SVG takes tight Race 1 GP win
Shane van Gisbergen has moved up from P4 to take the first Supercars race win of the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
Taking advantage of an early gap, he easily dove past De Pasquale early, with the enforced late pit stops solving the rest of the podium with Kostecki in P2 and Brown in behind him.
Race 1 of the Supercars first Gen3 visit to Albert Park got underway with DJR’s De Pasquale on pole with Kostecki next to him, and SVG and Mostert on the second row with a gloom hanging over the track for the 19 lap outing.
(Remarkably, the PremiAir team got Tim Slade’s Camaro back on the track for a pit start after a big re-build following the P1 crash).
The #11 took turn with Kostecki in tight, with SVG swooping for P2 by turn 8 over Kostecki and Waters.
It was a tight field down to Fraser in in P24, with SVG ghosting De Pasquale’s wing, taking him with a smooth dive at turn 3 in a relatively easy move.
Lap 4 had De Pasquale not giving up a gap to the #97 leader, with Kostecki and Waters equally close, as was Mostert and Brown.
All the teams ran softs all the way down to P16, where Davison opted to save his sets for the remaining sessions.
Waters took a big loss of ground when he went wide, with both Mostert and Brown moving through into P4/5
By lap 7, SVG had found some extra tenths to take the split too over a second and building, whilst Kostecki had a small Camaro train on his tail, with Brown in P5 the fastest on track.
Lap 12 had Brown pass Mostert into P4, but had 2 seconds to make up to the provisional podium, whilst SVG was holding a one second margin to De Pasquale, who wouldn’t give up the ghost.
SVG was yet to pit on Lap 18, and De Pasquale had a stuck tyre when he ducked in to destroy his good podium run for his pole.
SVG dived in with a two second lead and Kostecki followed him in coming out in P2 over Brown and Mostert, with Brown earlier pit earning him the P3 spot after the pit mistake with the #11 DJR.
A one lap sprint to the chequered flag had SVG hold off Kostecki who charged late, with Brown getting a well earned P3 over Feeney, Mostert, De Pasquale, Waters, Le Bocq, Courtney and Jones.
2023 Australian Grand Prix Supercars schedule/running results
Thursday, March 30
11.25-11.55 Practice 1 – 1: Winterbottom 1:49.967 2: De Pasquale +0.151 2: SVG +0.207
13.15-13.45 Practice 2 – 1: Heimgartner 1:47.870 2: De Pasquale +0.021 3: Waters +0.046
15.10-15.25 Qualifying (Race 4)
17.45 Race 3 (19 laps) 1: Van Gisbergen 00:38.39 2: Kostecki +0.391 3: Brown +1.952
Friday, March 31
15.55 Race 4 (15 laps)
Saturday, April 1
9.30-9.45 Qualifying (Race 5)
9.55-10.10 Qualifying (Race 6)
17.30 Race 5 (13 laps)
Sunday, April 2
10.25 Race 6 (13 laps)
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