SVG car set to snatch Whincup record

Triple Eight Team Principal Jamie Whincup’s two-time V8 Supercars Championship-winning TeamVodafone Commodore VE II nicknamed ‘Kate’ is set to be pushed out of the record books – by another Triple Eight Commodore.

The 2012 Bathurst 1000 winning car, ‘Kate’ holds the record for the most race wins in the history of the Australian Touring Car/Supercars Championship by a single chassis – 28 – achieved across 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Whincup drove the car to all of its victories, including wins on the Gold Coast in 2011 and 2012 with Sebastien Bourdais and Bathurst in 2012 with Paul Dumbrell.

However, that car, 888A-023 (owned by Whincup since it finished its racing career at the end of 2012), is set to be beaten to the record by Shane van Gisbergen and his current #97 Red Bull Ampol Racing Commodore ZB.

The two-time championship winning Kiwi has racked up 26 race wins in his car, nicknamed ‘Chastitii’ that debuted at the beginning of the 2020 season.

Whincup and 'Kate' in 2012

Van Gisbergen took the car to four wins in 2020 – including that year’s Bathurst 1000 with Garth Tander – and then claimed a whopping 14 wins on his way to last year’s championship victory.

He’s scored eight wins in the chassis – 888A-054 – so far this year in the Repco Supercars Championship.

While the car may indeed be continuing to rack up victories for Triple Eight, a deal was done with a private collector in 2020 to purchase the car, even before it won Bathurst.

Van Gisbergen used the car to claim Holden’s 600th ATCC/Supercars Championship win at Wanneroo on the weekend.

A limited-edition book documenting the histories of every Triple Eight Supercar, including Kate and Chastitti will be released by V8 Sleuth in 2023.