TRIPLE Eight Race Engineering already has the sort of Great Race record to make other teams jealous and come this October, the outfit looks set to add to its Bathurst 1000 resume.
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The three-car team will arrive at Mount Panorama as favourites to snare the Peter Brock Trophy given what unfolded at Sandown on Sunday.
The first leg of the Supercars’ annual Enduro Cup, the Sandown 500 saw Triple Eight snare a podium clean sweep.
Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell, winners of the 2012 Bathurst 1000, took the spoils in a display of dominance. They won by more than a minute and were it not for two safety car periods, could have been more than a lap in front.
Second belonged to team-mates Shane van Gisbergen and Earl Bamber while the other Triple Eight entry of Craig Lowndes and Steve Richards placed third.
There was more than 80 seconds back to the fourth-placed Scott McLaughlin.
The three Triple Eight cars consistently lapped 0.4 seconds faster than any of their rivals.
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“I had a great battle with my team-mates Jamie and Shane to get a one-two-three finish for the team. It’s the ultimate,” Lowndes, who has won five Bathurst 1000s since joining Triple Eight, said.
“That’s obviously what we always want to achieve and we did. I think it’s the first time in history that any team’s managed to get a one-two-three in an enduro.
“Obviously we’re now looking forward to moving on to Bathurst.”
Whincup, who has enjoyed four Great Race wins and two second-placings for Triple Eight, said the Sandown result came down to good preparation.
“I’m really proud of the engineering group, they just keep developing, keep moving forward and keep the speed in that car. The car was at it’s best in the race, it’s just great to get a bit of silverware from three months of solid hard work,” he said.
“I’ve never seen so much dedication behind the scenes and so much hard work from the team. There’s been so many parts going in the car to make them faster, to develop them.”
The Bathurst 1000 event will run from October 4-7.
