Van Gisbergen’s slick work pays off twice in wet
NEW ZEALANDER Shane Van Gisbergen shone in the rain at the Sydney 400 yesterday, winning both races at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The bad weather made conditions treacherous, with many drivers unable to handle the conditions. However, Van Gisbergen proved to be the best in the wet.
It was the first time Van Gisbergen has won both of the Saturday races in the V8 Supercars series and was obviously delighted with his achievement.
‘‘It was really cool. I had to fight for it in that second race. Jamie [Whincup] was quick and I just had to catch up. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,’’ he said.
The track looked more like an ice rink at the start of the first race with an incident early on, with David Reynolds spinning out and hitting Tim Slade.
The safety car was brought out and soon after they got back racing again Van Gisbergen found himself in the lead, when Whincup ran wide at turn six.
On lap 12 Scott McLaughlin’s bad luck continued with a power steering failure, which led to the safety car getting called into action for a second time.
Once McLaughlin’s car was towed back to the pits his mechanics hastily did an engine change and he only just made it to the start line for the second race.
Van Gisbergen’s Holden crossed the line more than nine seconds ahead of veteran Garth Tander in the championship’s first wet race since November 2011 at Sandown.
‘‘It wasn’t easy, but the car made my job easier,’’ said the Kiwi.
Red Bull Racing’s Craig Lowndes finished third, ahead of team-mate and series leader Whincup in fourth. Fabian Coulthard was one of five drivers who failed to finish the race.
Whincup had qualified fastest for the 100km race, surpassing the late Peter Brock’s record for the most pole positions in V8 Supercar- Australian touring car championship history.
In the second race Van Gisbergen got off to another flyer to take the early lead, while more misfortune struck Garry Rogers Motorsport.
McLaughlin, who started the race on pole, had to withdraw because the right rear tyre fell off.
Second-placed Whincup almost spun out on the 14th lap before regaining control of his Holden, but it allowed Van Gisbergen to increase his lead to over seven seconds.
Whincup has increased his lead to 69 points in the championship over Mark Winterbottom, while Van Gisbergen has moved up to fifth, overtaking compatriot Fabian Coulthard.
More rain is forecast for today’s longer race.