Shane van Gisbergen kicks off Gen3 with a victory

The new era of Supercars opened this Saturday with the victory of outgoing champion Shane van Gisbergen. The New Zealander thus pocketed his 76^e career victory, the 242^e for Triple Eight and the team's first in a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The American coupe did not miss its debut in the championship, replacing the local manufacturer Holden. It is the first victory for a Chevrolet driver in the championship since Kevin Bartlett at Oran Park in 1982. It is also the fifth time since 2017 that van Gibsergen has won the opening race of the season.

The reigning champion starts the new era with a classy performance 👏@shanevg97 wins Race 1 at the Thrifty Newcastle 500! #RepcoSC #Supercars pic.twitter.com/ssVW8m7Mj1

— Supercars (@supercars) March 11, 2023

Rarely in Newcastle (New South Wales), the entire race took place under a green flag for the second time in its existence, with Nick Percat (Mobil 1 NTI Mustang) being the only retirement from the event. Shane van Gisbergen took advantage of the first wave of pit stops to clear out his rivals, notably Tim Slade (Nulon Camaro) who was delayed by a locked front wheel during his stop.

At the checkered flag, Shane van Gisbergen won with a margin of more than 14 seconds over Broc Feeney, who ensured a one-two finish for the Camaros. Ford Mustangs took third and fourth with Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert.

The summary of Newcastle Race 1 in video:

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