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Van Gisbergen claims thrilling 2017 Clipsal 500 crown

Sunday's start with van Gisbergen on the pole in the #97 Red Bull Holden
Sunday's start with van Gisbergen on the pole in the #97 Red Bull Holden and Coulthard alongside

Defending Virgin Australia Supercars Champion Shane Van Gisbergen has capped off a dominant weekend in Adelaide, claiming his second Clipsal 500 crown with a win in dramatic circumstances this afternoon.

It was another memorable Clipsal 500, with rising star Scott McLaughlin holding the lead until the 75th lap of 78. With Van Gisbergen closing in over the final laps, McLaughlin locked his brakes, allowing Van Gisbergen to pass and claim his second Clipsal 500 title.

“Just as I got to him, I saw his big moment," Van Gisbergen said.

The 28-year old says there is still plenty of improvement to make to his car following the opening round of racing.

“We had a pretty average test … we still had vibrations this week, but the car was fast."

Van Gisbergen started slowly from his ARMOR ALL Pole Position in today’s race and was made to work for his win in front of McLaughlin and Chaz Mostert who finished second and third in today’s race respectively.

McLaughlin didn’t hide his emotions after going within three laps of a dream debut with his new Shell V-Power Racing Team.

“I thought today could’ve been the day we got our first win, but there’s a lot of promise there," McLaughlin said.

“I’m feeling really confident, but I’m just gutted – you lead a whole race and then you lose it."

Defending Clipsal 500 champion and South Australian local Nick Percat was forced to retire early in the race due to mechanical problems, while the first female full-time driver in the Supercars era, Simona De Silvestro finished 23rd and Alex Rullo who is now the youngest driver in Supercars history finished in 25th following his first weekend of racing.

VASC teams will now prepare for the next event on the calendar, the non-championship round at the 2017 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix from March 23-26.

Results

Pos Driver Make St Laps Behind Points
1 Shane van Gisbergen Holden Commodore VF 1 78 0.0s 150
2 Scott McLaughlin Ford Falcon FG/X 3 78 10.1 138
3 Chaz Mostert Ford Falcon FG/X 4 78 19.5 129
4 James Courtney Holden Commodore VF 5 78 21.2 120
5 Fabian Coulthard Ford Falcon FG/X 2 78 29.5 111
6 Jamie Whincup Holden Commodore VF 10 78 31.4 102
7 Tim Slade Holden Commodore VF 9 78 33.9 96
8 Cameron Waters Ford Falcon FG/X 7 78 40.7 90
9 Todd Kelly Nissan Altima 16 78 42.2 84
10 Craig Lowndes Holden Commodore VF 15 78 43.8 78
11 Garth Tander Holden Commodore VF 8 78 44.8 72
12 David Reynolds Holden Commodore VF 17 78 45.3 69
13 Will Davison Holden Commodore VF 20 78 52.5 66
14 Mark Winterbottom Ford Falcon FG/X 11 78 55.2 63
15 Jason Bright Ford Falcon FG/X 18 78 56.0 60
16 James Moffat Holden Commodore VF 14 78 56.8 57
17 Rick Kelly Nissan Altima 19 78 59.1 54
18 Lee Holdsworth Holden Commodore VF 22 78 59.9 51
19 Scott Pye Holden Commodore VF 13 78 01:17.0 48
20 Dale Wood Holden Commodore VF 21 78 01:17.6 45
21 Tim Blanchard Holden Commodore VF 23 77 1 Lap 42
22 Michael Caruso Nissan Altima 12 77 1 Lap 39
23 Simona de Silvestro Nissan Altima 26 77 1 Lap 36
24 Taz Douglas Holden Commodore VF 24 76 2 Laps 33
25 Alex Rullo Holden Commodore VF 25 75 3 Laps 30
DNF Nick Percat Holden Commodore VF 6 0 DNF 0