Motorsport: Jamie Whincup could retire from Supercars in 2019

NZ Herald

21 Jan, 2018 07:13 PM2 mins to read

Jamie Whincup celebrates after winning the 2017 Supercars Drivers Championship. Photo / Getty Images

Reigning Supercars champion Jamie Whincup has signed an extension to his deal with Red Bull Holden Racing but admits he could retire after the 2019 season.

The seven-time title winner added an extra year to his current deal, which will keep him with the Queensland-based outfit until the end of next year. After that however, Whincup could be prepared to walk away from the sport despite being the most successful driver in the history of the category.

"I'm 35 this year. I definitely wanted to drive next year, but I'm not sure about 2020 at this stage," he told Motorsport.com.

"I'm committed to '19 but there's no real commitment after that. I'll assess this year whether 2020 is something I want to do, or whether I give the seat to a young bloke who's going to give it everything that they've got.

"Two years is a long time. One year is a long time. I'm just looking forward to the challenge of the next couple of years."

Whincup began his Supercars career in 2005 but it wasn't until 2006 that he linked with Triple Eight Racing that he started his era of dominance.

That partnership has yielded the most race wins in the category's history, seven championships and four Bathurst titles.