Shane van Gisbergen completed a clean sweep of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 in a dramatic race, after ensuring a third Repco Supercars Championship and ensuring his Red Bull Ampol team has an unassailable lead in the teams title.
Van Gisbergen won his fifth race in a row, and 21st of the season, from pole position, in a chaotic race when 10 cars were involved in a massive pile-up on lap four.
“It’s been an awesome weekend, can’t thank the team enough,” commented van Gisbergen. “To come home with a couple of gold surfboard is pretty awesome.”
Chaz Mostert, who was 2.1s behind, scored his second podium in as many days, with Will Davison third.
The race was headlined by a high-speed pile-up at the beach chicane with the track initially blocked, the race was suspended; six cars were out on the spot, caused when James Golding hit a tyre bundle and spun in front of the field.
Davison led the field to green after a 20-minute stoppage, and came under attack from van Gisbergen who sliced through into the lead and was never headed.
By lap 25, van Gisbergen had opened a five-second margin with the race neutralised for a second time when Thomas Randle’s car ground to a halt on the pit straight on lap 71.
Van Gisbergen led the field to green on lap 75, and streaked away from Mostert for the victory and will take an unassailable 660-point lead over Waters to the VALO Adelaide 500, which concludes the Repco Supercars Championship.
Sunday’s result was van Gisbergen’s record-extending 21st win of the year, and fifth in a row.
“Everyone wants to be the last Holden winner and the Ford guys probably want to spoil that, so I’ll be there prepared but also ready to party.”
Triple Eight first won the title in 2008, and reeled off seven in a row between 2010 and 2016. It added wins in 2018 and 2021, and headed into 2022 as the defending champions.
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