SVG TOPS SUPERCAR PODIUM
SHANE van Gisbergen survived a bruising Supercars season start to announce himself as the man to beat as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team resumed its war with DJR Team Penske.
In a belting season opening that delivered a first-up win to the all-new ZB Commodore, Red Bull warrior van Gisbergen outlasted James Courtney (Walkinshaw Andretti United) and Scott McLaughlin (DJR Team Penske) to win the season’s first fight.
“What an awesome day,’’ van Gisbergen said.
“The new Commodore is awesome. We had a really good race. It was really tight with Scott and James. We had to push, but we have an awesome car and we will try and do it again tomorrow.’’
Beating an investigation that could have stripped him of his qualifying win, van Gisbergen made it three wins in his past three Adelaide starts to win the first battle with bitter rival DJR Team Penske.
“Shane was the class of the field all day,’’ third-finishing McLaughlin said.
“We will have to find a bit more overnight. “It will be all on tomorrow.’’ Walkinshaw Andretti United put the field on notice with the newly merged team scoring a second in its first race backed by American IndyCars legend Michael Andretti.
“What a great start to the campaign with this team,” Courtney said. “The car worked really well and this is super exciting.”
Van Gisbergen survived an investigation to keep pole position after exceeding the track limits on his top-10 shootout winning lap. But the 2016 champion did not survive a starting-line onslaught, with McLaughlin and Courtney beating him to turn one.
In a typically busy Adelaide 500 start, Tickford’s Mark Winterbottom and Erebus’s Dave Reynolds exchanged paint during a top-10 fight.
The street track claimed its first victim moments later when Rick Kelly was forced to pit after a hit.
McLaughlin fended off Courtney to be leading the race when Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom became the first of the contenders to pit on lap 7.
McLaughlin surrendered his lead two laps later when he followed the due in for his stop with Courtney left out in front.
And Courtney kept the lead when a short fill stop on lap 14 saw him exit the pit lane just in front of McLaughlin.
Courtney and McLaughlin were left to battle in the first instalment of the war between Andretti and Penske.
Van Gisbergen joined the battle when he pushed his way into third position after a lap-23 stop.
The Red Bull racer’s teammate Whincup was turned on lap 33 while attempting to pass Reynolds.
Van Gisbergen stole the lead on lap 43 after a short-fill put him in front of Courtney following the last round of stops.
But the Red Bull racer’s lead was wiped away by a succession of safety cars that began on lap 55.