Repco Supercars Championship leader Shane van Gisbergen has secured another victory in Townsville, despite a final corner lunge by Shell V-Power Racing’s Anton De Pasquale pitching him into a spin.
De Pasquale made a late race charge similar to van Gisbergen’s yesterday, but unlike the Kiwi fell just short as he spun the Red Bull Ampol Racing Commodore at the final corner as he tried in vain to take victory under brakes.
Given a 5s penalty for the contact, De Pasquale finished second as Cameron Waters continued his consistent start to the season in finishing third, just ahead of teammate James Courtney.
Polesitter Waters lost the start to both Shell V-Power Racing Mustangs as van Gisbergen ran wide at Turn 2 in fourth to drop position to Scott Pye, but this didn’t last long.
Pye and Will Davison tripped up exiting Turn 3 leading to the Nulon Commodore heading to another retirement, while the Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustang suffered a flat tyre as at Turn 5 it hit the wall.
Davison did continue and mounted a mighty comeback to seventh.
Full-season rookie Thomas Randle was the only driver to fit the super soft compound at the start and led for much of the first stint once the early safety car ended.
De Pasquale led from Waters until van Gisbergen made a clean move at Turn 13 set up the Kiwi’s race.
Waters pitted first on lap 25, as van Gisbergen took a shorter fuel stop three circuits later and this proved definitive when Shell V-Power Racing failed to counter the undercut advantage as De Pasquale emerged behind.
The Kiwi failed to give up this lead as the race heated up in the closing stages with De Pasquale taking big chunks of time out of his title rival until having a go down the inside at Turn 13. Locking up his front wheels, De Pasquale tapped the side of van Gisbergen to spin the Commodore. The Shell V-Power Racing driver attempted to redress, however van Gisbergen slid in behind to avoid this happening.
Waters led home teammate Courtney, although hampered by a lapped Lee Holdsworth in his Grove Racing Mustang.
Mobil 1 Optus Racing’s Chaz Mostert held third, but tyre life prevented him the ability to fight as he raced to fifth from rookie Broc Feeney, Davison, Tim Slade, Andre Heimgartner and Mark Winterbottom.
The Repco Supercars Championship continues in three weeks time at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia where van Gisbergen holds a 276-point lead from De Pasquale.