Victory secures Pirtek Enduro Cup for Whincup/Dumbrell

Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell have taken out the Pirtek Enduro Cup with victory in Race 32 at the Castrol Edge Gold Coast 600.

Dumbrell took the lead from the pole-sitting Scott McLaughlin/Alex Premat Volvo on the fifth lap, setting up the race win.

Whincup assumed the wheel once Dumbrell had completed his minimum 34 laps, subsequently controlling three Safety Car restarts on his way to victory.

The win sees Whincup stretch his championship lead to 402 points over Mark Winterbottom, who struggled to 14th.

McLaughlin fended off a spirited charge from Michael Caruso in the closing stages to take the second podium spot.

Tim Slade/Tony D’Alberto backed up their Saturday podium in fourth while Shane van Gisbergen/Jonathon Webb completed the top five.

The Tekno Holden had been running second mid-race when Van Gisbergen was handed a drive-through penalty for a restart infringement that dropped the Kiwi back to 19th.

Slade’s result meanwhile came after D’Alberto had been one of five called to the pits on lap 18 when the Safety Car appeared to be required to retrieve Craig Baird’s Mercedes from the Turn 11 tyre wall.

With Baird driving away, the Safety Car never appeared, leaving the Supercheap Holden to fight on with a revised three stop strategy.

James Courtney/Greg Murphy were also caught in the confusion, but their race later came apart when Courtney tagged Winterbottom mid-race, breaking the Commodore’s steering.

The actual Safety Cars appeared on lap 40 (following an engine problem for Dale Wood), 60 (for debris) and 67 (a crash from James Moffat).

The debris yellow triggered an early final round of stops and set up a potential fuel economy run to the flag, before Moffat’s Turn 11 accident ensured a clean race to the flag.

The penultimate Safety Car proved the downfall of Craig Lowndes, who dropped from fifth to 21st by pitting several laps into the full course caution.

He struggled to make progress over the final 40 laps, eventually finishing 11th and has dropped behind Van Gisbergen in the points standings.

The three Safety Cars eventually saw the race called two laps before its scheduled conclusion due to time constraints.

Result: V8 Supercars Race 32, Gold Coast

Championship points after Race 32

 Pirtek Enduro Cup Standings