Red Bull ace fired up to fire

“I think we’re as fast as him ( McLaughlin) in the races, no doubt, but when he’s starting on the front row every race, that makes it hard to compete with,” Van Gisbergen said.

“Our biggest weakness is qualifying. For whatever reason, we just can’t make the car work, but in the races we’re as quick as anyone.

“We’ve been putting on a pretty good show coming through the field and getting good results, but we just need to start up front.

“I know our car’s definitely good enough and the people around me are awesome at what they do as well.

“I’ve got full confidence in the team and that we can do the job. We just have to get everything in a row and make sure we get it right.

“They’re long races this weekend so anything can happen and probably will.”

Reid Park has been a happy hunting ground for Van Gisbergen and he finished second and first across the weekend in 2016 as he went on to claim his first Supercars Drivers’ Championship.

The New Zealander said his car was well suited to the hybrid street circuit and he felt confident about another strong performance in Townsville this weekend.

“I just think the car suits it. We’ve got a really good car on street circuits and we seem to be able to make the most of it and enjoy the racing side,” he said.

“It’s a really awesome race for us and everyone enjoys it, so hopefully a lot of people come out there for the event.”