Van Gisbergen claims first race win at Clipsal 500 Adelaide

Shane Van Gisbergen grabs lead at start
Shane Van Gisbergen grabs lead at start

Defending Virgin Australia Supercars Champion Shane Van Gisbergen has claimed the first victory of the 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, winning the first race of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

Shell V-Power Racing Team ace Fabian Coulthard has taken a hard-fought second place in today’s 250km, 78-lap first leg of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

The #12 Shell V-Power Ford driver started off second on the grid after a great run in the Top 10 Shootout earlier in the day, and led for a solid portion of race until pit-stop strategies were fully realized. He held off a determined James Courtney, and ended up being bested only by Shane van Gisbergen.

James Courtney (Mobil 1 HSV Racing) finished third to round out today’s podium finishes.

Van Gisbergen, started the first race from ARMOR ALL Pole Position, after a scintillating lap during today’s Top Ten Shootout. However that didn’t stop Coulthard from overtaking the defending champion on the opening lap after he started at second.

Van Gisbergen said the race was a tight affair, after his slow start and he had to fight his way back to the front.

“My car really had nothing on that first lap, Fabian pulled a nice move out of [turn] seven and I let him go into eight, but it took a long time for my tires to warm up," he said.

“We got clear air for the last quarter and really pushed on and the car was awesome the whole way."

Coulthard held onto the lead until a pit stop helped Van Gisbergen reclaim the lead midway through the race, a position he held onto for the rest of the race.

Coulthard takes the flag in 2nd
Coulthard takes the flag in 2nd

He said there’s plenty to take out of today heading into tomorrow’s 250km second race.

“We gave it our best shot and I feel like we maximized our package today and second was pretty much all it had," Coulthard said.

Two -time Clipsal 500 Adelaide winner, Courtney, set a new race lap record as he pushed through the pack on his way to his third placing. Van Gisbergen then broke that lap record as he powered away from the rest of the field. Courtney said he had his chance to move through the pack early on.

“Got a good start and thought ‘here we go’ got on the outside but thought better of it," Courtney said.

“It could have been a lot different if we’d got past, but it never happened."

Van Gisbergen will now be looking for a strong finish tomorrow in a bid to claim his second Clipsal 500 title.

Results

Pos Driver Team St Laps Behind
1 Shane van Gisbergen Holden Commodore VF 1 78 0.0s
2 Fabian Coulthard Ford Falcon FG/X 2 78 14.7
3 James Courtney Holden Commodore VF 4 78 15.6
4 Cameron Waters Ford Falcon FG/X 9 78 22.9
5 Rick Kelly Nissan Altima 8 78 23.4
6 Jamie Whincup Holden Commodore VF 7 78 24.2
7 Nick Percat Holden Commodore VF 11 78 28.9
8 Craig Lowndes Holden Commodore VF 13 78 32.8
9 Chaz Mostert Ford Falcon FG/X 3 78 33.9
10 James Moffat Holden Commodore VF 19 78 35.2
11 Michael Caruso Nissan Altima 14 78 37.2
12 Garth Tander Holden Commodore VF 15 78 38.3
13 Lee Holdsworth Holden Commodore VF 20 78 39.4
14 Tim Slade Holden Commodore VF 12 78 42.4
15 Mark Winterbottom Ford Falcon FG/X 5 78 44.5
16 Scott Pye Holden Commodore VF 18 78 46.2
17 Scott McLaughlin Ford Falcon FG/X 6 78 47.3
18 David Reynolds Holden Commodore VF 10 78 57.3
19 Tim Blanchard Holden Commodore VF 23 78 01:09.6
20 Simona de Silvestro Nissan Altima 24 78 01:16.8
21 Jason Bright Ford Falcon FG/X 22 77 1L
22 Todd Kelly Nissan Altima 16 77 1L
23 Alex Rullo Holden Commodore VF 26 76 1L
24 Taz Douglas Holden Commodore VF 25 64 14L
DNF Dale Wood Holden Commodore VF 21 49 DNF
DNF Will Davison Holden Commodore VF 17 0 DNF

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