It’s one of those special sporting moments, the kind you know is going to become part of sporting folklore when Shane van Gisbergen chased down Aussie Cameron Waters to secure the kiwi victory in the last-ever Supercars race at Pukekohe.
The day did not look like it was going the kiwi’s way after poor qualifying saw him placed on the grid in eighth for the final race of the weekend and blistering pace continuing for Shell V Powers Will Davison, but all the cards just fell the Championship leader way in the closing laps.
Will Davison was looking all but a certainty to continue from his Saturday victory and claim the Jason Richards trophy when a bungled pit stop saw the 17’s rear wheel left loose and triggered a pit re-entry and a pit stop penalty ending Davison’s day.
The closing laps saw Cameron Waters and Andre Heimgartner in the lead pack of and a closing Shane van Gisbergen not far behind and soon finding his way to the back of the Monster Mustang, and in the closing laps, one of the best displays of wheel-to-wheel racing in the modern era unfolded.
Waters and van Gisbergen exchanged bumps, passes and dives with a locked break opening the door for the #97 to take the lead of the race with just three laps to go and claiming victory and securing the Jason Richard Memorial Trophy for a third time in front of an emotional home crowd.
“I didn’t give up,” van Gisbergen said.
“I knew he was going to be the hardest guy to get past.
“He was doing all the right things but making some mistakes as well.
“I just kept moving around in the mirror… unreal.”
Van Gisbergen now heads to Supercars’ Great Race, the Repco Bathurst 1000, holding a 525-point Championship lead over Waters. Davison is third and Anton De Pasquale is fourth.
