214 to 525: How van Gisbergen built big points lead

In four rounds, Shane van Gisbergen has gone from being less than a round ahead to having one hand on the title.

Van Gisbergen is a mathematical chance to clinch the 2022 championship in Bathurst.

It's easy to forget that van Gisbergen was third in the points after the Sydney season opener.

The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver has opened up a whopping 525-point lead with 900 points remaining.

Remarkably, that lead was only 214 points following the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown.

Van Gisbergen won seven of the next nine races, and coupled with rivals' issues, put 311 points on his nearest rival.

Only Cam Waters (525 points behind), Will Davison (602), Anton De Pasquale (669) and Chaz Mostert (778) remain in contention.

However, the latter trio could fall out of contention in Bathurst alone, given there will be 600 points on offer at Surfers Paradise and Adelaide.

Should van Gisbergen win Bathurst, Waters must finish fourth or better to take the title fight to the Gold Coast.

Conversely, Waters will be hoping for a Bathurst Hail Mary; should he win and van Gisbergen DNFs, the margin will be 225 points.

The four races in Surfers Paradise and Adelaide are worth 150 points for the winner, making Bathurst critical for van Gisbergen's hopes.

All season, van Gisbergen has maintained how he has chased a major points lead so he could have a crack in Bathurst.

Prior to Pukekohe, van Gisbergen admitted he "lost focus" chasing such a lead before he stitched together a brilliant run.

A clash with Davison in Darwin saw van Gisbergen's margin to De Pasquale drop to 214 points.

Between Townsville and Pukekohe, van Gisbergen won nine of 11 races, and missed the podium just once.

In those four rounds, the Kiwi's charge has benefited from issues from each of his primary title rivals.

The biggest loser has been De Pasquale, who in the last four rounds, has ceded a staggering 455 points to van Gisbergen.

De Pasquale was 214 points behind after Darwin, and heads to Bathurst 669 points in arrears.

Waters, Davison and De Pasquale have all suffered dramas in the last four rounds to let van Gisbergen off the hook.

Waters missed the podium completely at Sandown, dropping 107 points to van Gisbergen in one weekend.

De Pasquale missed the podium at The Bend and Pukekohe, and suffered his first DNF of the season at the latter.

De Pasquale collided with Brodie Kostecki in Race 28; van Gisbergen won the race and scored fastest lap bonus points.

At Sandown, De Pasquale also dropped out of contention in the finale after an unfortunate concertina with Davison.

Davison won races at Sandown and Pukekohe, but was hindered by identical pit lane penalties at both events.

He was also forced to fight back in the Townsville finale after a clash with Scott Pye.

At almost every turn, where his rivals faltered, van Gisbergen either won or finished on the podium.

Another strong run in Bathurst could prove pivotal in the 2022 title chase, with Waters arguably van Gisbergen's only barrier.

Shane van Gisbergen's 2022 points lead progression