SVG wary of rivals' wet-weather attack
Series leader Shane van Gisbergen is not "underestimating" his rivals' wet weather skills at this weekend’s ARMOR ALL Sydney SuperNight.
This weekend's event will feature three 32-lap sprints, with two of them to be staged under lights.
It marks the second of four consecutive weekends racing at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Anton De Pasquale has been a cut above in Sydney, dominating all sessions but one and claiming victory in Races 20 and 22.
This weekend, teams will have a mix of Dunlop Hard and Soft compound tyres at their disposal for the first time in 2021.
The weather is set to provide another twist this weekend; there is a 60 per cent chance of rain for Saturday, and 90 per cent on Sunday.
With mixed tyre compounds and wet weather set to shake up the on-track action, van Gisbergen is anticipating on-track drama to present itself.
"I’d love to redo that drift video, hopefully, the top three do some skids," said van Gisbergen, who famously drifted around Sydney Motorsport Park after a rain-affected win in 2014.
Van Gisbergen displayed his wet weather prowess in Sandown
"There are a number of guys who are good in the wet.
"I don’t underestimate anyone in the wet, anything can happen."
Van Gisbergen has won several rain-affected races; notably, Hamilton in 2011, Homebush in 2014, Tasmania in 2017 and 2019, Townsville in 2019, and last year’s Bathurst 1000.
Critically, he has already won in the rain this year at Sandown, and also won the last fully wet races at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2014.
Red Bull Ampol Racing teammate Jamie Whincup also scored a podium in the same rain-soaked race at Sandown in March.
The last wet running at SMSP was in 2015, some years before many of the current Supercars field made their main game debuts.
Van Gisbergen won at a rain-soaked Sydney in 2014
Despite not running in the wet under lights himself before, Whincup hopes to lean on van Gisbergen’s previous success.
"Shane won both wet races in 2014," said Whincup, whose team will bring up 250 championship rounds this weekend.
"He was in Tekno back then, hopefully he can bring that amazing wet weather setup for SMSP over to us and we can both have quick cars.
"I can remember doing a bit of drifting at the end of the race as well.
"I think the whole highlights package was nothing to do with the race, it was how sideways the top three were getting.
"Hopefully we get a podium, and we can do the same thing again."
The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship will resume this weekend at the ARMOR ALL Sydney SuperNight.
Tickets for the three upcoming Sydney events are on sale now.
