Earl Bamber and Shane Van Gisbergen finished second at Sandown. Photo / Getty
Shane van Gisbergen has extended his lead in the 2018 Supercars Championship after finishing second at the Sandown 500 this afternoon.
The Kiwi driver teamed up with compatriot Earl Bamber in the endurance event, and put in a solid performance to cross the line 6.8 seconds behind the winning duo
of Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell.
Van Gisbergen's biggest rival for the title – fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin – could only manage fourth alongside Alex Premat, increasing van Gisbergen's lead from 19 to 55 points with four events remaining.
Having only qualified in 11th, the Red Bull Holden of van Gisbergen and Bamber slowly picked their way through the field. Bamber spent most of his stint in the bottom half of the top 10, but made inroads as it progressed, before van Gisbergen drove them onto the podium.
Van Gisbergen credited Bamber's performance as key to their strong result.
