Supercars 2023: All the news from Sydney Motorsport Park, Shane van Gisbergen wins
Shane van Gisbergen has finally ended his three-month winless streak in Sydney and has confirmed how he plans to take on the US market next year.
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Defending Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has confirmed his preference is to make a switch to racing NASCAR in the United States after this year, but doesn’t want to leave Triple Eight “scrambling” to find a replacement.
Van Gisbergen’s comments came as Triple Eight team manager Mark Dutton said the potential to put seven-time Supercars champion-turned team boss Jamie Whincup back in the car to replace the Kiwi ace was an “awesome fallback” but not the team’s first option.
Whincup said on Friday he wanted an answer from van Gisbergen about his Supercars future before the second NASCAR start at Indianapolis next month so everyone could “move forward”.
After claiming his first Supercars win in 12 starts in Sydney on Sunday, van Gisbergen confirmed his intention was to make a switch to racing NASCAR next year.
The two-time Bathurst 1000 champion is contracted to Triple Eight until the end of next year, but Whincup has said he would not stand in van Gisbergen’s way if there was a full-time NASCAR deal on the table for next year.
Asked about his plans for 2024, van Gisbergen said he wanted to race NASCAR, but would not put a timeline on an announcement of his plans.
“There is obviously a lot happening in the background, but I’m not leaving because of this team, I love this team,” van Gisbergen said.
“When I leave I want to make sure that there is someone here to replace me that is going to do a good job in the car, you don’t want to leave the team with nothing, scrambling to find someone.
“There are a lot of the good drivers here (already) signed up. I want to leave with the team in a good spot.
“So I’m waiting, hopefully the team has someone soon.”
Van Gisbergen said it would not be feasible to still compete in Supercars next year and do more NASCAR races in between.
The New Zealand star said he was still working through plans and was unsure if his NASCAR opportunity would be full or part-time.
“I don’t know if it will be full-time,” van Gisbergen said.
“I do not know yet, there is still a lot to work out.
“I don’t have a plan yet, I’ll hopefully work it out when I’m over there.”
Van Gisbergen stunned the motorsport world with his Cup Series win on debut on the streets of Chicago earlier this month.
He will make a return for Trackhouse Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on August 13.
Whincup said before the Sydney round he would “never say never” when asked if he would consider pulling back on the helmet as a potential replacement for van Gisbergen if the team could not secure who they wanted to fill his seat.
Dutton said using Whincup, who retired from full-time driving at the end of 2021, was a handy back-up plan, but not the team’s first preference.
“It’s an awesome fallback (option). It’s just like having the wildcard (car) this weekend to be able to give to Shane,” Dutton said.
“We’re in a fantastic position to have that as a back-up plan. Is that our initial plan, no it’s not.
“It’s one of those things, we’ve got to be careful. I reminded Jamie when we chatted about some of those things, he finished as the GOAT, if you come back and aren’t strong that puts a bit of a downer on your career sort of thing.
“It’s definitely not our first option, but it’s a bloody good one. And you know he’ll work super hard if it happens.”
SvG REIGNITES CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENCE
Triple Eight star Shane van Gisbergen has snapped a three-month winless streak to reignite his championship defence with a dominant Sunday victory at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Hitting back from his penalty pain after he was denied a podium finish in Saturday’s night race after a last-lap sanction, the triple Supercars champion shook off his recent car struggles to seize his first win since Perth in April.
Van Gisbergen had been set to finish third in Saturday’s race, but race stewards hit him with a five-second penalty for his bump-and-run passing move on Erebus Motorsport rival Will Brown, dropping him to seventh.
As speculation continues to rage over his future in Supercars beyond this year ahead of a second NASCAR appearance next month, van Gisbergen showed he still had unfinished business in the 2023 championship fight.
After starting the race on pole, van Gisbergen stormed to his fourth win of the season ahead of Brad Jones Racing’s Andre Heimgartner and Dick Johnson Racing’s Anton De Pasquale, who passed Broc Feeney on the last lap to get on the podium.
Sitting fourth in the championship standings leading into the round in Sydney, van Gisbergen now sits in third place, closing the gap to series leader Brodie Kostecki to 54 points.
Racing in a new chassis this weekend after struggling with steering issues the past two rounds, van Gisbergen said he was back on track with the victory.
“I have to take the Red Bull Ampol Racing team so much, they have not given up on me, I have been struggling with it, but they have rebuilt this car and changed chassis, they have done so much work,” van Gisbergen said.
“It’s just so cool to be back here and a Kiwi one-two, which is awesome, so I’m back on the right track.
“I have never driven so slowly to win a race. Then at the end it was three seconds and I thought I better get to five (seconds) in case they penalise us again.
“The car was really fast, but these things you have got to have clean air otherwise you go nowhere. We were really aggressive at the start to try and get past and once I had clean air you just cruise.”
