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Shane van Gisbergen says he did not doubt his winning strategy despite confusion about how he stood during Race 1 of the Repco Supercars Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Van Gisbergen ultimately thumped his opposition by almost 20 seconds in the first 77-lapper at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight, despite emerging from his final pit stop six seconds behind second place with just 14 laps remaining.
However, Red Bull Ampol Racing had put the 2021 champion onto a three-stop strategy, and he would run down Will Brown and then pole-sitter Anton De Pasquale with ease in what he described as “a pretty awesome night”.
From the driver’s seat, though, it was not always so straightforward, with van Gisbergen even revealing that he thought he was in for a two-stop race during his first stint.
“Well my car strength is normally long runs, we’re normally really good on tyres,” he noted.
“Obviously with a three-stop, you have to pass cars, and I thought we could beat everyone [by using] a two-stopper because our car is normally better in that racing.
“So, a little surprised, I’ll have to go back and analyse, learn why they switched strategies, but it obviously was much, more quicker.”
Questioned about if he ever doubted the strategy, van Gisbergen said, “No, you know that the guys have done the right thing, but I’m coming over the hill and you see [De Pasquale] going into the hairpin and I’m going, ‘I have no idea what’s going to happen in the race’.
“I don’t know if it’s any good to watch for you guys but yeah, you just drive to the grip of the [soft] tyre and it lasts.”
Asked by Speedcafe.com about how he felt about how the contest played out, van Gisbergen said he would have preferred to race other drivers in a more direct fashion, rather than cruising on his own, saving tyres.
“It’s always intriguing, but I like racing people,” he explained.
“Even if it’s on different tyres, you can battle. Like, the first stint with Andre [Heimgartner], he was quicker but he was still managing and trying to come through, and Dave [David Reynolds] was catching and then he went off.
“So, that kind of stuff is interesting but when it’s like Lap 20, I pitted and never raced equally another car, I don’t know.
“You give a softer tyre, but you just drive slower. I felt like my lap times were quicker on the soft at the end of the race.
“You have a softer tyre at a higher pressure [ie higher mandated minimum] but you just manage it; like we’re four seconds a lap off qualifying times, just driving to the tyre grip, so I don’t know if the softer tyre is the answer.”
Even aside from the fog of the divergence of strategies, the victory was far from assured.
Car #97 developed an engine issue during the race, and while van Gisbergen was not sure exactly what that was in the immediate aftermath, he quipped that it may have in fact helped him manage his rubber.
“It started sounding a little funny and started crackling and it wouldn’t respond to heel-toe, and mid-range throttle something was wrong,” recounted the New Zealander.
“Then, I was losing time on my delta down the straight, like half a tenth, so not sure.
“It didn’t get any better but it kind of helped my traction, so might try and keep that if it rains tomorrow.”
Having used up three sets of soft tyres in Race 1, van Gisbergen admitted he will either be restricted to a two-stopper or have to reuse rubber in some way.
Qualifying for Race 2 will be held tomorrow from 10:50 local time/AEDT, with a Top 10 Shootout to finalise the grid for the afternoon’s 77-lapper later in the day.
