Australian Penthouse

Jamie Whincup: Photo credit at end of article

Race Ace

V8 Supercar star, Jamie Whincup, explains his passion for racing, his partnership with Craig Lowndes, and his love of Australian Penthouse Pets    Interview: Steve Harkness

It is one of the greatest comebacks in Australian sport. At the end of 2003, young V8 Supercar driver, Jamie Whincup, was already a has-been, discarded at the end of his rookie season by Garry Rogers Motorsport.

Whincup spent a year in the motor racing wilderness before being given a second chance by Tasman Motorsport in 2005. He impressed sufficiently to earn a test drive with leading Ford outfit Triple Eight Race Engineering (now known as TeamVodafone), and was hired as the junior partner to the team’s star driver, three-time series champion, Craig Lowndes.

But Whincup shocked most observers by defeating his illustrious teammate—along with everyone else —to claim multiple Bathurst 1000 victories and, in 2008, the V8 Supercar Championship title.

TeamVodafone recently announced a switch from Ford to Holden for the 2010 season, and 26-year-old Whincup has signed a three-year contract extension…

Do you ever stop to pinch yourself, Jamie?
No. Although it looks like it’s all happened really quickly, it’s been a long transition from go-karts. I never plan too far ahead, I’m just making the most of now, worrying about each year as it comes, and living the dream. My job is my hobby. I’d race cars no matter what else I did, and somehow I’ve managed to get an income out of it.

Did you ever doubt yourself during your year out of the sport?
I never really worried about it. Life’s a roller-coaster—there are so many ups and downs. For me, there was a bit of a rough patch there in ’03, but I just kept it real, got back in, and it was happy days after that.

What do you put your success down to?
I work hard, but I don’t take anything too seriously. We’re all passionate about one thing or another—I’m just riding the wave.

You joined TeamVodafone as Craig Lowndes’ apprentice. Tell us: you must have always wanted to beat him!
You always need someone to look up to. As far as beating Lowndesy is concerned, I looked up to him as a driver, and mirrored a lot of his qualities before I tried to take the next step.

What’s better: winning the championship or winning Bathurst?
For me, it’s winning the championship. The consistency challenge is the greatest, and that’s the one I get the most reward from. Having said that, the team, our sponsors, the boss, and probably most of our fans, see Bathurst as the greatest achievement of the year. Everyone remembers who wins Bathurst, not everyone remembers who wins the championship.

You’ve signed on with TeamVodafone for another three seasons, but you’ve also talked about a desire to race overseas. Is that something that’s still on the agenda?
It will be. A great opportunity came up to stay with TeamVodafone and I just love my Aussie V8s, so that was a pretty easy decision. That overseas urge will have to be pursued at some stage, but it won’t be in the next three years.

What is it about racing overseas that appeals most to you?
Whenever I have a beer with my racing mates, they talk about turn three at [British circuit] Croft or the flip-flop at Donington, and I don’t know what they are on about. I just want to go over there and try to understand their stories!

You’ve also stated that you want to retire from V8 Supercars by the time you’re 30. Why is that?
Hopefully, I will have enough money by then and I can sail off in my yacht with a couple of Australian Penthouse Pets! Sail off into the sunset and live happily ever after.

If you do quit Supercars, will you still pursue racing in any capacity?
Motorsport is an addiction—once you’re locked in, you’re locked in. I’ll be involved in motorsport in some way for the rest of my life. As far as driving goes, by the time I’m 30 I’ll have to reassess how many years I’ve got left in me.

Does team ownership or the behind-the-scenes aspect of motorsport appeal to you?
No, just driving. Hopefully, when I’m finished with racing professionally, I can get a ticket to the V8 Supercars Paddock Club [corporate hospitality] and have a couple of beers while cheering the boys on. I won’t take any bets, but it’s possible that Lowndesy will still be going strong!

Photo: From Wikipedia, used under Creative Commons License

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