Supercars: The Highlights of the Decade

As 2019 concludes, so does the decade. The past ten years of Supercars have strongly captivated me as a fan, with exciting racing and rule changes aplenty. As part of our look-back over the 2010’s in Motorsport (yesterday: British GT) William Holmes reviews Australia’s best.

Nissan, Mercedes and Volvo have all featured at varying stages of the years, and have introduced many global audiences to the sport, as well as being at the forefront of most memorable occasions.

Reflecting on such events, here are the highlights from the past decade of Supercars

Driver of the decade: Jamie Whincup

Jamie Whincup broke both of the major records during the past decade: most race wins, 117; most Supercars Championship titles, 7. His consistency has been unparalleled, finishing almost every race he has started, and never finishing lower than 5th in the Championship standings over the decade.

Despite competing a in a Holden for the first time in 2010, he narrowly missed out on the title by less than 50 points. From 2011-2014, Whincup claimed four consecutive titles, notching his tally up to six, and becoming the most decorated driver in the sport. In 2017, Whincup would dramatically earn his seventh.

His 117 race wins supersedes long-term teammate Craig Lowndes’ 107, but whereas Lowndes took 652 race starts for this total, Whincup has done it in only 465 – that averages a win every 4 races started, which is a ridiculous stat for such a competitive series. He also won the Bathurst 1000 in 2012, adding to his three consecutive wins from 2006-2008.

Race of the decade: Bathurst 1000, 2014

Every imaginable factor for a dramatic race was present in 2014’s Great Race, and I doubt it will ever be matched.

After a poor qualifying session, Jamie Whincup expertly forced his way up into 3rd, before handing the car over to teammate Paul Dumbrell. Griffons Bend was proving to be difficult for many, as car after car found the tyre barrier with the surface degrading. Eventually, the track broke up too much for the action to safely continue, thus bringing out the red flag.

Upon the restart, Jamie Whincup was collected by a car rejoining the circuit, pushing him back down the order. The attrition rate in the race was abnormally high, with many drivers making mistakes on the unforgivable mountain. Shane van Gisbergen benefitted greatly from the multiple safety cars, finding himself 12 seconds ahead of second place.

Yet another crash in the dying moments of the race allowed van Gisbergen to refuel without losing any track position. However, he couldn’t start the car when trying to leave the pits, rendering his Holden useless, and putting him at the back of the field. Whincup once again inherited the lead.

During the final laps, P1 was tossed around between Whincup and Mark Winterbottom, but contact by Craig Lowndes spun Winterbottom dramatically. This allowed young Chaz Mostert to pass them both up into second – starting in last after breaking qualifying rules and finding the wall at Turn 2 earlier in the day, a shock victory was looming.

Whincup held a healthy advantage over the Ford, but, unlike Chaz, did not refuel in the previous safety car period, forcing him to drive as economically as possible. Mostert was clipping at his heels on the final lap, with Whincup’s Commodore running on empty.

At Forest Elbow, Mostert snuck down the inside, and sped down Conrod Straight towards the chequered flag with plenty of fuel to burn. After eight crazy hours, Chaz Mostert crossed the finish line first, concluding the thriller. This race truly is the best advert for the sport, and I highly recommend watching the video.

Moment of the decade: Final laps at Newcastle, 2017

Despite 2014’s Bathurst 1000 being filled with dramatic moments, no one event has equalled 2017’s season finale at Newcastle for shock and controversy. The year’s championship was a close fought battle between veteran Whincup and Kiwi Scott McLaughlin, and the tussle ended excellently during the final laps of the year.

A victory for McLaughlin in the first race all but secured his maiden championship title, and with Whincup starting back in 24th on the grid come the last race, a miracle was needed for him to lift the trophy. A mixture of penalties for the Kiwi forced him into the mid pack, but one of the greatest drives by Whincup saw him in the lead.

On the penultimate lap, McLaughlin needed to gain one more position to clinch the title, and did so with relative ease. However, pressure from Craig Lowndes nearly put Scott in the wall, and had to break severely to avoid doing so. This allowed Lowndes to force his way through a narrow gap on the straight, but was dangerously shouldered into the fence by Scott, desperately trying to be the championship’s victor.

Whincup met the chequered flag as the race winner, but waited anxiously for decisions from the stewards regarding McLaughlin’s illegal strategies. As the young Ford driver crossed the finish line, he was hit with his third penalty of the race, and demoted him down the order once more – Whincup won an unprecedented seventh title in amazing season climax.

Controversy of the decade: Fabian Coulthard’s “go-slow” tactics at Bathurst, 2019

Towards the back-end of this year’s Bathurst 1000, Fabian Coulthard backed up the grid during a safety car, allowing for teammate Scott McLaughlin to maintain track position whilst in pitlane. McLaughlin would later go on to claim a maiden Bathurst victory, but many drivers and fans complained that DJRTP won the event unfairly.

As a result, the team was penalised a significant $250,000 fine, which shook the motorsport community worldwide. However, many still criticise this, as it can be argued that McLaughlin would not have won the race without his team’s controversial tactics, and that the fine did nothing to change the result.

Crash of the decade: “They’re all in the fence!” at Sydney, 2010

The commentary team for Supercars is fantastic – there’s the perfect blend of professionals and former drivers, and they’re all so invested in the sport.

At Sydney street circuit, the location for 2010’s finale, a tight tussle between James Courtney and Jamie Whincup was about to conclude. The heavens opened, and within seconds, the track was awash with rain. However, none of the front runners risked pitting for wets in case the storm was brief, but what followed is one of the great Supercars moments.

Approaching a fast left hander, the front runners piled into the wall, unable to turn in their slicks. Both Whincup and Courtney managed to limp their ways back to the pits, igniting a rush of botched repair jobs on their cars. Courtney held on to the flag, claiming his first and only championship title against Whincup in his peak.

This event is remembered among fans for the commentary on the crash, however, as the panel shout “he’s in the fence, they’re both in the fence, they’re all in the fence!” – it’s a great clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx4Vu-y1wQ4

The next edition in our Best of 2010’s is out tomorrow.