Defending Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen doesn’t understand why there’s negative chatter about his start to 2023.
He’s not bothered and is happy with where he sits in the standings — fourth on 814 points, 172 behind leader Brodie Kostecki approaching the season’s halfway mark.
“It’s all good, there’s along way to go in the championship,” van Gisbergen told the Herald.
“I don’t know what everyone else’s issues are. No one’s panicking, it’s all fine and we’ve had some good results, wins and stuff. We’re at the pointy end [of the standings] and will keep racing and doing our thing.”
Van Gisbergen is perhaps a victim of his incredible success over the past two seasons. He claimed his third Supercars title last year, winning a record 21 of the 34 races. In 2021, he won 14 of 30 races.
This season has been a bit of a roller-coaster, including a disqualification mixed with three wins and three other podium finishes in 12 races.
The last three rounds have seen young guns such as Kostecki, second-placed Will Brown and van Gisbergen’s Triple Eight Race Engineering teammate Broc Feeney feature at the front of the field. However, the Kiwi has been collecting solid points along the way.
“It’s part of it and it’s like it every year. Sure, we’ve had a couple of good seasons but it’s still been hard.
“This year, there have been quite a few changes with the car and it’s been difficult at times.
“Broc was quick towards the end of last year and it’s good having a teammate that can push you hard.”
Shane van Gisbergen is fourth in the Supercars standings, 72 points behind leader Brodie Kostecki approaching the season’s halfway mark.
The first thing that comes to mind regarding the three-race Supercars round in Darwin is the heat. In-car temperatures have already been an issue with the Gen3 cars, which could be compounded this weekend.
Under normal race conditions, drivers are worried about getting engine, tyre and brake temperatures up. This weekend will be all about keeping them down.
“It’ll be warm and it’ll be a different kind of race, that’s for sure. We don’t race here very often and we have done all right at this track in the past. We’ve been competitive every time we’re up here.
“Having said that, there’s not a lot to like about the place, it’s too hot!”
It’s been four weeks since the last Supercars round, at Symmons Plains, Tasmania. Van Gisbergen thrives on seat time and has missed the racing.
“It would be good if we could do more races during a season and it’s been a bit spread out, especially at this time of year.
“The more race miles you can get, the better. Things get a bit better after this weekend, with rallying and Nascar, so it’s going to get busy, which is good,” said van Gisbergen.
The 32-year-old is looking forward to his Nascar debut in Chicago, the week before the Townsville 500 on July 8-9. He’ll be part of the first Nascar race in the city and will be piloting the Project91 Chevrolet Camaro out of the Trackhouse garage.
Project91 is an initiative aimed at giving a wildcard entry to accomplished international drivers, the most recent being former F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen.
“It’s going to be cool to try something different. I haven’t raced in America for a long time and I enjoy racing there. I’ve watched a lot of Nascar and it’ll be good to try something I haven’t done before. To jump in at the top level of Nascar is unbelievable. Being on the left side of the car won’t be hard, as I’m used to that in rally and GT cars. The racing looks completely different and the pit stops are run differently. I’ll have to do a bit of study to make sure I’m sharp.”
