Post by thsv05 on Mar 4, 2009 18:54:35 GMT 10
Source: www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25134581-5012691,00.html
Oh dear, this is not what you need when you are defending a title... not sure what Roland was thinking here but either he's gonna have to work with Jamie for some new strategies or I'd suspect Jamie might jump ship when his contract is up... doesn't sound like he's impressed at all, and rightly so.
Whincup blasts his bossesBy James Phelps
February 04, 2009 12:00am
AN IRATE Jamie Whincup has lashed out at his own team for selling trade secrets to his opposition as the Triple Eight hotshot prepares to defend his V8 Supercar crown.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on the eve of the V8 Supercars season launch, Whincup admitted he was "annoyed'' with team boss Roland Dane for selling rival teams technology the reigning champion helped develop.
The controversial money-making move will see the likes of Whincup's bitter rival James Courtney not only having an identical car to the Team Vodafone top gun but also intimate knowledge of pre-race set-ups, usually kept under heavy guard.
"He is selling complete specced-up cars,'' Whincup said. "They will be the same as my car from the rims to the steering wheel. To be honest I am annoyed about it. I will have to go that little bit harder to get the business done because I won't get any advantage out of the car.''
Three complete replicas of Whincup's all-conquering Falcon have already been built, two for Dick Johnson Racing - one of which will be driven by Courtney - and one for Paul Cruickshank Racing.
It is understood another is in production for Marcus Marshall, who will race with new team Inta Racing. Whincup, who stormed home in the second half of the season to win his maiden V8 title last year, said he helped to develop some of the technology being sold.
"Hey, I understand why it is being done,'' he said. "And I was only a small part of the development. But I did have a lot to do with the ideas, burning the midnight oil and going that extra mile to make sure we were the No.1 team.''
Dane said Whincup was being "understandably selfish''. "As a driver I can see where Jamie is coming from,'' Dane said. "He wants the best equipment for himself. But he doesn't own Triple Eight Racing, I do.
"We are first and foremost an engineering company and we build and sell cars. It was always the plan to follow the UK model.''
Whincup was adamant he will not be using the level playing field as an excuse. The former Formula Ford champion vowed to lift his driving to another level as he prepares to prove last year's domination was "no fluke''.
"I will just raise the bar again,'' Whincup said. "I am still confident of doing the business. You can get lucky and win one. This year we want to go out and prove it was no fluke. We want to show we have the full package. It hasn't been done since '03-'04 (Marcos Ambrose) and it is a big motivation.
"We will need to up our game 10 per cent on last year to maintain the same gap. We have made some big improvements over the break. There is no reason why we won't go as good.
"I was very happy with the way I drove last year but there are areas I can improve. Phillip Island comes to mind, because I lost that event. I am always working to improve.''
The powerul team has elected to use two of its test days before the season starts in Adelaide on March 19.
February 04, 2009 12:00am
AN IRATE Jamie Whincup has lashed out at his own team for selling trade secrets to his opposition as the Triple Eight hotshot prepares to defend his V8 Supercar crown.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on the eve of the V8 Supercars season launch, Whincup admitted he was "annoyed'' with team boss Roland Dane for selling rival teams technology the reigning champion helped develop.
The controversial money-making move will see the likes of Whincup's bitter rival James Courtney not only having an identical car to the Team Vodafone top gun but also intimate knowledge of pre-race set-ups, usually kept under heavy guard.
"He is selling complete specced-up cars,'' Whincup said. "They will be the same as my car from the rims to the steering wheel. To be honest I am annoyed about it. I will have to go that little bit harder to get the business done because I won't get any advantage out of the car.''
Three complete replicas of Whincup's all-conquering Falcon have already been built, two for Dick Johnson Racing - one of which will be driven by Courtney - and one for Paul Cruickshank Racing.
It is understood another is in production for Marcus Marshall, who will race with new team Inta Racing. Whincup, who stormed home in the second half of the season to win his maiden V8 title last year, said he helped to develop some of the technology being sold.
"Hey, I understand why it is being done,'' he said. "And I was only a small part of the development. But I did have a lot to do with the ideas, burning the midnight oil and going that extra mile to make sure we were the No.1 team.''
Dane said Whincup was being "understandably selfish''. "As a driver I can see where Jamie is coming from,'' Dane said. "He wants the best equipment for himself. But he doesn't own Triple Eight Racing, I do.
"We are first and foremost an engineering company and we build and sell cars. It was always the plan to follow the UK model.''
Whincup was adamant he will not be using the level playing field as an excuse. The former Formula Ford champion vowed to lift his driving to another level as he prepares to prove last year's domination was "no fluke''.
"I will just raise the bar again,'' Whincup said. "I am still confident of doing the business. You can get lucky and win one. This year we want to go out and prove it was no fluke. We want to show we have the full package. It hasn't been done since '03-'04 (Marcos Ambrose) and it is a big motivation.
"We will need to up our game 10 per cent on last year to maintain the same gap. We have made some big improvements over the break. There is no reason why we won't go as good.
"I was very happy with the way I drove last year but there are areas I can improve. Phillip Island comes to mind, because I lost that event. I am always working to improve.''
The powerul team has elected to use two of its test days before the season starts in Adelaide on March 19.
Oh dear, this is not what you need when you are defending a title... not sure what Roland was thinking here but either he's gonna have to work with Jamie for some new strategies or I'd suspect Jamie might jump ship when his contract is up... doesn't sound like he's impressed at all, and rightly so.
