SVG undone by ‘issues out of our control’ which ‘you come to expect in 2023’

Shane van Gisbergen has hinted at his ongoing frustration with life in Supercars after a dramatic ending to Race 18 at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver crossed the finish line in fourth position but would have been classified third given Cameron Waters had a five-second time penalty hanging over his head.

However, van Gisbergen was himself then slapped with an additional five seconds for his last-lap contact with Will Brown, when he passed the #9 Erebus Motorsport entry for fourth on the road.

Team Manager Mark Dutton was initially confused about the nature of the penalty, which was unsurprisingly handed down after cars had taken the chequered flag but technically deemed an in-race penalty and hence not able to be protested.

Dutton was open to the possibility that van Gisbergen had overstepped the mark with how he nudged Brown through the corner, even if he did not necessarily agree with the judgement by the Driving Standards Advisor and stewards.

Nevertheless, it was another bitter pill to swallow for the #97 Camaro pilot, who had fought back from 20th on the starting grid after breaching track limits during his only run in Part 2 of knockout qualifying.

Van Gisbergen’s #97 Camaro is in fact an alternate chassis this weekend, that being the car which was used as the Supercheap Auto wildcard entry in Hidden Valley, after ongoing handling niggles for him at that event and again at the NTI Townsville 500.

He felt like his handling woes were over after Practice 1 but, despite topping both that session and Practice 2, reported similar dramas again in the latter of those sessions.

SVG said via Triple Eight Race Engineering’s post-race press release, “I have to thank our guys again for all the work they have done.

“We changed cars during events, and they’ve done so much prep work to make it faster – they have been working their asses off.

“Obviously, the car is fast which is promising, but unfortunately we faced issues out of our control.

“These things you come to expect in 2023.”

Van Gisbergen won on his NASCAR debut earlier this month and has a second appearance in the Cup Series locked in for next month.

Team Principal Jamie Whincup rated the three-time champion a five out of 10 chance of staying in Supercars when he faced the media on Friday at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Van Gisbergen’s latest comments suggest that figure may be even lower now.