Shane van Gisbergen on a supercars winning streak at Symmons Palins
Flying Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen continues smashing supercars records at Symmons Plains – despite stuffing up the start of the race.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
RECORD-breaking Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen believes he can make it seven straight at Symmons Plains on Sunday after a dominant Red Bull one-two victory to start the Tasmanian Super Sprint supercars round on Saturday.
Van Gisbergen equalled the record for the most consecutive wins to start a season when he claimed a sixth win, joining the all-time best start to a season held by Allan Moffat (1977) and Mark Skaife (1994).
“SVG” remains unbeaten in 2021 after a 44-lap super sprint to start round three of the championship – and it was a seventh consecutive win counting last year’s Bathurst 1000.
Van Gisbergen could make history as the first driver ever to win the first seven races of a year, and would equal Craig Lowndes’ record for eight successive career victories.
The 2021 championship leader did not have it all is own way at Symmons on Saturday despite starting on pole with a new lap record of 50.4923sec, lowering Lowndes’ mark of 50.5790s set in 2018.
Mustang driver Cam Waters got a monster start off the line and controlled the early stages of the race until van Gisbergen lunged under brakes at the end of the 275km/h main straight to grab the lead.
From there, the reigning Bathurst champion built a comfortable buffer and took another chequered flag.
He did it with a 4.7sec buffer over teammate Jamie Whincup.
Then it was another 10 seconds back to the first rival team – the Shell V-Power Mustang of Anton De Pasquale, followed by Chaz Mostert, Waters, Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison.
Van Gisbergen confessed he got the start wrong.
“I was looking around because I didn’t put the car in the right spot – I was too far forward to see the lights,” he said.
“Cam [Waters] was smart. He brake-checked me at turn one and that allowed Jamie to go around the outside and put me to third.
“It was a pretty good move but once I got going my car was awesome.
“Braking was its strength all day and there are a few things we can work on for tomorrow.”
The Red Bull domination made van Gisbergen happier than his own win.
“We’ve got some momentum on our side of the garage and it’s awesome to see [car] 88 up there now,” he said.
“Everyone is pretty stoked.”
The pain and discomfort from a broken collar bone as the result of a mountain bike crash is diminishing fast.
“I can feel it. I haven’t taken any painkillers this week, but I’m OK,” van Gisbergen said.
The supercars have two more 44-lap sprint races on Sunday.
Flying Kiwi aiming to rewrite the record books
EXPECTATIONS are high on championship leader Shane van Gisbergen as he chases a supercars record-winning streak at Symmons Plains this weekend – but the flying Kiwi says the quality of the field won’t make it easy.
Undefeated in the opening two rounds at Bathurst and Sandown in 2021, van Gisbergen could make history by becoming the first supercars driver to win the first seven races of a season.
Racing legends Allan Moffat and Mark Skaife won the opening six races in 1977 and 1994 respectively, but no one has ever won the “super seven”.
The Red Bull Racing driver, who is still recovering from a broken collarbone from a mountain bike spill last month, said it is easier said than done.
“Symmons Plains looks so easy on paper, but it’s definitely not,” he said.
“They say on the track map that there are seven corners, but in essence there are only three, and they’re all left-turn corners.
“It’s a tough track to get right because everyone’s so close.”
“Giz” has won three times in Tasmania, including the final race at Symmons in 2019, but he said everyone will start from scratch after the Tasmanian round was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve done well here in the past, but that’s over two years ago,” he said.
“Setups have come a long way since then and teams have developed, so I don’t expect us to be outright fastest because there will be so many other quick guys on track,” he said.
“I’m sure we’ll be up or near the front – there’s no reason not to be – but we’ll prepare the best we can with our engineering team.”
Van Gisbergen’s current winning streak of six includes the 2020 Bathurst 1000 title. It matches similar feats by Allan Moffat, Dick Johnson, Jim Richards, Mark Skaife, Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin.
Only Whincup and Lowndes have won more than six consecutive races – Whincup (seven in 2008) and Lowndes (eight in 1996).
“I always look forward to this weekend. It’s always a cool track, a cool event, and the weather always varies, which can make racing conditions tough,” van Gisbergen said.
“I always love racing here.”
Busiest man in Australia? Brendon Gale’s massive to-do list as Tassie Devils CEO
Incoming Tasmanian Devils CEO Brendon Gale will have a mountain of work on his desk for his first day in the role in February. Here are the priorities he must tackle to ensure the newest AFL club is a success.
Blues lock in dynamic duo in signing coup
Two of the NTFA’s most dangerous players have signed with Launceston, and chasing representative goals is a major factor behind their return to Windsor Park.