Winterbottom wants more consistency in 2020
Mark Winterbottom is hoping for a more consistent second Supercars season as a Holden driver.
Photo by: Team 18
Photo by: Team 18
Photo by: Team 18
Photo by: Team 18
Photo by: Team 18
Photo by: Team 18
The former Ford star will kick off his second season in a Commodore next week, following his shock move to Team 18 for 2019.
He'll drive the same Triple Eight-build Holden he raced last season, supported by a new technical roster featuring ex-Garry Rogers Motorsport race engineer Manuel Sanchez and data engineer Mark Sylvester as part of the expanded squad.
Looking ahead to the 2020 season, Winterbottom says the key will be building on the positives of last year while looking to improve one big negative – inconsistency.
“[Last season] was a very new year for me swapping over from Ford to Holden," said the 2015 series champ.
"I definitely feel a lot more comfortable now, and although the team has expanded in the off-season, we’ve retained a lot of the same crew and complimented them with some new people.
“The Supercars championship is such a tough category. Every year you have to improve or be left behind, so hopefully there is a good year coming up with the package we have put together. At the start of the year everyone wants to win and that’s instinct from a driver.
"Inconsistency let us down last year. We got pole position in Tasmania last year and then we qualified 20th at Phillip Island, so we need to make sure our good tracks remain strong and our troubling tracks become better.
“It’s been a busy off-season for Team 18, but we’re really confident heading into this year that we can perform better."
Winterbottom will carry a revised Irwin livery into this season, a high rollover of 2019 backers making the changes subtle.
The front lip has been changed from yellow to blue, while the front quarter panel features more yellow than on the 2019 version.
“It’s great to reveal the new look for the Irwin Racing Commodore for the 2020 season,” added Winterbottom.
“To start 2020 with something I know, the same partners and the same team, we can carry it forward and I’m looking forward to putting it into practice this year."
The covers will come off new signing Scott Pye's Team 18 car this evening.
Why Courtney and Tickford are a dream match
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing.
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?