The red-hot form of Scott McLaughlin makes a championship tilt unlikely, but Supercars star Jamie Whincup is quietly building up form heading into the endurance season.
The Red Bull Holden Racing Team driver used an aggressive strategy on Saturday in Townsville to finish second after starting from sixth on the grid.
Whincup only gave up the race lead with 20 laps to go in the 200km event at Reid Park, with McLaughlin charging on to a sixth-straight race win.
Whincup, however, knows he simply cannot match the pace of McLaughlin's Mustang at this stage, but is confident he's chipping away at the margin with the season-defining Bathurst 1000 looming.