Whincup's 270km/h reminder in Hazelwood scare
For a driver with 125 wins and 558 wins to his name, Jamie Whincup still had to catch himself when Todd Hazelwood soared towards the barriers at Sandown.
Whincup, who finished second in the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 with Broc Feeney, battled Erebus Motorsport co-driver Hazelwood early in the race.
Fighting for an effective podium position, Hazelwood – co-driver to Brodie Kostecki – twice tried to pass Whincup at Turn 4, and with contact, got by on lap 39.
However, Hazelwood held his breath as his right-front tyre went flat, spearing him off the road at 270km/h at the high-speed Turn 6. He kept it under control across the tarmac run-off area, and returned to the pits.
It was a stark contrast to 2017, when he was infamously pitched into a series of wild flips after a clash with Jonathon Webb.
Whincup himself feared the worst as he saw Hazelwood fly off the road, casting a reminder to the seven-time champion.
“It was a good battle, I was expecting a long stint, so I was trying to be the most consistent over the stint, where Todd was looking for track position,” Whincup said.
“We had a bit of contact, he got through, and then not good, from my view, seeing a car disappear off to the right at Turn 6.
“I expected to come around the next lap and see him somewhere down on Dandenong Road. Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as what it looked from my windscreen, he got it back around.
“It’s all part of racing, it just reminds you that we’re not having a picnic out there, we’re 270km/h down the back straight. When it goes wrong, it goes horribly wrong. A good reminder.”
The run-off was sealed in 2019, something Hazelwood spared him another Turn 6 hit.
“All things considered it was probably lucky to get away with that puncture there. It’s the worst place in the world to get a puncture going into Turn 6," Hazelwood said after his escape.
“I felt like it wasn’t quite right, it had a little wiggle, tried to feel it and thought it felt okay, and as soon as I got on the brake pedal I was in a world of hurt
.“It’s never nice. I’ve got bad memories obviously of Turn 6 from a few years ago, not that you try to think about that as a driver, but fortunately they’ve made the safety improvements to that corner there.
“It’s probably the difference between me being stoved under a tyre wall and being able to press on in the race there."
The 2024 season will resume in Bathurst on October 10-13. Tickets are on sale now.
