Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen has dominated the opening 250km encounter and sealed back-to-back titles to add to his first in 2016.
Van Gisbergen overtook polesitter David Reynolds in the Penrite Racing Ford Mustang early on and put in a supreme performance to take his 20th win of the season.
Reynolds finished second holding off Chaz Mostert in the Mobil 1 Optus Racing Holden ZB Commodore and a recovering Will Davison after a delayed pit stop dropped him position in the first of the Shell V-Power Racing Ford Mustangs.
As a result of his victory, van Gisbergen holds an unassailable 606-point margin to Cameron Waters as the Monster Energy Racing driver finished fifth, despite a spectacular spin exiting the opening chicane.
Anton De Pasquale was sixth from Boost Mobile Racing by Erebus driver Brodie Kostecki, James Courtney in the Snowy River Racing Mustang, Mark Winterbottom in the IRWIN Racing entry and Nick Percat made it a Walkinshaw Andretti United double in the top 10.
It was uninterrupted race, though there were dramas including Reynolds having a loose steering wheel, Bryce Fullwood clobbered the inside wall exiting chicane leading to James Golding colliding with the rear of the Middy’s Commodore hampering both their races and Andre Heimgartner dropped out after the R&J Batteries Brad Jones Racing ZB Commodore endured engine problems.
Qualifying for Race 32 of the season kicks off Sunday’s Repco Supercars Championship action at 9:55pm AEST (10:55am AEDT).