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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 Supercars crown.
Speaking on the eve of the launch of the V8 Supercars season, which begins at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide on March 19, Whincup said he was "annoyed" with team boss Roland Dane for selling rivals technology the reigning champion had helped develop.
The controversial, money-making move will see drivers such as 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 been built ? two for Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) and one for Paul Cruickshank Racing (PCR).
It is understood another is in production for Marcus Marshall, who will race with a new team, Inta Racing.
Whincup, who stormed home in the second half of the V8 season to win his maiden Supercar title last year, said he helped develop some of the technology being sold.
"Hey, I understand why it is being done," Whincup said.
"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 last night 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 (Marcus Ambrose) and it is a big motivation.
"I am going to up my game 10 per cent on last year."
Speaking on the eve of the launch of the V8 Supercars season, which begins at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide on March 19, Whincup said he was "annoyed" with team boss Roland Dane for selling rivals technology the reigning champion had helped develop.
The controversial, money-making move will see drivers such as 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 been built ? two for Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) and one for Paul Cruickshank Racing (PCR).
It is understood another is in production for Marcus Marshall, who will race with a new team, Inta Racing.
Whincup, who stormed home in the second half of the V8 season to win his maiden Supercar title last year, said he helped develop some of the technology being sold.
"Hey, I understand why it is being done," Whincup said.
"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 last night 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 (Marcus Ambrose) and it is a big motivation.
"I am going to up my game 10 per cent on last year."
[dance]