How van Gisbergen can clinch title in Bathurst

Shane van Gisbergen can secure a second consecutive championship in Bathurst this weekend.

The defending champion has been the form driver in 2022 with a record-equalling 18 wins.

After six rounds, van Gisbergen was 214 points ahead. In the following four rounds, he put 311 points on his nearest rival.

The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver has won nine of the last 11 races dating back to July's NTI Townsville 500.

One more win, and he will break Scott McLaughlin's season wins record set back in 2019.

Only Cam Waters is within two rounds of van Gisbergen, who leads by 525 points.

Waters is the only driver within two rounds of points behind two-time champion van Gisbergen.

Shell V-Power teammates Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale are 602 and 669 points behind respectively.

If van Gisbergen puts 75 points on Waters on Sunday, he will clinch the title with two rounds remaining.

If Waters fails to finish, van Gisbergen needs to finish only 22nd, provided both Shell V-Power cars aren't further up the road.

Chaz Mostert is a distant fifth overall, and is mathematically in contention.

However, Mostert would nearly need to go unbeaten for the rest of the season and hope van Gisbergen suffers a nightmare.

Mostert led the championship after the first round in Sydney, but from there, van Gisbergen has led all the way.

Van Gisbergen will have his first match point at the circuit he officially secured the 2021 title last December.

The 33-year-old will share his #97 Commodore with Garth Tander in the race.

Van Gisbergen's lead-in to Sunday's race has been relatively sloppy by his standards, with the Kiwi making a number of errors.

Notably, van Gisbergen was handed a grid drop following a clash with Macauley Jones in qualifying.

Van Gisbergen/Tander will start seventh, with a three-place grid penalty applied after Saturday's Shootout was washed out.

That's not to say the #97 won't go after it on Sunday, with van Gisbergen and Tander aiming for a second win in three years.

However, with Waters starting on pole, Tickford Racing will be hoping they can make up ground, and that the #97 hits trouble.

Here are the scenarios for Waters to stay in contention:

Here are the scenarios for Davison to stay in contention:

Here are the scenarios for De Pasquale to stay in contention:

Here are the scenarios for Mostert to stay in contention: