Whincup named world’s best

Six and all-time V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup has beaten esteemed international competition to be named motorsport.com’s top touring car driver in the world.

The 33-year old Red Bull driver has recorded four Bathurst 1000 wins alongside his championships, and was credited as the world’s best in an article published over the weekend.

Whincup edged equal second placer getters Jose Maria Lopez of the World Touring Car Championship and Mattias Ekstrom of DTM for the number one honour.

Ekstrom is no stranger to V8 Supercars fans, after steering a Triple Eight prepared wild card at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in 2013 and coming home 10th with Andy Priaulx.

All three of Triple Eight’s drivers for 2016 made the motorsport.com top 10, with Whincup’s teammates Craig Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen recognised as the seventh and 10th best in the world, respectively, with 2015 champion Mark Winterbottom ninth. 

Last year was the first since 2010 Whincup has not clinched the drivers’ title, with his victory in ’14 sealed even before contesting the final round.

The judging panel was made up of eight journalists within motorsport.com’s international editorial team.

Whincup’s dominance in the category has been extraordinary, and he heads to the season opening Clipsal 500 not only as the driver with the most race wins at the hectic street circuit, but in the hunt for 100 victories in the category. He currently sits on 97 victories while Lowndes leads the count with 103. He has achieved six Bathurst 1000 wins.

Winterbottom has 36 race wins, including one Bathurst victory.

Van Gisbergen sits on 11 wins, and recently won his first Bathurst 12 Hour at Mount Panorama.

Whincup is on track at Queensland Raceway today, subbing for an injured Lowndes at a new car shakedown, which allows 60km of running for the TeamVortex Holden Commodore.