Jamie Whincup throws his Triple Eight Racing Falcon around the Hamilton circuit.
Overseas raiders are trying to poach Australia's hottest motor racing talent Jamie Whincup.
The Ford star yesterday blasted his way to a come-from-behind victory in Hamilton to remain unbeaten for the year. It was his 14th win from 17 starts, making him the hottest driver in V8 Supercars history.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the off-contract Whincup is considering a move overseas.
The V8 Supercars champion, who was yesterday robbed of pole position by a controversial red flag, last month knocked back a mega-rich offer to compete in Le Mans, one of the world's most prestigious races.
“I had two offers for him to race in Le Mans,” his manager Matt Cousins revealed. “And racing overseas is something he may look at in the future.”
Whincup is expected to field offers of up to $1million a year to leave Roland Dane's Team Vodafone. Yesterday, he proved he is worth every cent by crushing his rivals.
“Right now longevity is the key,” Cousins said. “His future is here at the moment and he is concentrating on winning another championship. That is all that matters to him.
“I think concentrating on the championship and his long-term future is better than a quick earn. Right now we are very comfortable at Triple Eight. It would have to be a very impressive offer to leave, but you can never say never.”
Two rival V8 Supercars teams have already inquired about Whincup's services for 2010.
On a horror day in Hamilton for Holden, Ford took out all three spots on the podium, with James Courtney and Steve Johnson taking the minor placings, as the 26-year-old drove his best race of the year.
But Whincup was far from happy after the race, slamming V8 officials for a controversial qualifying session that saw him denied the fastest lap just 50m before crossing the line.
A red flag was dropped on the session when Tim Slade crashed as the sport's big guns were making their final assault with four minutes to go.
“It was a tough session because it got cut short,” Whincup said. “It got Steven Johnson up the front. I was angry and annoyed. It was a lottery.
“We don't want to get to the stage where we are drawing numbers out of a hat. I don't want to be disrespectful to the guys who did a good job, but the fastest car did not qualify first.”
