Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup became the first combination in 24 years to score a hat-trick of wins at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 when they completed a third straight win at Mount Panorama for TeamVodafone.
Despite starting from the third row of the grid after being bumped back in Saturday's Top Ten Shoot-out, the duo dominated, leading for most of the day and holding control throughout several safety car periods that punctuated the last 20 laps. Only two other combinations have ever won three times on the trot at Mount Panorama, and the Lowndes' mentor, the late Peter Brock, featured in both - with Jim Richards between 1978-80 and with Larry Perkins between 1982-84.
“It’s great to get your name on this [Peter Brock] trophy once, but three times is just awesome,” Lowndes said, “It’s been a really clean weekend for us, and three years in a row.... I can’t believe it. It’s amazing.”
Whincup was complimentary of his team-mate, who held off all challengers in the final stint to become a four-time race winner
“We had a great strategy and this bloke standing beside me absolutely nailed the last sector every time,” Whincup said, “To win in 2006 was an amazing day. Last year was even more special, but to win the biggest race three times in a row is pretty special.”
Whincup also said that the team had had a superb strategy with pit-stops and fuel, and had managed to avoid the tyre degradation that affected a number of teams, while the victory went some way to making up for his disappointment at Phillip Island, when he blamed himself for a driving error that may have cost the #888 Ford victory in the first of the season's two endurance races.
“To throw it away with ten laps to go was disappointing, but this over-weighs all that," he smiled, "It goes to show you need to keep fighting to the end.”
