MOTORSPORT: Tassie Supercars sweep for Van Gisbergen

Defending Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen is already looking like the odds-on favourite for this year’s title.

Three wins from three sprint starts at Symmons Plains in Tasmania on the weekend, including some ripper passes and hard-core bumping of his rivals, proved SvG is still operating at maximum efficiency in his Red Bull Commodore.

Three different drivers followed him to the final flag, but no-one was happier than his rookie teammate Broc Feeney after a formation finish in the first of two Sunday stoushes.

The highly-rated youngster managed his first front-row qualifying run, led a race on merit for the first time, and also got second place in the second sprint.

“It’s bloody awesome. I’m just loving life at the moment. Let’s get a few more of these,” says Feeney.

Will Davison and Cam Waters were the other runners-up in their Mustangs, but their teams – Tickford and Shell V-Power – both bungled changes to de-rail the Shane train.

Anton De Pasquale, in the second Shell ’Stang, also fired at van Gisbergen but failed to score a hit.

Still, it’s De Pasquale who runs second in the series as the Repco Supercars Championship heads to the Australian Grand Prix meeting at Albert Park.

He and the rest of the field will be out to limit the potential damage from van Gisbergen, who already has a 67-point lead in the standings after just five races.

“What a weekend,” says van Gisbergen after his third-race victory, where he outdrove Davison and De Pasquale to nullify their strategy advantage, and it’s not a question.

“It’s pretty awesome. Each race we had to work for. I hope it was good to watch. I’m pumped.”

He could even gloat after using a tactic popular with F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, moaning over team radio about a car problem, to trigger a reaction in the Shell Mustang pit.

“I was screaming ‘Sucked in' over the radio; pretending I had no rear grip, and got them to pit,” he says.

Davison, who is still waiting and working for a first win in a second stint at Dick Johnson’s team, could not disguise his emotions.

“I’m a bit disappointed. I tried hard. He [SvG] is very good,” Davison says.

“I was under the pump. He had me on the defence. I was on the back foot.

Waters was also disappointed by his efforts, despite a pole position and a third, but David Reynolds was happy to be back in the lead battle pack for the first time with Grove Racing’s Mustang after a miserable 2021 season.

“I’m so happy we got the silverware with the podium. I’ve felt we’ve been making good moves in the background but haven’t been able to put it all together on the track, so this is a great reward for all the hard work by everyone in our team,” he says.

“We know we had the speed this weekend which is promising. I feel like this is the first of more trophies hopefully this season for us.”

But there were plenty of unhappy racers after Tassie, including youngsters Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki at Boost Racing.

“A bit of a shocker for car 99,” says Kostecki. 

“Probably not the best day, either. To qualify 23rd and 24th … A few positives with passing cars. Just got to press on,” says Brown.

Race 1 – 44 laps

Race 2 – 44 Laps

Race 3 – 44 Laps

2022 Repco Australian Supercars Championship points:

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au