Sandown Supercars: Van Gisbergen sweeps Sunday poles
Shane van Gisbergen will start both of today's Supercars races from pole position after dominating two wet qualifying sessions.
The first session started in light-but-consistent rain, the red flag coming out before anybody had time to set a lap.
The culprit was Jake Kostecki, who ended up beached in the gravel at Turn 1, complaining of a stuck throttle over the radio.
When the session got going it was the Triple Eight cars that set the pace, Jamie Whincup leading initially with a 1m18.566s before van Gisbergen took over with a 1m18.327s.
That was followed by a nervous moment for the Race 1 winner, who bounced over a kerb at Turn 2, spun through Turn 3 an ended up facing the wrong way on the entry to Turn 4.
Had that prompted a red flag he would have lost his fastest time and been booted out of the session, however van Gisbergen was able to get going under his own steam to avoid a stoppage.
That effectively sealed Race 2 pole for van Gisbergen ahead of Whincup, Chaz Mostert and Cam Waters.
The rain eased but the track stayed wet for the second session, van Gisbergen leading from start to finish.
He continued to improve along the way, starting at a 1m18.606s and ending with a pole-winning 1m18.006s.
"[The car] was awesome to drive," he said. "Following [the DJR cars] out I could tell we had plenty of grip. It's just learning the lines and trying to follow the train tracks, but the car was awesome in both sessions.
"Normally I don't like the rain but today it wasn't a bad thing. Hopefully the weather is easy, it's one or the other, rain or dry. When it's in between it gets tricky."
Whincup was second again in the second session, followed by Will Davison and David Reynolds, that pair posting their best qualifying results since making off-season team switches.
Mostert and Waters were unable to match their efforts from the first session, the pair slumping to ninth and 10th respectively in the second.
Qualifying results for Race 2
| Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97 |  Shane van Gisbergen |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'18.327 | ||
| 2 | 88 |  Jamie Whincup |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'18.566 | 0.239 | 0.239 |
| 3 | 25 | Chaz Mostert |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'18.807 | 0.480 | 0.240 |
| 4 | 6 | Cameron Waters |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'18.993 | 0.666 | 0.186 |
| 5 | 7 | Andre Heimgartner |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'19.110 | 0.783 | 0.117 |
| 6 | 44 | James Courtney |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'19.144 | 0.817 | 0.033 |
| 7 | 17 | Will Davison |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'19.264 | 0.937 | 0.119 |
| 8 | 11 | Anton De Pasquale |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'19.283 | 0.956 | 0.019 |
| 9 | 26 | David Reynolds |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'19.416 | 1.089 | 0.132 |
| 10 | 8 | Nick Percat |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'19.437 | 1.110 | 0.021 |
| View full results | ||||||
Qualifying results for Race 3
| Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'18.006 | ||
| 2 | 88 | Jamie Whincup |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'18.363 | 0.356 | 0.356 |
| 3 | 17 | Will Davison |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'18.410 | 0.403 | 0.047 |
| 4 | 26 | David Reynolds |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'18.548 | 0.542 | 0.138 |
| 5 | 7 | Andre Heimgartner |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'18.716 | 0.710 | 0.168 |
| 6 | 18 | Mark Winterbottom |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'18.752 | 0.746 | 0.035 |
| 7 | 99 | Brodie Kostecki | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'18.835 | 0.829 | 0.082 |
| 8 | 11 | Anton De Pasquale |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'18.862 | 0.856 | 0.027 |
| 9 | 25 | Chaz Mostert |
Holden Commodore ZB | 1'18.912 | 0.905 | 0.049 |
| 10 | 6 | Cameron Waters |
Ford Mustang GT | 1'18.977 | 0.970 | 0.064 |
| View full results | ||||||
Related video
'Weird' wheel compromise helped van Gisbergen
Sandown Supercars: Van Gisbergen wins, rivals clash in Race 2
Dean Thompson joins Tricon Toyota NASCAR Truck program
Dean Thompson is the latest addition to the Toyota Racing Development-supported Tricon Garage NASCAR Truck Series organization.
Bourdais: Reliability will decide who wins first LMDh race in Daytona
Cadillac driver Sebastien Bourdais believes reliability, and not outright pace, could be the deciding factor in the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Daytona.
Palm Beach Cavallino Classic 2023: Don't Miss Your Spot At Cavallino Classic
Ticket sales are now open for the world's largest Ferrari-exclusive concours, taking place in January 2023.
Ranking the top 10 WRC drivers of 2022
The World Rally Championship welcomed in a new hybrid era in 2022, presenting an unknown challenge to the planet's top rally aces. New records were broken, as Toyota's leading charge became the youngest-ever title-winner, while familiar returning faces mixed it up with the new generation. Motorsport.com picks out the 10 best performers from the year
Why Courtney and Tickford are a dream match
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing.
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
Why Supercars now needs a new "human salt harvester"
Scott McLaughlin has been a controversial figure in Supercars over the past few years but, as he heads off to a fresh challenge in IndyCar, the Australian tin-top series needs to find someone else to fill his drama-filled boots as the category enters a new era...