MOTORSPORT: SVG sweeps wild weekend at The Bend

Shane van Gisbergen clean-swept the three Repco Supercars Championship races at The Bend Motorsport Park outside Adelaide on the weekend, extending his victory streak to five and his season tally to 13 successes, in the process handing Holden its final manufacturers’ title.

The results, aided by fastest lap bonus points from all three races, have extended van Gisbergen’s title advantage to 393 points with five events remaining.

Meanwhile, the second race of the weekend started in sensational circumstances, with the stalled Castrol Mustang of Thomas Randle collected by the R&J Batteries Commodore of Andre Heimgartner, with Nick Percat’s NTI Commodore collateral damage in the accident.

All three drivers walked away from the melee, although Randle and Heimgartner were later transferred to hospital for observation.

For Red Bull Ampol Racing’s van Gisbergen, the biggest challenge from the event was overcoming the persistent Monster Mustang of Cam Waters in the sodden final race.

“Today’s race in the wet was really, really fun,” said van Gisbergen.

“I was laughing a lot, but I was having to concentrate a lot as well, and also be mindful that Cam had his mind set on winning the race, so I was trying to race clean.

“Every time I passed him, he passed me back cleanly, so I was having a ball.”

The weekend started with controversy as rookie Zak Best registered pole position for race one aboard his Tickford Racing prepared Mustang wildcard, with other competitors questioning the performance of his tyre allocation, which was subsequently equalised across the field for Sunday.

Van Gisbergen forced his way through to the lead of that opening race, where he was joined on the podium by the Shell Mustang of Will Davison, who gained five positions during the 24-lap encounter, and Chaz Mostert aboard the Optus Commodore, who held off Waters following a tight battle.

From the race two restart, Mostert jumped from the third row of the grid into the lead at turn one.

After initially being mired in fourth position, van Gisbergen utilised an alternate strategy to the leaders, running long until his compulsory pit stop on the 16th circuit of the shortened 18-lap race, when he re-emerged in the lead.

Mostert held on for second, ahead of James Courtney (Snowy River Caravans Mustang), who claimed his first podium finish since Wanneroo Raceway at the start of May.

For the decider, the heavens opened as the cars lined up on the grid, with the race commencing behind the safety car.

With a drenched track, the opening stanza of proceedings provided the best entertainment of the season to date, with van Gisbergen, Waters and the Shell Mustang of Anton De Pasquale engaged in a spirited battle for the lead.

Ultimately van Gisbergen prevailed ahead of Waters and the Boost Mobil Commodore of sophomore Brodie Kostecki, who returned to the podium for the first time since the season opener on a similarly wet track at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The Supercars Championship continues with the Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint from August 19-21, with Friday running at the round featuring the only dedicated co-driver practice session of the year prior to the Bathurst 1000.

Race 1 – 24 laps

Race 2 – 18 laps

Race 3 – 24 laps

Championship points:

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