V8SC 2012 Round 13: Whincup Takes 3/3 In Abu Dhabi
Jamie Whincup has fortified his 2012 V8 Supercar Championship lead, taking all three races at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi at the weekend. As the support act to the Abu Dhabi F1 round, the series’ second international round of the cale
Jamie Whincup has fortified his 2012 V8 Supercar Championship lead, taking all three races at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi at the weekend.
As the support act to the Abu Dhabi F1 round, the series’ second international round of the calendar was spread across three 12-lap races - unlike the conventional two-race format.
Similarly, the round used a unique qualifying format, where the starting positions for each race were determined by a single qualifying session, with each driver’s top three times determining the order for each successive race.
The format saw Will Davison earn pole, followed by Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen as the top three starters for each of the three races.
Davison’s lead from the start was short-lived in the first race (Race 24), with Whincup overtaking on the first lap and was unheaded until the chequered flag.
Second place was held by Davison, ahead of Van Gisbergen who was followed by fellow Stone Brothers Racing drivers Tim Slade and Lee Holdsworth.
Tony D’Alberto was penalised 37 championship points after a risky overtaking manoeuvre on Lap 2, which ended the race of James Courtney, and forced Alex Premat and Rick Kelly well down the order.
The round’s second race (Race 25) resulted in a matching podium, with Whincup beating Davison at the start, while Van Gisbergen held third ahead of a charging Mark Winterbottom.
Premat was once again disadvantaged in Race 25, with an early spin at the hands of Steve Owen earning Owen a 25 point penalty and forcing a 25th placing for Premat.
Sunday’s Race 26 saw Whincup once again take the lead from Davison at the start, despite Davison’s desperate defence causing minor contact between the two, leading into the first corner.
Slade made the most of Davison’s error, charging up to second place before eventually finishing third after Davison reclaimed second on the second-last lap.
Van Gisbergen managed fourth, but Race 26’s greatest excitement was to be found further down the pack on the second lap.
Jonathon Webb spun Jason Bright at turn 17, sending his Commodore into the path of Karl Reindler and Dean Fiore.
Fiore’s Falcon shunted Reindler’s Commodore from behind, splitting the latter’s fuel cell and causing a momentary fireball to erupt.
The flames were quickly extinguished by marshalls, but the unscathed Reindler was visibly shaken by the incident which harked back to his start line incident at Barbagallo last year.
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