Mark Winterbottom ahead of the Bathurst 1000. Photo: Getty Images

V8 Supercars championship challenger Mark Winterbottom has dismissed a vicious personal attack by the team boss of his title arch-rival Jamie Whincup, vowing to answer the criticism on the track at Bathurst this weekend.

A one-sided war of words erupted after Ford Performance Racing's Winterbottom snatched second place in the closing stages of last month's Sandown 500, by bumping Whincup's Triple Eight Holden aside.

Although the move was cleared by race officials, Triple Eight chief Roland Dane denounced the aggressive overtake as a B-grade move from a so-called professional driver and branded Winterbottom as being about as popular as a turd in a swimming pool.

But Winterbottom, who is dogging defending V8 champion Whincup in this year's points race, has shrugged off Dane's outbursts on the eve of the Bathurst 1000, declaring that he'll do his talking on the track.

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He came out with a personal attack on me, Winterbottom told Fairfax Media. I just use that as motivation because I've obviously got to him a little bit. We'll see what happens this weekend.

It'd make me feel pretty good if I can beat them and hold the trophy up.

Nicknamed "Frosty", the 31-year-old front-runner has been backed by hard-driving veteran Russell Ingall, who disagreed with Dane and questioned the team boss's tactic of making his criticism public and personal.

The officials ruled his move was acceptable, in which case, I reckon what Roland said was out of line, Ingall said. I wouldn't have said anything about it. What I would have done was shut up and next time the opportunity arose - payback time.

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Sideswiped: attack on Winterbottom gets personal