After reclaiming the series lead from Brown with his win on Saturday night, Kostecki finished eighth, while Brown salvaged a 14th place finish after a first-lap incident.
Heimgartner continued his career-best season to claim his sixth podium of the year. While he struggled off the start on pole on Saturday night, the BJR driver got the jump on van Gisbergen off the line.
There was immediate drama at turn one when Brown was sent flying off the track after a tangle with David Reynolds and De Pasquale, forcing Brown and Reynolds to the back of the field.
But Heimgartner’s stint at the front didn’t last long with van Gisbergen hunting down his fellow Kiwi, passing him for the lead on lap four.
Van Gisbergen and Kostecki will both now turn their attention to their preparations for their Cup Series race at Indianapolis on August 13.
Kostecki will make his debut for Richard Childress Racing, while van Gisbergen returns for his second start with Trackhouse Racing after his stunning win on debut in Chicago earlier this month.
SVG’S DRIVE-BY ON SUPERCARS OFFICIALS ON WAY TO POLE
Defending Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has hit back from his costly penalty in Saturday night’s race to storm to pole for the second leg at Sydney Motorsport Park before delivering a swipe at race officials.
On track for a third-place finish under lights on Saturday, the triple Supercars champion was denied a place on the podium after he was hit with a five-second time penalty for his passing move on Erebus Motorsport rival Will Brown.
The penalty bumped the Triple Eight star to seventh in the race won by Brodie Kostecki.
But van Gisbergen responded as only he knows best to put his Camaro on the front of the grid for Sunday’s 36-lap race.
Van Gisbrgen topped qualifying ahead of Brad Jones Racing’s Saturday pole sitter Andre Heimgartner by just 0.056s, his Triple Eight teammate Broc Feeney, BJR’s Bryce Fullwood and series leader Kostecki.
Racing in a new chassis in Sydney after battling steering gremlins in Darwin and Townsville, van Gisbergen admitted he was still struggling with the Gen3 car before questioning how officials would try to “take this one off” him.
“I’ve just got to thank the team, I’m struggling with this thing, but the car is awesome and obviously Broc did (well) as well, the team have done a great job,” van Gisbergen said.
“Let’s see what happens, let’s see how they try and take this one off us.”
Asked if he felt his podium got taken off him on Saturday night, van Gisbergen said:
“I agree with what (Cam) Waters said,” van Gisbergen said.
Van Gisbergen was referring to Waters’ rant on team radio after he was also hit with a time penalty for an unsafe pit release when he had been on track to finish second.
“What the f*** is wrong with this sport?” Waters fumed over the radio.
“They wonder why all their f***ing drivers want to leave.”
The penalty pushed Waters back to fifth. He will start from sixth position for Sunday’s race.
Kostecki reclaimed the Supercars championship lead from teammate Brown after his win in Saturday night’s race.
KOSTECKI RECLAIMS SERIES LEAD AFTER SVG PENALTY
Brodie Kostecki has reclaimed the Supercars championship lead from his Erebus teammate Will Brown after shining under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park as defending Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen was stripped of a podium for a driving penalty.
After jumping pole sitter Andre Heimgartner off the start line, Kostecki pulled away to claim his third win of the season after a late safety car as a fierce battle for the positions behind him unfolded.
A week after it was confirmed he would make his NASCAR Cup series debut in Indianapolis next month, Kostecki strengthened his standing in the Supercars title fight after taking the win ahead of Ford’s Chaz Mostert and teammate Brown.
After starting 20th on the grid, van Gisbergen had mowed his way through the field to claim third place behind Mostert after an aggressive last-lap move on Brown.
The move left Brown cursing on the team radio, while it immediately drew the ire of Erebus Motorsport chief Barry Ryan, who threatened to launch a protest.
But race stewards agreed that the move was not on and slapped the Triple Eight star with a five-second time penalty, pushing him back to seventh position.
Van Gisbergen’s penalty also left Triple Eight seething and demanding an explanation as to whether the penalty was an in-race or post-race decision.
He was not the only driver to be hit with a costly penalty during the 51-lap race under lights.
Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters had been on track to finish second behind Kostecki before he was slapped with a five-second time penalty for an unsafe pit release, which also left him fuming over the team radio.
Waters had been released into the path of Triple Eight young gun Broc Feeney after his second pit stop with the penalty dropping him back to fifth position.
As the drama unfolded behind him, Kostecki pulled away to a seven-second win to push him 14 points clear of Brown in the championship standings.
Kostecki had held the championship lead for 10 races between Albert Park and Townsville before Brown emerged as the series leader.
“That’s unbelievable, I actually can’t believe it, I can’t believe how fast the car was,” said Kostecki, who had started from second on the grid.
“There are still a few things to work on, but … the thing was just a rocket ship.
“I’ve still got another day to go tomorrow and 100 per cent focus is going into this weekend and I want to make sure I leave with good results going over (to the US) and make sure I come back and we’re on target for Tailem Bend as well.
