Lowndes streak in van Gisbergen's firing line
- Repco Supercars Championship
- |
- 04/08/2022
Shane van Gisbergen could match a 26-year-old Craig Lowndes should he continue his winning ways in 2022.
Van Gisbergen took his season wins tally to 14 at the OTR SuperSprint last weekend.
The Kiwi opened up a 393-point series lead with the clean sweep.
The Race 23 victory was his fifth in a row dating back to the NTI Townsville 500.
With 11 races remaining, van Gisbergen is now a serious threat to Scott McLaughlin's season wins record.
McLaughlin won a record 18 races in 2019, taking away Lowndes' marker of 16 set in 1996.
Lowndes, however, still hangs onto a record from his marvellous rookie season: most consecutive wins.
A 22-year-old Lowndes won eight races on the trot in 1996 at Lakeside, Barbagallo and Mallala.
McLaughlin's personal best is six in a row, a streak matched or bettered by seven drivers.
One of those drivers is van Gisbergen, who won seven in a row from Bathurst 2020 to Tasmania 2021.
Van Gisbergen began his dominant 2021 season with six straight wins in Bathurst, Sandown and Symmons Plains.
His march to the 2022 title will continue at Sandown later this month, a venue he won all three races last March.
Eight in a row in 1996 for Lowndes
Should he do the same, he will join Lowndes on eight straight wins, and will be one shy of McLaughlin's season wins tally.
A record-breaking ninth straight win and record-equalling 18th win would loom on home soil at Pukekohe.
Fittingly, it would come at the very last Supercars round at the famous New Zealand circuit, where van Gisbergen has won five races.
He has already helped Holden secure the Champion Manufacturer award in the brand's final season.
The Commodore will be replaced by the Chevrolet Camaro when Gen3 debuts in 2023.
The 2022 season will resume at Sandown on August 19-21. Purchase your tickets now.
Most consecutive race wins
| Wins | Driver | Year/s | Team |
| 8 | Craig Lowndes | 1996 | Lakeside, Barbagallo, Mallala |
| 7 | Jamie Whincup | 2008 | Bathurst, Gold Coast, Bahrain |
| 7 | Shane van Gisbergen | 2020/21 | Bathurst (2020), Bathurst, Sandown, Tasmania (2021) |
| 6 | Allan Moffat | 1977 | Tasmania, Calder, Oran Park, Amaroo, Sandown |
| 6 | Dick Johnson | 1981/82 | Adelaide, Surfers, Lakeside (1981), Sandown, Calder (1982) |
| 6 | Jim Richards | 1985 | Perth, Adelaide, Calder, Surfers, Lakeside, Amaroo |
| 6 | Mark Skaife | 1994 | Amaroo, Sandown, Tasmania |
| 6 | Scott McLaughlin | 2019 | Perth, Winton, Darwin, Townsville |
| 5 | Allan Moffat | 1972/73 | Oran Park (1972), Tasmania, Calder, Sandown, Perth (1973) |
| 5 | Peter Brock | 1980 | Tasmania, Calder, Lakeside, Sandown |
| 5 | Craig Lowndes | 1998 | Mallala, Perth, Calder |
| 5 | Craig Lowndes | 1999 | Eastern Creek, Adelaide, Perth |
| 5 | Marcos Ambrose | 2004/05 | Eastern Creek (2004), Adelaide (2005) |
| 5 | Garth Tander | 2007 | Perth, Pukekohe |
| 5 | Shane van Gisbergen | 2022* | Townsville, Tailem Bend |
*Season ongoing
