AMPOL Racing Dominates at Townsville

Photo Credit: Red Bull Ampol Racing

9 August 2021

Jamie Whincup – Car #88
Qualifying, Race 15 – Second (1:12.6699)
Race 15 – Second

Championship standings – Second (1278 points)

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
Qualifying, Race 15 – Pole (1:12.3127)
Race 15 – First

Championship standings – First (1511 points)

Jamie Whincup – Car #88
“That was one of the toughest races I’ve ever done. It’s a crazy little circuit here in Townsville – you get into turn one and you say to yourself “righto, here we go again,” as it’s relentless from turn one all the way around the track. The other factor is that we haven’t done a long 250-kilometre race for a very long time. Yes, we’ve had Bathurst, but that track isn’t as physically demanding as what a street circuit is. The biggest factor though is that SVG (Shane van Gisbergen) and I battled it out all day. There were no team orders, no looking after each other, we just went flat-stick from start to finish and we both destroyed each other physically. Overall, it was a fantastic result for the team, and I couldn’t be happier. As far as the #88 side of the garage goes, I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t get them the win. We gave ourselves the greatest opportunity with a good start but I couldn’t pull it off. The strategy was good, the car was quick, and I think we did a lot of things right today, but not quite enough to get the win. I couldn’t be happier for SVG and the car #97 guys – they’re in great form.”

Shane van Gisbergen – Car #97
“The car was amazing in qualifying but I didn’t do a very good job. I managed to get it together in the shootout and put in a really good lap. Jamie (Whincup) said he put in an average lap too, but to qualify one-two was an awesome result for the team and very encouraging. It’s a testament to how well our guys have been working and how good our cars are. My start in the race was good, but Jamie managed to get away from me. I was a bit frustrated that my car wasn’t very good, but it was just the dirty air, and as soon as Jamie got away from me, I started catching him again. I knew my car was good, so it was a little bit frustrating, but in my second stint with a fresh set of tyres, I managed to get away. The race was really cool, but physically I’m wrecked. I think my car was a little bit better in some areas, and the strategy of taking a bit of pain in the first stint allowed us to do well in the second stint. It’s awesome to have a team one-two. I’m sure other teams will be working hard tomorrow, but to race each other and gap the field by so much, we’re so lucky to have the cars that we do.”