SVG’s gem sparkles in dual wins

SHANE van Gisbergen mowed down Will Davison to continue his Supercars championship charge with back-toback wins at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

In an ominous showing of speed just hours after he blitzed the field to win race two, the Red Bull star doubled down by handing Dick Johnson Racing another beating.

Starting on the second row, van Gisbergen ran away to win the race by almost six seconds after passing Davison at the start of his second stint.

“My car was a gem, so I can’t thank my team enough,” van Gisbergen said.

“It has been so enjoyable this weekend.

“The track has been great for racing, and I have been able to push hard and put on a good show.”

Van Gisbergen was just as impressive in the earlier race, when he survived two safety cars to beat Reynolds.

In a win that came a day after he fought his way to third after a qualifying fail saw him start the first race in last place, van Gisbergen showed his true speed when he crossed the line two seconds ahead of David Reynolds.

The Red Bull star confirmed himself as the red-hot championship favourite by outperforming his rivals on both tyre compounds.

“I had to put the move on Dave, but I was also trying to preserve the softs,” van Gisbergen said.

“Lucky I got a safety car and just got out in front of Dave. From there on, I was just controlling and trying to get the fastest lap.”

The win came a day after van Gisbergen went from last position to third in a remarkable save. Going back-to-back extended his series lead to 186 points.