March 2009

10 minutes with... Jamie Whincup

We track down current V8 Supercar champ Jamie Whincup before he begins another rubber-burning year in the hot seat with Ford

WORDS ANNE LOH

How’s 2009 shaping up on the racing calendar?
This year is looking great. We’ve started later and we actually finish earlier than usual. We still have 14 championship rounds, which include overseas races in New Zealand, Bahrain and Tasmania! For me, although it’s a new year, we still have our [same] great team so fingers crossed, the final result is the same as last year as well.

How do you stay in top racing form?
Like any sport, the fitter the athlete the better they’re going to perform, especially when the going gets tough. From mid-January I’ve been in full training mode, which consists mainly of long-distance cardio on my bike, running or swimming. A big myth about my sport is that we’re in the race car most days testing. As a rule, we only get four days outside of race meetings to test the car. So there’s a lot of going through data (squiggly lines on the laptop), watching videos and ripping through the bush on my KTM dirt bike.

How high are the stakes for the V8 Supercars Manufacturers Challenge, which returns to the Albert Park course this year?
While it is a non-championship event for V8 Supercars, it’s all about Ford versus Holden. Not only are we driving for ourselves and our teams, but I’ll be working together with my fellow Ford drivers to take the Manufacturers Cup off Holden.

Which is your fave track versus your fave location?
My favourite track is Bathurst. I believe it’s one of the top five racetracks worldwide. But I love racing on street circuits. Adelaide and my home race at Indy on the Gold Coast are amazing. The party atmosphere, beach, hot weather, fighter jets and fast cars; I couldn’t ask for much more. Did I mention the grid girls?

What do you do to wind down?
I love water-skiing; I bought myself a new Malibu wakeboarding boat for Christmas last year. On the Gold Coast, the rivers are usually the best. I generally have plenty of people come along for the ride but most of them are scared of the sharks. In the next few months when it gets cooler, I will get the dirt bike out and head up into the hills with Lowndsey [Craig Lowndes].

What else is on your plate this year?
Of course, I have my racing goals but the one thing I want to do this year is jump out of a plane and sky-dive solo.

Fly into Melbourne to catch Jamie Whincup in the Manufacturers Challenge at the Australian Grand Prix on 26-29 March. Then watch him defend his title in the nationwide V8 Supercar Championship Series.