C2: Van Gisbergen emerges victorious from an internal duel in Townsville

Perfect weekend for Triple Eight. One Day After Jamie Whincup (Holden), it was Shane van Gisbergen (Holden) who took victory on the Townsville street circuit on Sunday.

The New Zealander, 2016 Supercars champion, saw his pole position advantage vanished when the first wave of pit stops allowed teammate Jamie Whincup to take the lead on lap 18. Shane van Gisbergen kept his cool and took advantage of overtaking the backmarkers to regain the advantage on the 43rd lap.

SVG passes Whincup for the lead!#VASC pic.twitter.com/vCvXfIolRN

— Supercars (@supercars) July 8, 2018

The positions did not change until the end, despite a Safety Car to clear the Nissan of Michael Caruso, sent into the tire wall by Anton de Pasquale (Holden).

A nasty shunt for Caruso.

He's out of the car and okay.#VASC pic.twitter.com/OZnRkV6bnF

— Supercars (@supercars) July 8, 2018

Shane van Gisbergen returns to 131 points behind leader Scott McLaughlin (Ford). The latter cleverly reversed a bad situation; Starting 9th, he fell to 12th, then rose thanks to an offbeat strategy to the third step of the podium.

“This third place is like a victory. Tire life has been fantastic”, welcomed Scott McLaughlin.