Shane van Gisbergen is a Supercars champion once again, the New Zealander capping off a record-breaking 2022 with back-to-back titles and a 20th season win on the Gold Coast.
Key points:
- Shane van Gisbergen has won 20 of the 31 Supercars races this season
- Van Gisbergen claimed his third Supercars title and second in succession with victory
- Saturday’s was the first of two 250km races to take place on the Surfers Paradise street circuit
The New Zealander boasted a 567-point championship margin heading into the weekend and needed just 33 points to secure his third career title.
And he did so emphatically with a fifth career win at Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast’s first hosting of the event since 2019.
“What a year, it’s been a lot of fun,” van Gisbergen told Fox Sports after the race.
“It’s certainly pretty special [to win the title] … I’m stoked, it’s hard to put it into words.”
In securing the championship, van Gisbergen became the 11th driver in Supercars history to win consecutive titles.
He achieved it as he has done all year — in ruthless fashion.
Starting in second at the first of two 250-kilometre races at Surfers Paradise, van Gisbergen passed pole-sitter David Reynolds on lap 16 and never looked back, claiming victory by over 16 seconds as his rivals fought for the scraps behind him.
“It was a great battle at the start,” van Gisbergen said.
“Dave [Reynolds] was driving awesome, I enjoyed racing him, it’s been a while.
“Obviously the car’s amazing.
“Basically we had to beat one car, I think, to secure it [the championship] and we killed everyone and that was amazing.”
His victory in the Gold Coast sunshine is his 20th win from 31 races this year and his 11th in the last 13 outings, including a second career Bathurst triumph earlier this month.
AAP/ABC