Lucky 14 for Winterbottom

The equation could not be much simpler for Mark Winterbottom.

The Pepsi Max Ford Falcon FG X driver leads the V8 Supercars drivers’ championship by 179 points over Craig Lowndes entering this weekend’s grand final, the Coates Hire Sydney 500. There are a maximum 300 points up for grabs across two 125km races on Saturday and a single 250km race on Sunday. So to win his first V8 Supercars driver’s championship, the 34-year old has to do no better than finish an average 14th over the three races at the Sydney Olympic Park street circuit

And that’s even if the Red Bull Holden Commodore VF driver wins all three races.

If Winterbottom wins the championship it will be his first after 12 years as a full-time driver in Australia’s premier motorsport category. He has been one of the primary bridesmaids in the Jamie Whincup era.

While the Triple Eight driver has claimed six championships in the last seven years, Winterbottom has never finished lower than fifth in the last nine years driving for the factory-backed team formerly known as Ford Performance Racing and now as Prodrive Racing Australia.

If Winterbottom does claim the title, it will also be a first for PRA, coming — as we have pointed out many times — as Ford severs its links with the team and the category.

If Lowndes were to beat him to the title (Winterbottom would probably have to DNF twice for him to do it) it would be the first championship success for the category’s most popular driver since 1999 when he was racing for the Holden Racing Team.

Lowndes too has been a victim of Whincup’s dominance, finishing fourth in the championship five times and second five times in his ten years at Triple Eight Race Engineering.

There is no doubt that Winterbottom enters the event odds-on favourite to emerge champion. But it is not a fait accompli. The Sydney Olympic Park bullring is a merciless place that breaks cars and punishes mistakes with an almost inevitable encounter with concrete.

Both championship contenders have come off second best here as recently as last year, when Lowndes broke ribs in a crash and Winterbottom twice hit the wall at turn one.

Weather also plays a part here with rain a relatively common occurrence.

Then there are the 23 other drivers on the grid who mostly don’t give a stuff about the championship fight and are only interested in the glory of a race win. Sure, Whincup might extend some support to Lowndes if the circumstances are right and maybe David Reynolds might step up for Winterbottom, but despite the chat of Holden drivers ganging up on Winterbottom to help Lowndes, the reality is that it’s pretty much everyone for themselves.

Winterbottom acknowledges his best shot at success is to qualify and race at the front and stay away from any potential trouble. Considering he hasn’t won since Sandown (in September) or podiumed since Bathurst in October, the chances of being completely in control of his own destiny are unlikely.

But while the competitive edge he held over the field mid-season has dissipated he is still well and truly capable of running top five. And that is more than what he needs to secure the crown.

Meanwhile, the V8 silly season has continued on with more comings, going and confusions since the Phillip Island event two weeks ago.

Announcements included:

>> The confirmation of Tim Slade’s move into the Freightliner Holden Commodore VF being vacated by Fabian Coulthard, who is headed to DJR Team Penske. Slade is a classic signing for team owners Brad and Kim Jones. The South Aussie is a sporadically fast racer who has yet to win a race despite more than 200 starts. The relaxed atmosphere of the Albury team may bring Slade’s talent to the fore moreso than his disappointing couple of years within the pressurized environment at Walkinshaw Racing.

>> The move of Tim Blanchard and sponsorship from the family business Cooldrive to Brad Jones Racing from Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport in 2016. Blanchard, a driver with an impressive pedigree but little V8 success, takes over from Nissan-bound Dale Wood in the third BJR entry, a car noted over the years for spending most of its time at the back of the field.

>> Jack Perkins subbing for regular LDM driver Nick Percat in Sydney this weekend. Percat is till recovering from a potentially life threatening blood infection. Perkins was last seen winning on the Gold Coast in a HRT Commodore with James Courtney.

>> Alex Davison joining brother Will at Erebus Motorsport for the final race of the season. Dean Canto drove the Wendys Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG at Phillip Island last time out, so this move throws even more doubt on the prospects of rookie Ash Walsh completing his two-year contract with the team in 2016.

>> On a similar theme, after taking over from Andre Heimgartner at Phillip Island on a trial basis, fellow Kiwi Chris Pither has been confirmed in the Super Black Racing Falcon for this weekend and 2016. Next year the black car is also expected to carry the, er, brown colours of his loyal sponsor Ice Break.

>> Jack Daniel’s announced the end of its 10-year sponsorship association with V8 Supercars. Its naming rights deals began with Perkins Motorsport in 2006 and ends this weekend with Rick Kelly’s factory Nissan Altima. The team has yet to announced replacement funding for the car.

Meanwhile here's what to look out for at SOP this weekend:

>> The Coates Hire Sydney 500 comprises races 34, 35 and 36 of the championship. There are two 125km races on Saturday and a top 10 shootout and 250km mini-marathon on Sunday. All activity will be conducted on the hard Dunlop tyre.

>> Apart from the drivers’ championship the teams’ championship is also to be decided this weekend. Pepsi-Max Crew leads that by 71 points from Red Bull Racing. But with RBRA back to its dominant best it should secure its fifth consecutive title and lock up the prestigious and tactically important position at the exit of pitlane.

>> While the drivers’ championship is a battle in two and David Reynolds is a virtual lock for third, any of Garth Tander (HRT), Shane van Gisbergen (Tekno), Fabian Coulthard and Jamie Whincup could snatch fourth depending on how the results go.

>> There have been nine winners in 13 races held at Sydney Olympic park since the vent debuted in 2009; Jamie Whincup has three wins, Craig Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen two each. The rest are in singles.

>> Jamie Whincup won both Saturday races in 2014, while Shane van Gisbergen triumphed on Sunday. However, two of the three races didn’t run full distance because of wet and wild weather.

>> Incredibly, eight different teams have won the last eight poles at the circuit. Scott McLaughlin was the last to claim the honour on Sunday last year in the Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo S60. Just as incredibly only four times have pole positions been converted into a race win with the winner coming from as far back as 21st on the grid.

>> Safety cars are common on the concrete-lined tracks, with 27 per cent of all laps over 13 races completed single file.

>> Craig Lowndes starts championship round number 250 this weekend, equalling Russell Ingall as the all-time record holder.

>> The 3.42 circuit is concrete-lined, rough, kerbed and punctuated by two extremely difficult chicanes. The emphasis is on good braking stability and drive.

>> Both Fox Sports and Channel 10 will telecast the final round of the 2015 championship.