Skaife: 2013 Title Fight Life Changing Stuff
Twenty points separate the top two contenders heading into the grand finale of the 2013 V8 Supercars season. They both happen to be teammates, both have so much on the line.
For Craig Lowndes, it’s been 14 years since his last title. For Jamie Whincup, a victory will equal Mark Skaife, Dick Johnson and Ian Geoghegan with five Championship wins.
Skaife described the weekend as life changing and stressed that there would be enormous pressure on the top two.
“In this circumstance it’s very hard to understand the pressure these guys are under,” Skaife said.
“Here’s the whole year’s work on one weekend, for the biggest title.
“This is life changing stuff – this makes Whincup five titles; this is a title for Lowndes, it’s 14 years since the last time he was in contention. It’s extraordinary.
“For both those guys the pressure will be unbelievable.
“I don’t know what’s going to unfold because when the two blokes line up it’s about risk management. It’s about getting through the weekend without having a drama.”
While the Red Bull racers will be front and centre, Pepsi Max FPR’s Mark Winterbottom is 123 points adrift, with 300 on offer over the Sydney NRMA Motoring & Services 500. He’s well in the battle.
And Skaife would not offer any predictions.
“I don’t know how it’s going to play out – this is one of the best Championships I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“To have two of the all-time greats vying for this Championship 20 points apart with Winterbottom right in the background of this, anything can happen.
“Sydney’s one of the most unforgiving, difficult race tracks in our circus and the way this is going to unfold anyone who thinks they get it are kidding themselves.”
Indeed things have gone awry for title contenders at the Sydney street circuit before. Who could forget the battle on Saturday in 2010 where rain wreaked havoc and all three contenders – two of which were Whincup and Winterbottom – smashed into the wall. Their respective teams scrambled to get the V8 Supercars back out there to capture what little points they could for an advantage.
That was the only title in the past five years Whincup has failed to score, meaning he did not score three consecutive wins. He has the opportunity to do that this weekend.
“When you’ve got a guy like Whincup, and when you’ve got a guy like Lowndes – behind that Lowndes smile is an unbelievably competitive guy – and you have Whincup who is the benchmark guy in the field.
“It’ll be on for young and old.
“Winterbottom is in with a real shot ... Lowndes and Whincup could take themselves out in the first day and all of a sudden on Saturday night you’ve got a whole different scenario. So anything can happen.”
Skaife, who played a role in the design of the circuit, which was added to the calendar in 2009, said characteristics of the track made it one of the calendar’s toughest.
“It’s about how narrow the place is, the bumps, the kerbs, all the things that make it a race track.
“Anything can happen – it’s 150 points per day, 300 on offer with only 20 points separating them. Extraordinary circumstances… All week they’ve asked me, what’s going to happen here. I’ve got no idea. It could unfold in three or four different scenarios – it’s going to be spectacular.”
Tickets are still available for this weekend’s Sydney NRMA Motoring & Services 500.
