Motorsport: Groundhog day as Shane van Gisbergen looks to grow lead

Racing in the wet and under lights was action-packed for Shane van Gisbergen. Photo / Getty

The Supercars teams and drivers will be feeling a bit like it's groundhog day this weekend when they line up for the third time in a row at the Sydney Motorsport Park.

This, however, does not mean the racing is going to be boring - the first two race rounds at SMP could not have been more different.

During the first weekend, Anton De Pasquale was dominant through every session. But last weekend's rain-interrupted racing under lights made for interesting times, producing three different winners - Shane van Gisbergen, De Pasquale and Jamie Whincup.

There was also a bit of off-track tension between van Gisbergen and Will Davison, who exchanged words during the post-race press conference. Van Gisbergen remarked that, "I guess the good DJR car wasn't up front, so we don't know if we're really that fast."

That comment irked Davison as he thought the Kiwi was suggesting his teammate De Pasquale had a faster car. To compound the problem, Davison then implied that van Gisbergen had it in for him and "didn't know what his problem is".

Van Gisbergen heads into this weekend's three races with a healthy 337-point lead ahead of Whincup, who in turn is 112 points in front of Davison. The New Zealander has notched up 13 race wins so far this season and now has 53 top-spot finishes in his career, just three shy of compatriot Scott McLaughlin but well short of Whincup, who has 124 first-place trophies in his cabinet.

Last weekend was an up-and-down time for van Gisbergen with a win and a 23rd, which dented his points tally. Barring mechanical issues, or an on-track altercation with another driver, van Gisbergen should be able to continue in his winning ways, or at least be on the podium.

The weather could also play a role over the weekend as there is a 30 per cent chance of rain on Saturday and high winds over the weekend. And there are expected to be some big temperature swings that will play havoc with tyre wear and give mechanics and engineers some headaches.

While most eyes will be on van Gisbergen, De Pasquale and Davison, expect young Will Brown to again try to muscle in on the action. The Erebus Motorsport driver has taken to SMP like a pig to the proverbial, picking up his first Supercars podium over the first race weekend and backing it up with a pole position the following weekend.

However, heartache arrived during his first pit stop while leading the race when a wheel nut problem led to a lengthy visit.

"I guess it was pretty cool to start on pole. I remember just looking and thinking how cool this to be on pole next to Whincup," said Brown.

"So we take some of the positives away, but bloody disappointing - somebody doesn't want us to win. I've got a bloody fast race car, but it's not helping us right now."

Brown has the driving goods to stay with the frontrunners, and if Erebus keep giving him a fast car he's sure to notch up his first win very soon.

Van Gisbergen has his points lead in the Beaurepaires Sydney Cup almost halved when he finished 23rd last Sunday. He's now only 28 points ahead of Davison with five others within striking distance. De Pasquale is 45 behind then Nick Percat (58), Whincup (61) and Chaz Mostert (99).

With each race worth 100 points and five further points available for each race's fastest lap, the NZ$26,000 prize is definitely still up for grabs.

There is one race late on Saturday afternoon and a further two races on Sunday afternoon.