Holden’s plans to lead pack
SUPERCARS bruiser Shane van Gisbergen has bad news for the rest of the field heading into the Enduro series.
The championship leader sees the dominant ZB Commodore taking more names over the month of long-distance racing ahead.
Van Gisbergen has leapt to the top of the standings with an impressive run of form over the last four meets — finishing in the top two in each of the last seven races.
Having grown accustomed to his new Holden, van Gisbergen thinks Sandown, Bathurst and the Gold Coast are where it could come into its own.
“The way the aero is balanced, it makes it a lot easier to drive,” he said. “And it means for a track like Sandown and through the Endurance where you’ve got to drive 500 or 1000 kilometres, you can get comfortable and be more aggressive because it’s been an easier drive.”
Van Gisbergen’s recent form has been imperious.
Not since Symmons Plains in April has van Gisbergen fin- ished lower than sixth. He’s celebrated on 12 of 15 podiums since.
“The last few rounds have been consistent,” he says.
“It’s been about understanding our car. The ZB Commodore is very different to last year’s car … it’s been taking us a little while to refine it.
“We jumped out of the blocks good but those were at tracks that we’ve always been good at.
“We’re in a pretty nice spot at the moment but we’ve got some tracks coming up where the Dick Johnson cars were very fast last year.
“We need to improve to get up to their speed.”
Last year in Melbourne, Ford recorded a 1-2-3 result at Sandown. Cam Waters was the unlikely winner ahead of series leader Scott McLaughlin and Chaz Mostert, and their respective co-drivers.
From that point, McLaughlin’s title bid faltered, beginning with a DNF in the Bathurst 1000 that saw the young New Zealander cede the championship to Jamie Whincup.
This year, McLaughlin is again right up in the title race, trailing van Gisbergen by 19 points.
Whincup sits third, 362 points behind the leader.
Van Gisbergen said last year’s drama was a reminder to keep the focus on each race, each lap and each corner.
“I never think about the championship until after the Gold Coast. The gap to third is 300 points or so and at the weekend there’s 300 up for grabs. Anything can happen.”