In a video message posted to the Red Bull Holden Racing Team’s Twitter account, the reigning Supercars explained the injury was the result of mishap with a roller door.

“There's no good story,” he said. “I wish I had some crazy crash on my jet-ski or something. I ran into a roller door. In my defence, the roller door shut while I was inside, I turned around and ‘boom’.

"[I’m] bloody lucky. Could've taken an eye out, [but] it's just a cut. It should be 90 percent for the weekend, but I'm all good.”

If the injury is an impediment in any way over the weekend, Whincup is at least already familiar with the brand new circuit. As an ambassador for the Bend Motorsport Park complex, he is among the handful of Supercars drivers to have already driven laps around the brand new circuit.