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Jamie Whincup has revealed he uncharacteristically got fired up in the cockpit of his #88 Commodore following a wild moment early in the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown finale.
Whincup lined up fourth on the grid for Race 14 but dropped a stack of positions on the opening lap after being forced wide on the exit of Turn 1, seemingly by the Tickford Racing Mustang of James Courtney.
The seven-time champion fell to seventh, setting the stage for a comeback drive.
Whincup got his elbows out to forcefully pass Scott Pye and Nick Percat at Turn 1 in consecutive laps, looking like a man on a mission.
By the time the pit stop sequence shook out, Whincup was third and he would stay there to the end of the 38-lap encounter.
Soon after hopping out, the normally calm and collected Red Bull Ampol Racing star admitted there was an element of red mist following the race start.
“Man, I was fuming after the start, I just got absolutely cleaned up at Turn 1,” he said.
“I can’t remember the last time someone has just opened the wheel up like that and just fed me off,” Whincup continued, presumably making reference to Courtney.
“But yeah, had a good car and was able to come get a few spots at the start and once we got to third, we just had to hang on.
“It’s hard to follow in these hot conditions but very, very happy with the podium.”
The result made it a pair of third-place finishes for Whincup today in Darwin, having overhauled Chaz Mostert late in Race 13 after a thrilling scrap.
Next up on the Repco Supercars Championship calendar is the NTI Townsville 500 on July 9-11.
