Jamie Whincup's got the monkey off his windscreen and now has championship leader Scott McLaughlin in his sights as he hunts a seventh Supercars title.
The Holden star narrowed the gap between him and DJR Team Penske's McLaughlin to six points with his first win of the season in Sunday's 200km-race in Townsville.
Despite the victory, Whincup isn't expecting to bridge the gap in qualifying speed between his Commodore and McLaughin's Falcon in time for the next round in Ipswich.
McLaughlin won Saturday's race and put a gap of more than two tenths of a second on the rest of the field in all three qualifying sessions.
But the discrepancy hasn't shaken Whincup's confidence.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"We'll run them down but it's going to take some time," Whincup said.
"It's going to take a lot of effort and a lot of man-hours back at the workshop but that's what motorsport is all about."
Whincup's victory drew him level with Triple Eight Racing teammate Craig Lowndes on 105 wins, the equal-most in the category's history.
The 34-year-old described the win as a "small reward" but said he was under no illusions McLaughlin has the faster car.
"Car pace is what wins races and wins championships so we really need to dig deep," Whincup said.
"We've known this for two months and we've been working really hard.
"We know there's a long, long road to go.
"I think it's great for everyone the battle that's going on and we're going to fight it out right to the end."
With the Townsville event taking the season past the halfway mark, bridging the speed divide is becoming increasingly pressing for Whincup's team.
"We'll spend a couple of days celebrating the win but then heads down, making sure that we improve the car speed and (become) a real force for this year's championship," Whincup said.
And catching McLaughlin's Ford?
"We'll reel him in for sure."
