Whincup holds nerve for V8 victory

For V8 Supercar championship leader Jamie Whincup, it was no choke.
Instead he put a hand on the throat of his two title rivals, posting an important
confidence-boosting victory in the opening race of round 11 at the Gold Coast on
Saturday.
In one of the most exciting races of the season, Whincup held his nerve over a
torrid last six laps to hold off Holden's Garth Tander and Ford's Mark Winterbottom
and extend his championship lead over them both.
Whincup now holds a 47-point advantage over Winterbottom, with Tander a further 43
points behind.
Just as importantly, the Team Vodafone driver now holds the upper hand going into
race two and three on Sunday in a round which looks set to have a huge bearing on
this season's championship.
Whincup started from pole on Saturday and led for virtually the entire 27-lap race.
But he was forced to hang on for dear life late as Tander and Winterbottom filled
his mirrors late in the race - the trio snaking through the Surfers Paradise street
circuit in a nose-to-tail white knuckle ride.
Whincup, who led the series last year going into the Indy round before his season
came unglued, will now also take an important psychological boost from his win.
With his nerves tested at every turn throughout the final few laps, the 25-year-old
didn't miss a beat, especially as Tander - the man who beat him to the title last
year - loomed large.
"It was a tough race," Whincup admitted.
"They were coming on me pretty strong. Both Garth and Mark had a quicker car than me
today.
"I'm happy with myself because I kept it (the car) straight. Now we've just got to
improve the car tomorrow."
Tander paid tribute to Whincup's drive as he kept his nerve under the crushing
pressure of the final few laps.
But he believed his Holden Racing Team would be able to further improve his car
speed for Sunday's two races to press Whincup further.
"It was all about trying to force a mistake, but Jamie drove a great race," Tander
said.
"It would have been nice to win the race but we got a lot of points. We'll try again
off the front row tomorrow."
Whincup and Tander will again share the front row of the grid for the second race,
with Winterbottom starting off row two.