“Today was one of the unbelievable days where the car was just a rocket and everything fell into our hands.”
Kostecki has now opened up an 86-point lead on third-placed Triple Eight rival van Gisbergen in the drivers’ standings. Feeney, who finished 11th, dropped to fourth.
Before his penalty, it had been a strong recovery from van Gisbergen, who had been pinged for exceeding track limits in qualifying.
Mostert pushed his way into second position after a late move on Brown before the Erebus driver’s tangle with van Gisbergen.
Brown said he knew van Gisbergen’s passing manoeuvre “wasn’t on”.
“I said to the boys I will just pull up in P3 because I said it was pretty wrong the pass, I knew it wasn’t on and that he would get a penalty out of it,” Brown said.
“Luckily we got the podium back … there was no exchange (with van Gisbergen), I just got punted.”
While Erebus were angered by van Gisbergen’s move, Waters was equally furious with the decision to penalise him for an unsafe release.
“What the f*** is wrong with this sport?” Waters fumed over the radio.
“They wonder why all their f***ing drivers want to leave.”
Van Gisbergen was clearly annoyed with the penalty for his push past Brown.
“I have to thank our guys for all the work they have done. We changed cars during events, and they’ve done so much prep work to make it faster - they have been working their asses off,” van Gisbergen said in a team statement.
“Obviously the car is fast which is promising, but unfortunately we faced issues out of our control. These things you come to expect in 2023.”
Triple Eight team manager Mark Dutton had said he would seek clarification from the race officials as to whether the penalty was in-race or handed down after the race.
But Motorsport Australia later confirmed the penalty could not be appealed because it was an in-race penalty.
Mostert remains the leading Ford driver in the championship after his fourth podium for the year.
After claiming his first pole of the year - and his first since 2021 - Heimgartner finished 14th after battling steering issues during the race.
Triple Eight’s ultimatum to SvG over Supercars future
Triple Eight team boss Jamie Whincup wants an answer from Shane van Gisbergen about his future in Supercars before his second NASCAR start in Indianapolis next month.
As the prospect of the New Zealand star making a full-time switch to NASCAR after this year continues to build momentum, Whincup said he wanted an answer “sooner rather than later” so everyone could move forward.
The triple Supercars champion will return to the United States for his second NASCAR race in as many months on August 13 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Speculation about van Gisbergen’s future in Supercars beyond 2023 was fuelled after he stunned the motorsport world with his debut Cup Series win in Chicago earlier this month.
The two-time Bathurst 1000 champion is contracted to Triple Eight until the end of next year, but Whincup has said he would not stand in van Gisbergen’s way if there was a full-time NASCAR deal on the table for 2024.
While Whincup said van Gisbergen was yet to make a decision on his future, he rated the Kiwi ace’s chances of staying in Supercars beyond 2023 as only a 50-50 prospect.
“I think it’s a five at the moment,” Whincup said.
“There is not much for me to do until he says ‘Hey, I really want to go to the US.
“But he hasn’t made that call yet. I think he will make that very shortly.
“Then, once he makes that call, hopefully he stays for all of our sake, but if he decides to move on then I will start the process of who is going to jump in that car.”
Asked if he expected van Gisbergen’s performance at Indianapolis to have any bearing on his decision, Whincup said he would like an answer before his NASCAR return.
“It could, it certainly could, but we would all like to make a decision before then,” Whincup said.
“That’s only two weeks away. We would certainly love (to get an answer by then).
‘It’s late in the day, it’s the 12th hour really, it’s past the 11th hour trying to work out who your drivers are for 2024.
“We want to make that call sooner rather than later and once we know a bit more, we will certainly let you know, we are not trying to hide any secrets.
“We don’t know what the line-up is going to be for 2024 yet.
“We are both on the same page. We haven’t set a deadline, it’s not a line in the sand, but in both our interests we want to make a decision sooner rather than later so we can both move forward.”
When asked if he would consider pulling back on the helmet as a potential replacement for van Gisbergen should he leave, Whincup, who retired from full-time driving at the end of 2021, quipped:
“Never say never, we have all seen (Fernando) Alonso do his thing,” Whincup said.
“We are looking around, I wish I wasn’t. I had both drivers contracted for 2024, but there could be a curveball there.
“There’s nothing more to add than what we already know, but it is what it is.”
Van Gisbergen became the first driver in 60 years to win on Cup Series debut with his epic win in overtime in the inaugural Chicago street race.
But the defending Supercars champion has been unhappy with the new Gen3 product this year, battling steering gremlins in the last two rounds with the team and will swap into the team’s spare chassis for the round in Sydney this weekend.
Questioned on whether he would pursue a NASCAR opportunity if he was in van Gisbergen’s position, Whincup said he should “have a crack”.
“I think Shane has been a bit disappointed with a few things in his current environment at the moment,” Whincup said.
“So, yeah, go over and have a crack and have some fun and see what you can do.”
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