Three For Three For SVG At The Bend
A superb drive from Shane van Gisbergen extended the Kiwi’s march toward another Supercars Championship as he secured a clean sweep of races wins at Tailem Bend.
Aug 1, 2022
SVG’s wins have secured the final Supercars Manufacturer’s Championship title for the Holden brand with 11 races left in the 2022 season.
Despite some exhilarating racing moments and close competition during the weekend’s Supercars event at Tailem Bend, Giltrap Group supported driver, Shane van Gisbergen was simply unbeatable in wet and dry conditions.
In a series with some of the world’s most aggressive and talented tin-top racers, Shane van Gisbergen was in another league this weekend, locking in wins for all three races and extending what is quickly looking like an unassailable lead on the Championship with 323 points between himself Shell V Power’s Anton De Pasquale.
Surprisingly, Shane himself didn’t feel like he was on as ‘on form’ as he could have been during parts of the weekend.
“I’ve been struggling with my driving, but the car has been really good; just hard to drive, but when racing under the limit it was fine.”
Both van Gisbergen and the Red Bull Ampol Racing Commodore were quick when it mattered most and not even changing weather could disrupt the Kiwi’s march on the championship.
Races 21 and 22 were dry, and the Kiwi’s talent was on show as he somehow maintained strong pace while running his tyres for a prolonged time, before coming in the later stages of the race and fitting fresh tyres for a final blistering stint, retaining the lead and setting the fastest laps late in both races.
But it is the wet when van Gisbergen is arguably at his best and Race 23 was no exception. The race was a spectator’s delight with a thrilling battle with rival, Cameron Waters, the pair masterfully diced for position. Anton De Pasquale also applied pressure and SVG kept composure amidst the challenging circumstances to break free from his rivals mid race before keeping the car shiny side up for a huge 8.7 second winning margin.
While the results are great, the consummate racer, van Gisbergen revelled more in the competition with Waters.
“That was awesome,” said van Gisbergen. “It’s always good racing someone who has nothing to lose. He (Waters) drives hard, but respectful as well; yeah, it was awesome.
“But, once I got in front, I struggled a bit with no train tracks to follow, and then pulled away.
“What an awesome weekend; I can’t thank the team enough.”