgedthe efforts of 21-year old Scott McLaughlin, who tied with him on 10 pole positions for the season and was awarded equal prize money, though Whincup was given the official pole award.

"Big congrats to Scott Mac for grabbing the last pole of the year with a very tidy lap. We both finished equal 1st on 10 pole positions each ... It was fantastic to see ARMOR ALL match the prize money of 10k."

Click here to read Whincup's full article including comments on Red Bull Racing Australia - "we win as a team, lose as a team and share the ups and downs", Sunday's wet weather racing at the Sydney NRMA 500, and his words about the future of the category.

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