Motorsport: Courtney has eye on Whincup's crown

Jamie Whincup in his Holden. Photo / NZPA

After a month's layoff the big taxis are about to launch into action this weekend way up in the Northern Territory for the Skycity Triple Crown in Darwin.

For the first time since Bathurst 2008 there's a new name at the top of the table, with Jim Beam Racing's James Courtney having supplanted defending champion Jamie Whincup at the top of the championship table.

Whincup has dominated the Australian V8 Supercar series for the past two years and early in the season it appeared he would continue to stamp his mark on the chasing pack. Not so of late. Whincup hasn't lost his crown just yet, but it has slipped a bit.

Courtney has always been regarded as a top driver and now he's found pace and consistency - winning the last four races - he'll be looking to extend his lead over Whincup, Craig Lowndes and young Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen.

There is night and day between Van Gisbergen and the next best Kiwi Jason Richards, back in 16th, who will be hoping last year's form in Darwin, comes to visit again. Richards plonked his car on pole for first time at the 2009 race and went on to finish seventh and 11th.

"Last year was a pretty special day for me. It wasn't only my first pole but Brad Jones Racing's as well," said Richards.

"There's high expectations this year and we haven't been that competitive so far this year and it's time to turn things around. But everyone's really upbeat for the weekend.

"I'm definitely expecting to be in the top 10 in qualifying. My Dad's not going to be here this year so I'll be missing my wingman. Out of 26 years of racing it's only the eighth race my dad's not been at.

He's renowned for his accuracy on tyre pressures so we're obviously going to miss him from the technical perspective."

Richards and the rest of the Kiwis will have to be on their game as both Toll Holden Racing Team drivers Garth Tander and Will Davison are rolling out their new Walkinshaw Racing chassis at Darwin.

Whincup has a new toy in a Triple Eight car and is looking forward to reasserting himself before Courtney and fast mover Tander get away from him. Testing has brought a smile to Tander's face and he's keen to continue his climb up the table after a miserable start to the season.

Another young Kiwi, Fabian Coulthard, is looking forward to getting his hands on Tander's old car to ignite his below-par season so far as he's languishing down in 24th.

"I have said from day one that switching to Garth's [Tander] car was not going to provide an immediate fix for getting results," said Coulthard.

"At the end of the day it is about getting the setup right and making the car more to my liking and comfort. We feel a bit happier after our recent test day. We were able to make some improvements to our general setup fundamentals which should help."

Each driver will compete in the 120km today on the control tyre and use one set of softs for the 200km Sunday race.

Drivers will be racing at the Hidden Valley circuit in outdoor temperatures up around 32 degrees celsius while the inside of the car will be in the high 40s.

Fitness and hydration will play a big part in who finishes at the sharp end of the field on both days.

On top of the heat, teams will have to have their cars working well as the track is quite technical in places.

Getting through the double lefthander at the back of the circuit quickly and smoothly is imperative to get onto the straight carrying a bit of speed.

There has also been a slight change to the engine rules that come into effect this weekend. V8 Supercars has now made camshafts a control part; a move believed to extend engine life and cut costs.

POINTS

* James Courtney 1467
* Jamie Whincup 1353
* Craig Lowndes 1245
* Shane van Gisbergen 1164
* Garth Tander 1116
* Lee Holdsworth 1110
* Rick Kelly 1079
* Mark Winterbottom 1056