In what has been a dominating display this season so far, Red Bull Ampol Racing Team’s Shane van Gisbergen just needs one more victory to equal Scott McLaughlin’s record for most race victories in a season after taking the Sunday double at Sandown.
After an early challenge by polesitter Will Davison, van Gisbergen went on to dominate the final Sandown encounter and now sits equal with Triple Eight Race Engineering stablemate Craig Lowndes on a record of 16 wins in a season.
Shell V-Power Racing Team driver Davison finished second clear of van Gisbergen’s rookie teammate Broc Feeney.
In another race where his title rivals failed, van Gisbergen took his series lead to Monster Energy Racing’s Cameron Waters by 500 points after the latter dropped position late when he left the circuit at Turn 9.
A collision during the opening lap between the two Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustangs dropped Anton De Pasquale out of contention in the same move as van Gisbergen took the lead entering the main straight.
Staying out longer, Davison was unable to close the 2s gap to van Gisbergen during the final stint.
Behind the top three Chaz Mostert finished fourth in the Mobil 1 Optus Racing Commodore from IRWIN Racing’s Mark Winterbottom and a season best result for Tim Slade in the Blanchard Racing Team Mustang.
Nulon Racing’s Scott Pye backed up teammate Winterbottom’s strong top 10 result in seventh from Thomas Randle for Castrol Racing, David Reynolds in the Penrite Racing Mustang and a recovering Waters was 10th.
New Zealand hosts the next round of the Repco Supercars Championship at Pukekohe on September 9-11.