Whincup smiling in Sandown sunshine
If Melbourne’s weather was a V8 Supercar driver, it would be an inconsistent competitor that would run away with the race one day and dwell at the back of the pack the next. So it was that Sandown produced two completely different sets of conditions for the racing at the Norton 360 Sandown Challenge – torrential rain one day, beautiful sunshine the next.
Saturday’s race was one of those classic wet weather races. Visibility was almost non-existent as drivers skidded around the pools of water. Some, such as our own Greg Murphy, could do little to avoid an accident in the treacherous conditions. But others, like Murphy’s teammate Rick Kelly, excelled – running away with the race to claim his third win of the season.
Jamie Whincup made amends for a disappointing wet race, in which he finished 13th, with a comfortable win in the sunshine of Sunday. Whincup heads into the Sydney Telstra finale with a comfortable 188-point lead over Craig Lowndes. Barring a total disaster on the streets of Homebush, our mate Whincup should be reclaiming the #1 plate in a fortnight’s time. And with 10 wins this season, many being dominant displays where he was never headed, who can possibly begrudge him the crown?
As Whincup was edging closer to the title, the fans that either braved Saturday’s wintery conditions or stayed away as a result made amends on Sunday, coming out to Sandown Park in big numbers to not only see Whincup and co in today’s V8 monsters, but also appreciate the beasts of yesteryear.
Group A and Group C monsters from the seventies, eighties and nineties were a popular addition to the weekend’s heritage focus, with the likes of Nissan GT-Rs, Jaguar XJSs, Ford Sierra, Skylines, Toranas, Falcons and Commodores entertaining the crowd on and off the track.
It was a farewell to Sandown’s sprint event, with the track getting the 500km endurance event back from 2012. And the big crowd, heritage feel and variable weather proved why it is the perfect location for an enduro – throwing up a bit of everything over the course of a weekend.
