Art of Gears
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Can Anyone Stop Shane Van Gisbergen’s Winning Streak?

By Joshua Kerr

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: (EDITORS NOTE: A polarizing filter was used for this image.) Shane van Gisbergen drives the #97 Red Bull Ampol Holden Commodore ZB celebrates after winning race 3 of the Sandown SuperSprint which is part of the 2021 Supercars Championship, at Sandown International Motor Raceway on March 21, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: (EDITORS NOTE: A polarizing filter was used for this image.) Shane van Gisbergen drives the #97 Red Bull Ampol Holden Commodore ZB celebrates after winning race 3 of the Sandown SuperSprint which is part of the 2021 Supercars Championship, at Sandown International Motor Raceway on March 21, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images) /
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Yes, this is yet another article about Shane Van Gisbergen.

He has been the dominant force of the first two rounds of the 2021 Supercars Championship.

As a Ford fan, it’s getting kind of annoying.

However, I always give credit where credit’s due, and Van Gisbergen is receiving that by the bucketload at the moment.

The Supercars paddock can’t quite believe what they have seen the Kiwi do this weekend.

Not even a collarbone injury can stop Van Gisbergen.

So what – or who – can?

That is a question that has many scratching their heads trying to find the answer to.

No matter what teams are throwing at this, their efforts are being blown out of the water by Van Gisbergen, who comfortably won races 4 and 5 at Sandown on Sunday.

At a warm Bathurst and a wet Sandown, Van Gisbergen has won all five of the races held so far this season, a feat achieved only once before, by Mark Skaife in 1994.

It leaves Van Gisbergen with a 150-point lead in the championship over his Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate, Jamie Whincup.

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Having such a big margin at such an early point in the season is very handy indeed, and Van Gisbergen’s rivals know this.

The mistakes need to be ironed out quickly.

To be fair, mechanical dramas are not always easy to prevent, with the engine of Anton De Pasquale’s Dick Johnson Racing Mustang not firing on all cylinders in race four, and Chaz Mostert’s Walkinshaw Andretti United Commodore having a problem with the throttle cable in race five.

However, at the same time, reliability and consistency in results is going to be key, as will be being in the right place at the right time.

Everything will need to be on point if Shane Van Gisbergen is to be stopped in his tracks.

Provided that they don’t run into each other like they did in race four, Mostert and Cameron Waters look to be the ones that could do so, considering that they have both found themselves in the lead at some stage.

I think some improvements in strategy and race craft would help both Mostert and Waters out.

The championship definitely isn’t over by any means, but some hard yards will need to be put in if Van Gisbergen is to be overhauled.

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