Motorsport: Whincup - history counts for nothing in Townsville

Jamie Whincup during the V8 Supercars Perth SuperSprint at Barbagallo Raceway. Photo / Getty Images

Supercars championship leader Jamie Whincup says his impressive history at Townsville counts for nothing this weekend.

The Holden ace has claimed seven race wins on the streets of the north Queensland city in the 15 races the category has held at the event since 2009.

But Whincup says history means nothing as he prepares for the two 200km races on the Reid Park circuit.

"I've had a great run in the past but I had a shocker there last year," Whincup told AAP.

"I didn't piece it together at all."

Whincup said he was undeserving of the championship lead after moving to top spot in the standings after last month's event in Darwin.

It's a belief he's standing by heading into Townsville.

"We've got so much potential for Car 88," he said.

"I've got some of the best engineers, I've got the best mechanics and all the resources in the world at Red Bull Racing for us to do a good job. I just don't feel like we're really maximising that for one reason or another.

"I just feel like we haven't done a good job so we certainly don't deserve to be in the lead."

Defending Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom claimed both races in Townsville last year on his way to a maiden title.

Whincup says while championship talk is premature ahead of this year's endurance races, this weekend's event still represents a crucial juncture in what has been the most competitive Supercars title race in memory.

"No doubt the other guys will piece it together as well so if we don't piece it together then we'll get left behind," Whincup said.

"It's a bit of a turning point for us at the moment. We've really got to step up, make the most of our year or be prepared for it to dwindle away."

The Townsville 400 begins on Friday with two practice sessions before a 200km race each on Saturday and Sunday.