Jamie Whincup has confirmed his retirement from full-time Supercars racing at the end of 2021.
The seven-time champion will become the new team principal and managing director of Triple Eight Engineering, with incumbent Roland Dane stepping down at the end of the upcoming season.
Read More: Roland Dane to step down as Triple Eight team principal
Whincup’s retirement from driver duties brings an end to the career of arguably one of the greatest drivers of the modern Supercars era.
The 37-year-old holds the record for all-time career race wins with 119 and is a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000 event.
Whincup first joined the Triple Eight stable 15 years ago after stints with Garry Rogers Motorsport, Perkins Engineering and Tasman Motorsport.
He immediately made his mark, claiming a podium in his first race with the team in Adelaide before scoring his first career win the following day.
His first title would come in 2008, backing it up a year later with a successful defence. Further championships were won between 2011-2014 and again in 2017.
Whincup will use this year as a period of learning to best prepare for the transition into a senior management role next year.
“I have always said that after I retire from full-time driving, I want to keep going in racing,” Whincup said.
“In 2018, I made the commitment for that to be with Triple Eight by becoming a shareholder.
“I am honoured that Roland trusts me to lead the family that he has built here in Australia. I’ll certainly maximise every opportunity this year and beyond to learn from him.
“I have to thank everyone who has supported me during my driving career – family, friends, fans and partners. I’ll be giving my all to making sure we deliver the best results possible in 2021.”
Dane expressed a similar sentiment.
“Since Jamie expressed an interest some years ago in continuing his career in motorsport with Triple Eight after he retires from full-time driving, the plan has always been for him to take over the reins,” Dane said.
“He has proved himself to be an integral part of the Triple Eight family during his 15 years here and has absolutely nothing to prove on track.
“I have every confidence that he will approach his new role with exactly the same motivation, diligence and competitive spirit that he brings to the track each round.”
Triple Eight has reported that Whincup remains undecided on possible co-drive roles in 2022.
The team has also said they will assess the driver market over the next few months before deciding who will replace Whincup from next season.
The team currently has two contracted Super2 drivers in the pipeline: the first being Angelo Mouzouris and the second Broc Feeney, who won the 2019 Super3 title.
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