Triple Eight 'can't ignore' qualifying dramas
Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup was pleased to score two wins in Perth, but said his team “can’t ignore” its topsy-turvy qualifying form.
Red Bull Ampol Racing duo Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney won Race 7 and Race 9 respectively, both times from pole.
However, both drivers also suffered separate qualifying dramas which set them back in other races.
Just before he scored pole for Race 9, Feeney fell to 21st in Race 8 qualifying, and came home 13th.
Van Gisbergen, meanwhile, qualified ninth and 21st for the two Sunday races, and missed the podium in both sprints.
Meanwhile, both Erebus Motorsport drivers qualified and raced towards the front, and extended both points leads.
Whincup reiterated that Triple Eight needed to do the “small things” to ensure the team didn't suffer repeat blowouts.
“If you look at the overall result from this weekend; two wins and two poles, I’m certainly pleased with the team’s efforts and it looks pretty good on paper,” Whincup said.
"But I think we have to remind ourselves that, in golf terms, we sprayed a few in the water as well.
“We pride ourselves on the one percenters and doing all of the small things right to not have those blowouts.
"When you look at sport performance, it’s not about the birdies or the eagles, it’s about trying to be consistent and getting the best score possible.
"We’ll go away and celebrate the wins and be happy, but we certainly won’t ignore the fact that we sprayed it a couple of times and that’s what we need to work on.
“The best team this year will have the least mistakes."
Feeney echoed his team boss’s points, saying: "It’s been a crazy day qualifying P21 in one race, then pole the next.
"The ups-and-downs are the things we just need to work on – when we qualify well here, we can certainly take it to the other teams.
“Hopefully we can fix our qualifying results and be up on the podium and keep the battle going."
Van Gisbergen said he was in damage limitation on Sunday as he fought through the field twice, to fifth and 12th.
"There are other teams in the field faster than us and doing a good job," the defending champion said.
“Winning races is good but we’re a bit inconsistent with both of our cars on the qualifying end, but that’s part of the fact-finding process with these new cars.”
Van Gisbergen and Feeney are third and fifth overall, 136 and 220 points behind Brodie Kostecki respectively.
Erebus extended its teams’ championship lead over Triple Eight to 180 points, up from 101 points heading into the weekend.
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint on May 19-21.
Tickets for the event are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.
