Shane van Gisbergen was the first ever race winner at The Bend. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen won his fourth race in five starts and the first ever race at Bend Motorsport Park to take a big chunk of compatriot Scott McLaughlin's Supercars Championship lead.
The 2016 champion started from second on the grid and made a pass on Red Bull Holden
Racing teammate Jamie Whincup shortly before a safety car was called early in the race.
That proved pivotal as Whincup lost ground stacking behind the Kiwi in the pits.
Van Gisbergen had little trouble taking off once the race went green again and powered to his sixth win of the season at a venue that proved extremely difficult to drive with the amount of dirt that got brushed across the circuit and the challenging layout.
Nissan's Rick Kelly finished second after battling teammate Michael Caruso throughout the race. Caruso held on for third while Whincup fought back to finish fourth.
McLaughlin ended up sixth, which sees his margin in the standings drop from 89 points to 41.
