Jamie Whincup claims he’s not greedy, but he’s gorging at the V8 Supercars’ head table.
The Holden pin-up was formally crowned the 2012 drivers’ championship winner at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday, perhaps ironically at the only track on the current schedule where he hasn’t won.
But aside from the season-ending Sydney 500 event, Whincup’s appetite for the top of the podium seems tough to satisfy.
He has now notched four championships at the age of 29, with James Courtney’s 2010 triumph the only interruption to his title streak since 2008.
He celebrated his latest victory with a series of crowd-pleasing donuts around the tight street circuit after finishing fifth – his equal best result – behind Ford’s Will Davison.
Whincup officially joined legends Allan Moffat, Bob Jane and Jim Richards with four Australian Touring Car/V8Supercar titles.
“I was happy with one championship and somehow I’m sitting here with four,” said Whincup, who bagged 12 race wins this year.
“I’m not a greedy person.
“But we’ll come out next year and roll on and have a bit more fun.
“At the moment I’m quite relieved and we’re all certainly burnt out.”
Ending up with 3861 points, Whincup was more than 300 points in front of nearest rival Craig Lowndes, who sealed a one-two for TeamVodafone for the second straight year by out-pointing Ford’s Mark Winterbottom over the weekend’s two 74-lap races.
“There’s been a lot of burning the midnight oil back at the workshop trying to repeat what we did last year,” he said.
“Doing a one-two again is an incredible achievement.”
Whincup will join Mark Skaife, Dick Johnson and Ian Geoghegan with five crowns if he can be as impressive next season under the new regulations and manufacturer mix.
Altered design specifications will be introduced in 2013 along with the addition of Nissan and Mercedes to the category.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling standing on that podium,” a weary Whincup said.
“It’s been a phenomenal year, an intense battle but it’s been a lot of fun.”