Shane van Gisbergen finished Bathurst’s clean sweep by comfortably winning the second heat of the Mount Panorama 500.
Starting from a pole, the Kiwi maintained an emergency path position by being dragged out by Cam Waters to Turn 1.
Van Gisbergen was clearly able to match Tickford Mustang’s main for distance, but, with an aero wash face, he was unable to find a way through.
That made the crucial stops, van Gisbergen opting to make his first service on Lap 14. Waters continued the lap later but his Tickford side could not get out fast enough to stop van Gisbergen from taking the lead.
Once in front it was a spotless display from van Gisbergen, who pulled 4.2s over Waters over the second stint.
He and Waters then joined Lap 23, before van Gisbergen dropped his 6.1s lead before the end.
Speaking after the race, van Gisbergen said the middle stint was one of the best things he ever did – as well as giving a nice injection at Waters’ Monster Energy support.
“It’s a team win, a strategy win,” van Gisbergen said.
“Unfortunately you can’t fight on the way so we had to try and win it in the pit, and we did.
“That mediocre stint was just cowardly, it was so good to have such a good car and just push in fresh air. It deserved paws all the time and I was watching an energy drink sub-par grows smaller in the mirror. It was Very Good. “
Chaz Mostert made two podiums for the weekend with a good third place finish. Walkinshaw driver Andretti United had to pass a pair of Dick Johnson Racing innings on the way, going under the charge of Will Davison in the first stint.
He then pressed Anton De Pasquale into an error on the outer chest after his first stop, a moment at The Chase on cold tires for the DJR driver opening the door for Mostert to get past him.
De Pasquale went on to finish fourth, while team-mate Davison traveled back down the order in the final game. He was first jumped by Mark Winterbottom in the second round of stops, before locking the rocks at the last corner a few rows from home, allowing Jamie Whincup into sixth place.
Scott Pye finished the eighth race ahead of Andre Heimgartner, with Nick Percat taking the top 10.
The only finisher was James Courtney, who put his Tickford Mustang back into the wall at The Cutting on Lap 9.
Van Gisbergen now maintains a 33-point lead over Mostert in the standings.
Mount Panorama 500 Supercars – Race Results 2
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane van Gisbergen | Eight three-leaf clover | Holden | 1h26m39.2786s |
| 2 | Cameron Waters | Tickford | Ford | 6.1276s |
| 3 | Chaz Mostert | Walkinshaw | Holden | 8.6807s |
| 4 | Anton De Pasquale | Dick Johnson | Ford | 19.3709s |
| 5 | Marc Winterbottom | Team 18 | Holden | 23.2775s |
| 6 | Jamie Whincup | Eight three-leaf clover | Holden | 29.1513s |
| 7 | Will Davison | Dick Johnson | Ford | 30.3906s |
| 8 | Scott Pye | Team 18 | Holden | 33.1774s |
| 9 | Andre Heimgartner | Kelly | Ford | 42.5386s |
| 10 | Nick Percat | Brad Jones | Holden | 46.3388s |
| 11 | David Reynolds | Kelly | Ford | 46.9541s |
| 12 | Brodie Kostecki | Erebus | Holden | 48.3371s |
| 13 | Bryce Fullwood | Walkinshaw | Holden | 49.2006s |
| 14 | William Brown | Erebus | Holden | 54.7388s |
| 15 | Macauley Jones | Brad Jones | Holden | 1m01.9955s |
| 16 | Zane Goddard | Matt Stone | Holden | 1m03.6366s |
| 17 | Jake Kostecki | Matt Stone | Holden | 1m06.5015s |
| 18 | Todd Hazelwood | Brad Jones | Holden | 1m22.0643s |
| 19 | Jack Le Brocq | Tickford | Ford | 1m31.3873s |
| 20 | Garry Jacobson | Sydney | Holden | 1m38.9078s |
| 21 | Jack Smith | Brad Jones | Holden | 2m05.2315s |
| 22 | Fabian Coulthard | Team Sydney | Holden | 1 Lap |
| – | James Courtney | Tickford | Ford | Retirement |