Holden superstar Jamie Whincup says he has been portrayed as the Bathurst 1000 “villain” in the wake of his Mount Panorama gaffe that left his V8 Supercars title defence in tatters.
Whincup ignored team orders to pit and passed a safety car, relegating him from second to the back of the field with 20 laps left in the recent Great Race.
It all but handed a sixth Bathurst crown to teammate Craig Lowndes.
Eighth-placed Whincup said he would assess his title chances after this weekend’s Gold Coast 600 round, the last of the enduros.
Meanwhile, Holden’s James Courtney has confirmed he will return from injury at the Gold Coast 600.
He missed the last two rounds – the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 – after suffering five broken ribs and a punctured lung in a freak pit lane accident in August’s Sydney round.