Big race not the priority

Leader Van Gisbergen targets title

RUNAWAY series leader Shane van Gisbergen has declared securing back-to-back Supercars championships is his priority over Bathurst this year, but his massive points lead has given him the chance to have a big “crack” at the Great Race.

As the Triple Eight star pledged his long-term future remained in Supercars amid his growing outside racing interests, van Gisbergen said locking in his third championship meant more to him than winning a second Bathurst crown.

The New Zealand ace has opened up a significant 525point lead in the championship over Tickford Racing rival Cameron Waters to take into the race at Mount Panorama after winning nine of the past 11 races.

Van Gisbergen can clinch the 2022 championship this weekend if he finishes more than 600 points clear of his rivals after the Bathurst 1000 with two more rounds remaining on the Gold Coast and Adelaide this year.

Having already won a record-equalling 18 races in 2022, van Gisbergen said he had pushed hard to give himself the safety net of a big series lead for himself and co-driver Garth Tander for Bathurst but securing the championship took precedence.

“We have had the last five rounds pushing hard to try and get this lead,” van Gisbergen said.

“It feels good that we can go there and just focus on getting a result, so I can’t wait.

“The championship counts, the championship is the 100 per cent priority for me in the year.

“Bathurst is just an amazing race to win or to get a good result, but I still need to score good points.

“The championship is there (in my mind), but that’s the reason we have been pushing so hard these rounds to make sure we have got a lead and we can have a crack at this race.” Asked which meant more to him to win, van Gisbergen said the championship “100 per cent”.

Van Gisbergen, who won the 2020 Bathurst 1000 with Tander, warmed up for his Mount Panorama assault with

his World Rally Championship debut in New Zealand last weekend, finishing third in his division and ninth overall.

Having also competed at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, van Gisbergen has also been linked to talk of a NASCAR cameo next year, although he said that was “way too premature”.

Van Gisbergen is signed up until the end of next year with Triple Eight and team boss Jamie Whincup said the squad would “start to piece together 2024 onwards with him” after Bathurst, adding “he has got a place at Triple Eight if he wants to go on”.

The Kiwi star was adamant his future remained in Supercars.

“Supercars is my dream and I think I will stay here,” van Gisbergen said.

“I love Supercars, but of course I will keep trying to drive other stuff like rally and sports stuff overseas but Supercars is for me.”

Describing his season to date as “pretty amazing”, van Gisbergen was confident he could still improve as a driver in an ominous warning to his rivals. “I still have got a lot to learn and I can always get better,” van Gisbergen said.

“Every weekend we are learning and getting better. I don’t think I have maxed myself out, I think I can always be better.

“We had some massive changes this year, especially with a new teammate with Broc and a new engineer (Andrew Edwards) as well.

“As a team we have gone through a lot and to still come out and do what we have done is pretty amazing, so hopefully that continues.

“We can’t afford to rest on our results.”