After the first of four weekends for the Repco Supercars Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park it was Red Bull Ampol Racing in the unusual position of being on the backfoot.
The Shell V-Power Racing Ford Mustang of Anton De Pasquale was the package to beat last weekend, albeit a poor jump and exclusion prevented a complete clean-sweep of the event.
Championship leader Shane van Gisbergen took advantage to take his 12th win of the season in his Red Bull Ampol Racing Holden ZB Commodore, but this was only after electrical problems curtailed De Pasquale’s teammate Will Davison while in front.
Although believing the Red Bull Ampol Racing is an improved package since last year’s rounds at SMP, van Gisbergen admitted more pace needed to come, but it will be at a cost.
“Probably our only strength is tyre life, we were really good over those stints there,” van Gisbergen said.
“Maybe we could give some of that up to find some speed.
“I feel like we are better than we were last year, from memory Scotty in that car was really, really fast especially at Turn 1 and the first half of the lap. I feel like in some ways we are better, this is not our strongest type of track, so I do feel like we’re stronger.
“BJR is normally quick here and the Erebus guys are going well so we do need to find some speed.”
Missing from the team’s set up this weekend is Technical Director Jeromy Moore, who is back at the Red Bull Ampol Racing base in Banyo Queensland overseeing the Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro program.
Asked whether Moore’s absence had an effect on the team’s performance, van Gisbergen stated there was no difference.
“I don’t know,” the Kiwi said. “I haven’t thought about it
“The prep was still as intense as ever; he was as involved as he normally is. Maybe in debriefs we’ll lack not having him here directly.”
Although De Pasquale took two out of three wins, van Gisbergen holds a 338-point lead from teammate Jamie Whincup heading into this weekend’s Sydney Supernight event.