Whincup's contrasting emotions in Bathurst defeat
Jamie Whincup claimed first Bathurst podium since 2013
Four-time winner had several missed opportunities since
Hall of Famer in awe of Broc Feeney, Brodie Kostecki's final stint
Fuel-poor in 2014. Penalised in 2015 and 2016. Engine issues in 2017, and loose wheel in 2018. Missed out in 2019, and crashed out in 2020. Not quite there in 2021, fought back in 2022, and heartbreak in 2023.
That right there is a decade of torture at Mount Panorama for Jamie Whincup, who after 11 years, finally returned to the Bathurst podium on Sunday.
The previous time he stood on the Bathurst podium, in 2013, Whincup was a four-time series and Bathurst champion, and at the prime of his career at 30 years old. Future partner Broc Feeney was 11 years old.
You get the point.
For all his successes, Whincup has had a bone to pick with the Mountain, and also watched teammates Craig Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen add five Great Race wins to Triple Eight’s tally.
However, now team boss, Whincup was pleased his team gave its all on a day Erebus Motorsport, Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood were the benchmark performers.
“Like, we're all smiling, we're happy. We’ll go and have a quiet drink tonight and appreciate the job that we did this weekend,” Whincup told Supercars.com’s Schick Cool Down Lap podcast.
"But, it's not a win. It's such a contrast. You either win or you don’t. Unfortunately, we didn't win.”
When asked if he thinks he’ll ever win the race again, Whincup replied: "I don't know. I keep trying. I've tried last 10 years since my last and it hasn't quite happened.
"But I'm not a greedy person. I've got four, like, geez, I probably only really need one, but somehow I've got four.
"So, I'm not going to die miserable. But hey, if I can get another, I'll keep trying. Maybe it'll happen. Maybe it won’t.”
The Kostecki/Hazelwood car led a staggering 157 of the race’s 161 laps. For 149 of those laps, the Feeney/Whincup car was in second place.
It was a breathless two-horse race, with the #1 and #88 Camaros clear of anyone else. Hazelwood and Whincup did everything right, and left the race to Kostecki and Feeney, which came down to 30 effective qualifying laps to the end.
Kostecki and Feeney traded fastest laps, with the reigning champion ultimately breaking clear and racing away to his first win of the season, helping Hazelwood to his first Supercars win on the biggest day of them all.
A noted motorsport purist, Whincup loved it, and hailed the performance of Kostecki and Hazelwood, who had both had tricky journeys to this point.
However, there was something for Triple Eight to cheer for, clinching the teams' championship with two rounds to spare.
“Massive respect for Broc and Brodie. They were just absolutely wringing its neck for the last 60 laps,” Whincup said.
“The best team won. You know, I've left this place just gutted because we were the quickest car and we didn't quite get it right, and made mistakes. But that wasn't the case today.
"We performed well, we put our best foot forward and then there were a couple of guys — one guy's had a tough year, one guy's had a tough career really — they've ground it out hard and it's a good story.
“They won the Great Race and good on them. But for us, bittersweet, we obviously come here to win the race, but we've come second and third, so, happy days.”
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 25-27. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
