A solid points haul for Shane van Gisbergen sees him holding fourth overall in the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship but still mystified with the speed of the new Gen3 chassis. Competing in the Darwin Triple Crown at the Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin, the Kiwi finished sixth, third and ninth across the three-race weekend.
“Qualifying was interesting today (Sunday),” commented van Gisbergen. “I finished my lap and expected to finish P25 but we qualified third within a tenth, so I need to reflect on that and learn more from the car because it feels like I can be better.
“In the races, it doesn’t feel like we’re competitive but in reality, we’re fast, so I don’t really understand why that is because it’s a bit of a battle.
“The racing was particularly tough this weekend, especially when you get stuck behind others because the cars get so hot. The team has done an awesome job to stick behind me and keep trying stuff with the car.
“We had a lot of problems on Friday and basically lost all our practice sessions, but to come out with second on points for the weekend and for Broc (Feeney) to finish first on points for the event is awesome.
“I haven’t been much help to that side of the garage, so it’s been awesome to get a good team result because we’ve been struggling so much. I’m looking forward to Townsville because at least we can have some strategy and try some different things and hopefully the racing is good for everyone to watch.”
Teammate Broc Feeney had a top weekend finishing second, first and third and now sits third overall while their Red Bull Ampol Racing are second overall in the Teams’ Championship.
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NTI Townsville 500 on July 7-9. Tickets are on sale now.
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