With multiple championships under his belt and a proven force on the track, front-runner Jamie Whincup is going full speed this year, aiming to reclaim his championship title as the winner of Supercars Australia.
As the renowned annual car racing competition reaches the halfway point with the next race set to take off next month, things are heating up quick for the crowd, never ceasing to give a bigger and better show than the last.
“Like every year, the competition gets greater and greater. We’re now in our 4th year of the current car, which means it’s as close as it’s ever been,” says Jamie.
“The first half of the Supercars championship has been hectic, to say the least, with most rounds being down South.”
It may be hectic, but Jamie is no stranger to a complex competition and has often come out on top in races nationally and internationally during his lengthy career.
“Winning Bathurst 3 years in a row, winning on debut at our switch from Ford to Holden and driving a V8 Supercar flat chat on the sand beside the ocean at Main Beach have been some of my biggest highlights,” he says.
“I would also have to say Texas in 2013 was a great experience. It was our first time to the US, a great event, fantastic circuit there at Austin and we look forward to racing back there in the future.”
Besides his many wins and very few losses, Jamie lives a humble life on the beautiful Gold Coast, where he enjoys free time and desires to open his car wash and cafe on the northern side of town.
“All my spare time in between has been designing and constructing my new car wash and café up here at Hope Island.
“I’m a relatively simple person – how can you go past the Broadwater? Any spare time I get outside of racing and running one of the city’s cafes, I enjoy spending time with friends.
Any opportunity I get, I’m out on the water. Although, it’s getting a bit chilly at this time of year – dropping below 20 is blistering cold.”
His placid lifestyle and genuine driving skill have evidently taken the car racer to a high-level of success and although he lost the Supercars championship last year, it seems to have been a positive effect for the sports superstar.
“I was fairly honoured to be able to get four in a row and couldn’t believe it took until 2015 for that run to end. The Supercar Championship is the most important competition for me, so I look forward to trying to get that number 1 back this year.
Although the sport may not show it, there’s a lot of elbow grease and healthy living required and involved in car racing, with Jamie explaining it’s crucial to have in such a specific sport.
“It’s not only necessary for my racing career; I feel it’s important to make the most of life in general. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy poisoning my body at times, enjoying a beer with friends, but life’s about the right balance.”
And with his racing career still in its prime and far from the back burner, Jamie’s doing all he can to seeing cleaner cars on the roads, aiming soon to open his car wash and cafe to the coast’s community.
“I strive for the Gold Coast community to never have an excuse to drive a dirty car.”
Until then, you can find Jamie racing in the Supercars’ next round held on 8-10th July at Reid Park in Townsville; then he’ll head on over to race at Queensland Raceway in Ipswich on 22-24th July to score another win with his skilful speed.
