Adelaide Supercars: Van Gisbergen wins again as rivals hit trouble
Shane van Gisbergen capped off a perfect weekend in Adelaide with a second win on Sunday, while Supercars title favourites Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin both dropped points

Van Gisbergen is now unbeaten in the South Australian capital across four races, backing up his double win in 2017 with another clean sweep this time around.
With last year's title combatants Whincup and McLaughlin both hitting trouble, van Gisbergen sits 42 points clear at the top of the standings after the opening round of the new season.
Whincup had made light work of the first part of the 78-lap race, building a 10-second lead over the first 25 laps as McLaughlin and van Gisbergen scrapped over second place.
Reigning champion Whincup's day looked like it was going to get even easier when a front-right puncture took McLaughlin out of the lead battle pack on lap 26, an unscheduled stop dropping the Penske Ford outside the top 20 and seemingly leaving the Red Bull Triple Eight Holdens free to run away with the race.
But just five laps later, Whincup hit troubles of his own. Rising gearbox temperatures finally caught up with his brand new ZB Commodore, the reigning champion limping back to the pits for his first DNF since 2013.
That left Saturday race winner van Gisbergen out front, but the race was hardly done.

David Reynolds looked to turn an impressive second stint into a play for the lead around the second stops, running three laps later than van Gisbergen and managing to sneak back out ahead with 33 laps to go.
But Reynolds' time at the front didn't last long, van Gisbergen making use of his warmer tyres to charge back on into the lead on that very same lap.
After dropping back to second Reynolds was able to hold on to van Gisbergen, while Garth Tander - who like Reynolds drifted into contention across the second stint - shadowed the top two as well.
But while they could hang on, neither made a genuine attempt for the lead. In the end van Gisbergen came home 0.8s clear of Reynolds, Tander dropping back to more than 3.5s off the winner.
"I love Adelaide, that was just awesome," said van Gisbergen.
"We went the wrong way with our set-up and had to battle it out there. Davey was really quick and I expected him to battle me back.
"I can't thank the team enough, it's an awesome debut for the new Commodore."
Chaz Mostert and Cam Waters finished fourth and fifth, but it wasn't all good news for the Tickford squad.
Mark Winterbottom had been in the mix for a good result of his own, sitting fourth as the second stops shook out.
But with 21 laps to go he was stung with a drive-through penalty for excessive kerb use, a decision that infuriated Tickford boss Tim Edwards.
"They make you cringe, particularly because he's been conservatively driving around it and watching the cars in front drive over it," he said. "So it's bullshit, it's absolute bullshit.
"If anyone actually bothered to look at the television screen, they'd actually see that."
James Courtney recovered from a poor qualifying effort to come home sixth, ahead of Craig Lowndes, Scott Pye, and Michael Caruso.
McLaughlin rounded out the top 10 thanks to a sharp recovery from his mid-race puncture.
Race two result
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Laps | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shane van Gisbergen | Triple Eight | Holden | 78 | 1h48m02.0912s |
2 | David Reynolds | Erebus | Holden | 78 | 0.8247s |
3 | Garth Tander | GRM | Holden | 78 | 3.6322s |
4 | Chaz Mostert | Tickford | Ford | 78 | 5.9563s |
5 | Cameron Waters | Tickford | Ford | 78 | 11.2706s |
6 | James Courtney | Walkinshaw | Holden | 78 | 13.9504s |
7 | Craig Lowndes | Triple Eight | Holden | 78 | 14.6830s |
8 | Scott Pye | Walkinshaw | Holden | 78 | 16.8859s |
9 | Michael Caruso | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan | 78 | 17.2717s |
10 | Scott McLaughlin | DJR Penske | Ford | 78 | 25.0862s |
11 | Tim Slade | Brad Jones | Holden | 78 | 25.7981s |
12 | Will Davison | 23Red Racing | Ford | 78 | 30.2347s |
13 | Mark Winterbottom | Tickford | Ford | 78 | 30.7273s |
14 | Rick Kelly | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan | 78 | 34.9234s |
15 | Nick Percat | Brad Jones | Holden | 78 | 35.5774s |
16 | Fabian Coulthard | DJR Penske | Ford | 78 | 42.1848s |
17 | Anton De Pasquale | Erebus | Holden | 78 | 44.0455s |
18 | Simona de Silvestro | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan | 78 | 51.8463s |
19 | James Golding | GRM | Holden | 78 | 1m03.2025s |
20 | Richie Stanaway | Tickford | Ford | 78 | 1m06.3546s |
21 | Todd Hazelwood | Matt Stone | Ford | 77 | 1 Lap |
22 | Jack Le Brocq | Tekno | Holden | 77 | 1 Lap |
23 | Tim Blanchard | Blanchard/BJR | Holden | 71 | 7 Laps |
24 | Lee Holdsworth | Team 18 | Holden | 70 | 8 Laps |
25 | Andre Heimgartner | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan | 61 | 17 Laps |
- | Jamie Whincup | Triple Eight | Holden | 30 | Retirement |
Drivers' standings
Pos | Driver | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Shane van Gisbergen | 300 |
2 | David Reynolds | 258 |
3 | James Courtney | 240 |
4 | Chaz Mostert | 216 |
5 | Scott McLaughlin | 207 |
6 | Garth Tander | 186 |
7 | Craig Lowndes | 180 |
8 | Mark Winterbottom | 177 |
9 | Cameron Waters | 171 |
10 | Scott Pye | 168 |
11 | Will Davison | 159 |
12 | Michael Caruso | 147 |
13 | Tim Slade | 138 |
14 | Nick Percat | 132 |
15 | Jamie Whincup | 102 |
16 | Lee Holdsworth | 102 |
17 | Anton De Pasquale | 102 |
18 | Simona de Silvestro | 102 |
19 | Rick Kelly | 99 |
20 | Fabian Coulthard | 99 |
21 | Andre Heimgartner | 84 |
22 | Jack Le Brocq | 84 |
23 | Todd Hazelwood | 81 |
24 | James Golding | 48 |
25 | Richie Stanaway | 45 |
26 | Tim Blanchard | 36 |

