Giz aims to be retro Murph
Sandown start of three-round Endurance Cup and Kiwi champ has ground to make up
Defending Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen will this weekend look to become the first New Zealander to win the Sandown 500 since Greg Murphy in 1997.
It has been two decades since a young Murphy sprayed champagne at the famous Victorian track but there is a strong chance one of his countrymen will follow in his footsteps on Sunday afternoon.
Three of the leading four cars in the championship are campaigned by New Zealanders — Scott McLaughlin (first) and Fabian Coulthard (third) will take serious form into the race meeting with their Shell V-Power racing outfit while fourth-placed van Gisbergen is looking to reduce a 258-point deficit to McLaughlin.
Having finished second in the closest finish in race history last year, van Gisbergen is hoping to go one better in 2017 and will hit the ground running with a set-up that is known to work.
Cam Waters and Richie Stanaway — they’re in a competitive car and Stanaway was superb in the wet last year. He’s out to earn a main game drive next year.
Alex Premat and Dumbrell. The co-drivers for McLaughlin and Whincup respectively. Any error on their part seriously impacts the latter’s title aspirations. The retro liveries and old-school uniforms, hair-dos and facial hair as teams and drivers celebrate the retro round.
“We had a pretty good run last year — very changeable weather and everything,” van Gisbergen told Radio Sport. “We had a pretty good car so we will start pretty similar to that with our set-up and see where we end up.
“Obviously there is a different tyre and we have learned a lot this year.
“We will start with something similar and then factor in what we’ve learned. It is a pretty tough race track; big curbs that you have to attack the whole way but you have to manage it as well because of the big tyre wear. It is a bit of a balancing act and that makes it a big challenge.”
Last year, van Gisbergen and codriver Alex Premat won the Pirtek Endurance Cup [the combined three endurance races] but the Frenchman will partner McLaughlin this year.
Impressive youngster Matt Campbell has linked with van Gisbergen and the Kiwi is expecting big things from the young Australian.
“He is a pretty good young driver. He did our test day last Tuesday and was pretty quickly on the pace by the end of the day and feeling comfortable with my set-up in the car. I am looking forward to seeing what he can do in the races.”
Sandown marks the start of the three-round Pirtek Endurance Cup, where championship drivers share their cars with non-championship teammates. With so many points on the line and other people in control of the cars for half the time, it makes watching a tough gig for the title contenders.
“I still hate it, especially the race at the Sandown when it is just all the co-drivers — half of them are trying to prove they are good enough to get a driver for the next year,” van Gisbergen admitted.
And while he is 258 points behind in the 2017 championship, van Gisbergen hasn’t given up hope of defending his title.
“Anything can happen in the endurance races — I haven’t given up,” the 28-year-old said. “It isn’t going to be easy and we’ll have to have a bit go our way but I will keep pushing hard and hopefully we can have a good shot.”