AFTER missing a Supercars round for the first time in nearly two decades, Jamie Whincup will take on added responsibility for the upcoming Darwin Triple Crown.
Whincup was in Germany meeting with Mercedes-AMG, with whom Triple Eight’s relationship has grown in recent years, during the Tasmania SuperSprint earlier this month.
It marked the first time he’d been absent from a Supercars Championship round since 2004.
That made for an odd experience for the 40-year-old, who is in his second year as Triple Eight team principal and managing director.
“It was important for me to go over to Germany to catch up with our AMG friends and it was great to be able to see them at work in the Nürburgring 24 Hour,” Whincup told V8 Sleuth.
“We’re the Australasian parts distributor for AMG Customer Racing so every race car in the country and every AMG race part in the country comes through us.
“It’s an important relationship that we have got so we have got to make sure we keep growing it further and further.
“It was very, very strange not being at the track (Symmons Plains) but I was able to watch it; it was early morning there, wake up at 3am and watch the race.
“I was obviously keeping track of it the whole weekend but strange not being there.”
Whincup will have a heightened workload come Round 5 of the Supercars season at Hidden Valley on June 16-18, taking on the duties of team manager for the Zane Goddard-driven #888 wildcard.
Roland Dane was team manager for the third Triple Eight entry last year but has stepped back for 2023.
“I’m (#888) team manager for Darwin and then obviously I’d love to do it for Sandown and Bathurst but I’ve got the driving duties (with Broc Feeney), so to be confirmed for the enduros,” said Whincup.
“Jess (Dane, co-owner) will be a major figure as well in the whole team also.”
The newly built #888 Camaro will go testing for the first time on Thursday at Queensland Raceway.
