Asian Motor Sports

Runaway V8 Supercar championship leader Jamie Whincup has cruised to his first win in Darwin with a comfortable victory in race one of the Triple Crown event.

The Ford star took hold of the lead from pole winner Jason Richards in the first lap on Saturday and was never passed despite a strong battle with Holden’s Garth Tander on the early laps.

Ford’s Mark Winterbottom finished second while Whincup’s main championship rival Will Davison secured third.

Tander fell back after a costly pit stop saw him fall back several places, eventually coming in fourth.

Richards had an even more heartbreaking race, riding second with just three laps to go before driving off the road and eventually having to settle for seventh place.

It was a disappointing end to an exciting day for the New Zealander, who secured his first pole position in nine seasons as a V8 Supercar driver in qualifying.

Whincup has now won six of the nine competition races this season.

The Triple Crown event at Hidden Valley concludes with a all-in qualifying session and a gruelling 69-lap race on Sunday.