Shane van Gisbergen said his anger at Will Davison’s opening-lap shortcut fuelled his determination to take victory in Race 32 of the Repco Supercars Championship at the Gold Coast.
Those two shared the front row and it was Davison who made the better launch but, with a staggered grid, they arrived overlapping each other at Surfers Paradise’s first chicane.
Davison appeared to make something of an attempt to follow the race track proper through that complex but then opened up the steering and cut Turn 2 after a nudge from Chaz Mostert.
After a red flag for carnage at the Beach Chicane on Lap 4, van Gisbergen applied the blowtorch to the #17 Mustang and would make the pass within three laps of the race going green again, with a dive at Turn 11.
He then effectively led for the balance of the 85-lap contest, albeit running behind a short-filled Mostert during his second stint.
With the Red Bull Ampol Racing driver more than six seconds clear of the field before a late Safety Car, it seemed as though the Lap 1 incident was essentially a moot point, but not for some.
When asked about his unusual show of emotion in standing on the car after taking victory, van Gisbergen responded, “I was flipping angry [during] that red flag, how they let them keep the lead at the first chicane
“I haven’t analysed that yet – if he got a tap or he got off the brakes or whatever – whatever it is, I was angry.
“After that restart, I was going through him or around him and I went around him, which was good, and then just drove away.
“My car was magic and it’s just relief to do it like that and do it properly.”
Elaborating on that, the champion-elect said, “I haven’t analysed it yet, but in my view in the car, it felt like he got off the brake but maybe he got a hit [from] behind; I’m not sure.
“But, he got a really good start and we were side-by-side and I had room to give him room to go around but when I saw he took the straight, I took the apex.
“Then he just came out way in front instead of side-by-side.
“It is what it is, we have this argument every year, I can’t fix it, I just know I fixed it after the restart.”
Davison defended his actions, noting that he did have his nose ahead of Car #97 at turn-in to the first corner, a point to which replays attest.
“I hadn’t seen it yet [but] I definitely didn’t get off the brake,” claimed the Shell V-Power Racing Team driver, who would finish third, behind van Gisbergen and Mostert.
“I got a better start, went pretty deep, was a bit ahead on turn-in, so I thought, ‘We’ll just try and sneak around the outside there.’
“Then I felt a little hit in the door on the side, so you’re just heading towards a huge sausage kerb which breaks your car.
“Like, at the last second, I got bumped into there, so I just steered right and just thought I’d wait and see what was said.
“Sort of thought I was in front on entry, wasn’t a big deal, but I was just avoiding going across and damaging my car, basically.
“So, I have to look at it though, to be honest.
“I tried to make the corner but sort of got pushed – that’s what I thought – so, anyway, there’s not too much more to it.
“I knew they’d be looking at the vision and I was just sort of waiting to see what they thought was fair.”
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