Record equalled: SVG draws level with legends
With victory in Race 6 at Symmons Plains, Shane van Gisbergen has joined a very exclusive group.
The Saturday result at the Beaurepaires Tasmania SuperSprint marked van Gisbergen’s sixth straight win to commence season 2021.
The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver joined Allan Moffat and Mark Skaife as drivers to have opened a season with six consecutive wins.
Legendary Canadian racer Moffat powered to six straight wins en route to the 1977 title, 12 years before van Gisbergen was born.
Moffat won his races across the Sandown, Calder, Oran Park, Amaroo and Sandown events.
In 1994, Skaife’s title win for Gibson Motorsport in 1994 began with wins at Amaroo, Sandown and Symmons Plains.
Van Gisbergen kicked off 2021 with a Repco Mt Panorama 500 clean sweep, before winning all three sprints at Sandown.
Saturday’s win marked van Gisbergen’s seventh straight win dating back to October’s Bathurst 1000.
It brings him level with teammate Jamie Whincup, who won seven straight races in 2008 across the Bathurst, Gold Coast and Bahrain events.
Craig Lowndes holds the overall record of eight, set back in 1996 across the Lakeside, Barbagallo and Mallala rounds.
Van Gisbergen can surpass Moffat and Skaife should he take out Saturday’s Race 7, which will commence at 1:35pm AEST.
Consecutive wins to start a season
Wins | Driver/Year/Venues |
6 | Allan Moffat, 1977 (Sandown x2, Calder, Oran Park, Amaroo, Sandown) |
6 | Mark Skaife, 1994 (Amaroo x2, Sandown x2, Symmons Plains x2) |
6 | Shane van Gisbergen, 2021* (Bathurst x2, Sandown x3, Tasmania) |
5 | Peter Brock, 1980 (Symmons Plains, Calder x2, Lakeside, Sandown) |
4 | Allan Moffat, 1973 (Symmons Plains, Calder, Sandown, Perth) |
4 | Jamie Whincup, 2009 (Adelaide x2, Hamilton x2) |
4 | Jamie Whincup, 2010 (Abu Dhabi x2, Bahrain x2) |
4 | Scott McLaughlin, 2019 (Adelaide x2, Albert Park x2) |
*active streak