Previous article
Crash legacy hampered Supercars champion Whincup in Adelaide opener
Next article
Supercars rivals were jumping over Adelaide sensors - Winterbottom

About this article
Series | Supercars |
Drivers | Shane van Gisbergen |
Author | Andrew van Leeuwen |
Adelaide Supercars: Van Gisbergen wins again as rivals hit trouble
Trending
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
OPINION: Roger Penske's operation helped lift Dick Johnson's faltering Ford team back to the top of Australian tin-tops. But, despite The Captain's departure, along with star driver Scott McLaughlin, there's no reason to expect an imminent decline from DJR
Why Whincup's next move is no calculated gamble
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But the team's outgoing boss Roland Dane has full faith that he'll be up to the task
The top 10 Supercars drivers of 2020
In a year of few constants, the Australian Supercars championship could be relied upon for its usual blend of rough and tumble racing with a V8 soundtrack. But who were its top performers in 2020?
The 'lifetime deal' that broke down in double quick time
Last year, David Reynolds signed a decade-long deal with Erebus, seemingly pledging his long-term Supercars future to the team. One year on, "Decade Dave's" contract has been reduced to tatters, with an undercurrent of discontent having brewed in 2020
How Supercars now needs a new "human salt harvester"
Scott McLaughlin has been a divisive figure in Supercars over the past few years but, as he heads off to a fresh challenge in IndyCar, the Australian tin-top series needs to find someone else to fill his dramatic boots as the category enters a new era
Why McLaughlin is wrong to label 2020 his best title
OPINION: Scott McLaughlin was quick to describe his third Supercars title as his best yet. But even though it didn't match the dramatic backstory of his 2018 triumph, there's a good reason for him wanting to control the narrative this time around
Why Supercars would settle for an anticlimactic title race
It's a predicament that has faced the World Endurance Championship in the past, and now it's the turn of Supercars to have its biggest race - the Bathurst 1000 - taking the final slot on the calendar. Will its wider significance upstage the title battle?
The 10-year wait for a Supercars champion halted by coronavirus
When the Supercars season resumes James Courtney will be a Tickford Racing driver - but it's not the first time the star driver has flirted with the famous Ford squad