• Latest
  • Trending

Watch: Shane van Gisbergen makes perfect start, claims second Mount Panorama win

February 28, 2021

NextGen NZ Championship unveils thrilling 2025/2026 Season: New categories, new stars, and the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix

June 18, 2025

McLaughlin and Van Gisbergen back behind the wheel in US Legends for Summer Shoot Out at Charlotte

June 17, 2025

Indy NXT: Hedge holds strong to finish inside Top 10 in tactical St Louis race

June 17, 2025

Whittaker wins as Chester excluded in dramatic NIERDC1-hour race at Hampton Downs

June 17, 2025

Reid and Fillmore fight back from a lap down to win thrilling NIERDC 3-Hour at Hampton Downs

June 17, 2025

Shane van Gisbergen wins historic first NASCAR Cup race in Mexico City

June 17, 2025
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 15: Second placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Race winner George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrate on the podium with Champagne during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 15, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202506150773 // Usage for editorial use only //

George Russell triumphs in tense Canadian Grand Prix as Lawson retires after difficult day

June 17, 2025

Toyota in the fight as 24 Hours of Le Mans enters final hours

June 17, 2025

Toyota Gazoo Racing fighting for positions at Le Mans

June 17, 2025

Yardley triumphs in Montreal thriller: First win in 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup North America

June 17, 2025

Lawson out in Q1 while Russell edges Verstappen for Canadian GP Pole

June 17, 2025
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
VelocityNews
Subscribe
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard
No Result
View All Result
VelocityNews
No Result
View All Result

Watch: Shane van Gisbergen makes perfect start, claims second Mount Panorama win

by Matthew Hansen
February 28, 2021
in Australia, Supercars
0

Shane van Gisbergen has converted pole position into a second consecutive victory at the Repco Mount Panorama 500 — the Kiwi claiming a clear-cut win over Cameron Waters and Chaz Mostert. It’s the first time van Gisbergen has swept the opening round of a Supercars championship, and gives him a significant head start in the title fight.

The defending Bathurst 1000 champ spent the first stint trailing Waters, only to get by him after the first stop and an apparent strategic miscalculation from Tickford Racing. From there the lead was never under threat.

James Courtney's day looks to be done 💥#RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/CbZkK3FBfa

— Supercars (@supercars) February 28, 2021

Off the start it was Waters with the outside line that had the best start, leaving van Gisbergen to deal with the DJR duo on the opening lap. By the end of it, the Monster pilot had almost six tenths of margin in hand. The big dice in the early laps was Will Davison versus Chaz Mostert for fourth place; Mostert getting the spot at the final corner at the end of lap two, having traded paint with Davison exiting the Chase earlier.

Pit stops started kicking off on lap three with Jack Le Brocq. David Reynolds followed suit the next lap. The leaders by and large pressed on for a longer opening stint, covering themselves in case there was a safety car and making use of their track position. A safety car very nearly came out when James Courtney crashed out of a top 10 slot on lap nine at the Cutting (stoving in the rear end of his Mustang), but with the 2010 champ returning to pit-lane unassisted no safety car came.

Jamie Whincup became the first of the front-runners to stop during the Courtney uncertainty, doing so straight away. The following lap Davison peeled off from fifth, trailed by Bryce Fullwood — the latter adding an extra little dent to Courtney’s already smashed Mustang as he drilled it at pit entry in the hopes of speeding him up.

Mostert was the first of the critical stops, being processed on lap 13. De Pasquale followed him a lap later from third, triggering a fascinating exchange between the two as De Pasquale re-entered the fray right in front of the Walkinshaw Commodore. De Pasquale looked set to retain the spot after surviving over the top of the mountain, only for him to lock an inside tyre at the Chase and give Mostert the position.

Tweeted too soon! 😬

Anton couldn't get it stopped and @chazmozzie gets by! #RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/ljRdfh8Kdg

— Supercars (@supercars) February 28, 2021

As the pairing dueled, van Gisbergen pitted out of second — the margin between he and Waters having grown to over a second. Waters completed his stop on lap 16, and immediately returned to the track vulnerable to van Gisbergen. The Red Bull ace had a run on Waters out of turn one as he came out of pit-lane, and then got by him over the crest of Mountain Straight — van Gisbergen moving across over the hill to block Waters, making mild contact but with no foul for either party.

Van Gisbergen immediately pumped a margin between he and Waters; posting the fastest lap of the race straight away, building a 1.6-second buffer in the process. Behind the duo Mostert was third some 2.5-seconds adrift, with De Pasquale, Davison, Whincup, Mark Winterbottom, Andre Heimgartner, David Reynolds, and Scott Pye filling the top 10 17 laps into the 40-lapper.

By the halfway point, van Gisbergen’s margin had grown to three seconds. By this point the pit-cycle had effectively restarted, with the first stoppers from cycle one touring the lane for their last stops from lap 20 onwards as the leaders continued on. Lap 23 was critical, as Mostert, Davison, and Whincup all stopped together. Mostert was the biggest one; radically altering his strategy for a much shorter fill in the hopes of making time on the van Gisbergen and Waters.

The battle of the energy drinks is red hot RN! 🔥🔥#RepcoSC pic.twitter.com/bpoysr4GwR

— Supercars (@supercars) February 28, 2021

The plan was immediately thwarted, though, by van Gisbergen and Waters’ reactionary pit-stops (De Pasquale followed them, too) the following lap. Van Gisbergen was able to retain a significant advantage on Waters and the rest, with three seconds in his favour. The field was cleansed by lap 27, van Gisbergen leading Waters (4.3 seconds in hand), Mostert (another 4 seconds behind), De Pasquale, Winterbottom, Davison, Whincup, Heimgartner, Pye, and Nick Percat in 10th.

From here the race settled into a rhythm; van Gisbergen adequately managing his gap to Waters — eventually winning by over five seconds. There weren’t many other changes among the lead pack; Waters and Mostert completing the podium over De Pasquale and Winterbottom. Davison had been planted in sixth position until a late-race off through the dirt at the final corner, which allowed Whincup to sneak by.

Pye, Heimgartner, and Percat completed the top 10 finishers, with Reynolds, Brodie Kostecki, Fullwood, and Brown narrowly missing out on a top 10 berth. Fabian Coulthard completed the Kiwi contingent in 22nd, after a fraught race shot by issues with the team’s fuel filler system.

The series now prepares for round two at Victoria’s Sandown Raceway on March 19–21.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.

No Result
View All Result
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.