Shane van Gisbergen and Red Bull Holden Racing team mate Jamie Whincup delivered a knock-out blow to championship leader Scott McLaughlin finishing one-two in the inaugural Red Rooster Sydney SuperNight 300. Finishing third on the podium, McLaughlin was able to minimalise the blow but has had his championship lead trimmed from 131 to 89 points.
“I think in the end it turned out to be a great race, when the safety came out the race really came alive and hopefully we put on a good show for the fans,” commented van Gisbergen. “The front five cars were all on good tyres and had a close battle and were able to put on a good show, we hope everyone enjoyed it.”
The first ever Sydney SuperNight 300 saw 26 cars all racing around the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit under lights following plenty of fanfare before the start. Shell V-Power Racing’s Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard were off the front row right alongside each other. They both got a good start, heading into the fast turn one sweeper side-by-side.
McLaughlin maintained the lead through the first stint of the race, until his first stop on lap 19. He continued to hold the lead through the second stint, until he pitted on lap 39. He returned to the track in second, behind Craig Lowndes. He took his final stop on lap 55 and grabbed the lead once more, passing Lowndes in pit lane, until a safety car period with 19 laps remaining.
All three Red Bull Holden Racing cars were very fast on the restart and despite his best efforts, McLaughlin couldn’t keep the lead, dropping behind Van Gisbergen and then Whincup to eventually take third place.
“Craig (Lowndes) and Scotty (McLaughlin) pitted early and I think we still could’ve run them down without the safety car, it still would’ve all come together,” said van Gisbergen. “I just knew I had to get a good restart and get Craig as quick as I could because he was driving really well. Thankfully I passed him straight away and could focus on bringing the tyre in nice to attack Scotty.
“The battle with Scotty was epic, he got a bit of pick up and ran a little wide so we got a free pass there. The 300 points wasn’t on my mind during the race but it definitely was in preparation for the weekend. We just knew that we had to do a good job with no mistakes and get a good result which, as a team, is what we did.”
“I’m gutted,” commented McLaughlin. “I’m proud of the team and the way we raced, and the strategy we put together, but we just ran out of luck with that safety car. I tried my hardest to keep them behind me, and hopefully it was a good show for the fans. It was pretty full-on from my perspective. All fair, hard racing and really enjoyed it. I wanted to win that race, though.”
McLaughlin continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship by 89 over Van Gisbergen. Coulthard had trouble early in the race on cold tyres, dropping to fourth in the first stint. He pitted on lap 20, reporting that the car felt much nicer on the second set of tyres. He made some moves through the field, until his final stop in the safety car period. He exited 10th, however a kerb buckled the left rear wheel, and Fabian was left to nurse it home. He lost one position to finish the race 11th. He maintains sixth in the Championship, with the team still second in the Team points.
Championship Points
1. Scott McLaughlin 2579
2. Shane Van Gisbergen 2490 -89
3. Jamie Whincup 2146 -433
4. Craig Lowndes 2061 -518
5. David Reynolds 2030 -549
6. Fabian Coulthard 1796 -783
7. Chaz Mostert 1739 -840
8. Rick Kelly 1726 -853
9. Tim Slade 1553 -1026
10. Scott Pye 1549 -1030
Race Results
1 Shane van Gisbergen 77 laps
2 Jamie Whincup +0.205
3 Scott McLaughlin +4.271
4 Craig Lowndes +5.759
5 Chaz Mostert +8.346
6 Rick Kelly +9.063
7 David Reynolds +9.833
8 Nick Percat +10.442
9 Jack Le Brocq +10.870
10 Tim Slade +18.415
11 Fabian Coulthard +18.900
12 Lee Holdsworth +19.449
13 James Golding +20.133
14 Simona De Silvestro +20.735
15 Mark Winterbottom +21.722
16 Tim Blanchard +26.373
17 Will Davison +45.106
18 Anton de Pasquale +55.819
19 Cameron Waters +1 lap
20 Garth Tander +1 lap
21 Richie Stanaway +1 lap
22 Michael Caruso +3 laps
23 Todd Hazlewood +3 laps
24 Andre Heimgartner +9 laps
25 Scott Pye +14 laps
DNF James Courtney 52 laps
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