Motorsport: Shane van Gisbergen grabs Supercars series lead

Red Bull Holden duo Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen finished one-two. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen took over the lead of the Supercars Championship lead by finishing second at this afternoon's race at Bend Motorsport Park in rural South Australia.

The Red Bull Holden Racing Team racer finished second to teammate Jamie Whincup – with the pair starting the race in that order – and overhauled compatriot Scott McLaughlin in the championship battle as a result.

McLaughlin qualified 10th and wasn't able to better that spot during the 41-lap race. McLaughlin held an 89-point lead in the standings going into the weekend but found himself 19 points off the pace by the end of it.

Whincup made a great start and bolted but Van Gisbergen got caught wide at the first corner and he dropped in behind Tim Slade before finally getting the spot back a few laps later.

After both stops were completed, Whincup came out with a handy margin and was never threatened while Van Gisbergen didn't have to do much to secure second. The one-two completed a dominant weekend for the Red Bull Holden outfit.

After winning yesterday's race and four of the past six, Van Gisbergen has rocketed up and into the title lead.

"That is pretty awesome – I saw the purple board and got a bit excited but there is such a long way to go and we need to keep our heads down," the 2016 champion said.

"Credit to the team – they have given us some rockets this weekend.

"A long way to go and we need to keep focused but we are in a good spot."

McLauglin's Shell V-Power Racing Ford really struggled with the hard tyres and brand new circuit at Bend.

Erebus Racing's David Reynolds completed the podium.

Other Kiwis in the field failed to fire. Fabian Coulthard managed only to finish in 14th, while Richie Stanaway was 22nd in his Tickford Racing Ford. Nissan's Andre Heimgartner made a mistake coming in for his first pit stop and damaged the car by rear-ending another car at pit lane entry. He failed to finish.

The championship moves to endurance racing with the Sandown 500 in mid-September.