Shane van Gisbergen and Brodie Kostecki produced a battle for the ages in Saturday’s sole Supercars race, with the Kiwi taking the lead on the penultimate lap for a superb victory.
If any win was in typical van Gisbergen fashion, this was it, with the Kiwi pitting much later than the pack and using fresh rubber to hunt down the leaders in the dying stages.
Following his incredible 1.8-second pit stop, van Gisbergen emerged on the track in fourth, quickly passing James Courtney and then dispatching David Reynolds before overcoming a three-second gap to pressure Kostecki for the win.
The two traded paint multiple times over several laps once the Kiwi caught up, with Kostecki also warned for blocking as he held firm in an excellent display of defence. Van Gisbergen eventually worked through, running two wheels on the dirt at Turn 5 to take the lead and go on for the victory.
This fight also brought Reynolds back into contention, the series veteran pressuring Kostecki into some more relentless defence to hold on to second, which he managed to do.
Reynolds was deserving of third, while Todd Hazlewood was one of the drivers of the day after driving from 12th to finish 4th. Courtney rounded out the top five, whilst Matt Payne should be commended for a well-deserved sixth off the back of an extremely quick qualifying run earlier in the day.
Tim Slade, Will Davison, Thomas Randle and Broc Feeney rounded out the top 10.
Andre Heimgartner couldn’t overcome a tough qualifying result, coming home 21st despite making several places early on. The Kiwi was also involved in drama during the race, tapping Cam Waters into a spin at the exit of Turn 7 as the Tickford driver braked at the corner exit to enter the pit lane.
Jack Smith was another driver in the wars, this time in the pitlane when his left rear was not attached as he was released, resulting in him losing several laps as his team rushed down to replace the missing wheel.
The battle between van Gisbergen and Kostecki is what the race will be remembered for, however, with the two putting on a superb display of racing, setting the scene for the rest of the weekend and season.
An early duel between the pair only offered a taste of what was to come, with Kostecki having launched clear off the front row and having been hunted down by the Red Bull on Lap 18 of a precise criss-cross manoeuvre.
Kostecki returned fire the next lap to retake the lead; however, he immediately dove into the lane for his mandatory stop. He returned to the track behind Reynolds but quickly took the net lead back on the back straight the next lap.
Supercars return for two further 42-lap races tomorrow, with qualifying for those at 1.05 pm and Race 8 at 3.15 pm. Race 9 concludes the Perth Super Sprint at 7.00 pm.
Header Image: Supercars
