Shane van Gisbergen has undergone surgery on his collarbone after injuring himself in a mountain biking accident this morning.
The 31-year-old, who leads the 2021 Supercars standings after cleansweeping the Repco Mount Panorama 500, had a plate inserted while under the knife this afternoon in Brisbane.
The news was confirmed in a statement by his Red Bull Ampol Racing team.
It means the Kiwi star will be ruled out of competing in the opening round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS next weekend at Phillip Island.
“While medically he would likely be able to do so, the decision has been made to wait until the Sandown SuperSprint in two weeks to return to the wheel to allow more time for a smooth recovery,” read the team’s statement.
His Triple Eight Supercars team-mate Jamie Whincup will instead take his place alongside His Highness Prince Jefri Ibrahim in the #888 AMG GT3 Evo.
Van Gisbergen’s next Supercars event is due to take place across March 20-21 at Sandown.