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Tander was determined not to be weakest link

13 Oct 2022
Now five-time winner 'worked really, really hard' in lead-up
3 mins by James Pavey
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Garth Tander says he worked overtime heading to Bathurst, determined not to be caught out amid a well-oiled #97 crew.

Tander recorded his fifth Bathurst victory, and second with Shane van Gisbergen, last Sunday.

It adds to Tander’s wins with Garry Rogers Motorsport (2000) and the Holden Racing Team (2009 and 2011).

Van Gisbergen and Tander first paired up in 2019, and finished second.

They won together in 2020, and loomed to finish second last year before a tyre let go late on.

In four starts, the van Gisbergen-Tander combination could have been no worse than second.

Only Peter Brock, Jim Richards, Craig Lowndes, Larry Perkins, Mark Skaife and Steven Richards have five or more wins.

Such was Tander’s performance from the get-go, that he set his fastest ever Bathurst lap in Thursday practice.

That proved to be the best number of the whole weekend, with weather intervening.

He didn’t put a foot wrong in the race, and opened up a 12-plus second margin mid-race.

Asked in the press conference if he ever thought he would get to five Bathurst wins, Tander said, “No.”

He later spoke on Supercars’ Cool Down Lap podcast, saying he was glad van Gisbergen got to experience a full Bathurst podium as a winner.

It came after Tander completed the full pre-Bathurst test day in the #97 with van Gisbergen away in New Zealand.

Tander also admitted he felt emotional: "I have never really been emotional after a race, but that was pretty emotional.

Last laps: SVG wins final Bathurst for Holden

“Just the realisation that five is a pretty serious number to have had success here.

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“I knew that the car and Shane and the team were going to be exceptional.

"I was determined not to be the weakest link in the team this year. I worked really, really hard in the lead-up to this one.

"I was pretty satisfied with the way that middle stint went, and to be able to contribute in a small way.

"Five’s are pretty serious number but I won’t probably realise that until much, much later.”

Tander has yet to confirm whether he will carry on with Triple Eight for a fifth year.

He will turn 46 next year, and is also now a staple of the Supercars broadcast team.

'Five is a pretty serious number'

The 2007 champion also praised the record-breaking van Gisbergen, who scored his 19th win of the season.

Tander has enjoyed the closest view of van Gisbergen’s work ethic, and even after 642 starts, felt he had more to learn.

"I said to Shane after the Pukekohe result that I would never blow wind up his ass,” Tander joked.

“But he’s going okay right now… it’s hard not to.

"It’s a privilege to be able to get close to the action and work with him.

“Even though I’m an old bastard, I still get the opportunity to learn a lot."

Van Gisbergen can secure the 2022 title at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 28-30.

Most Bathurst wins

9: Peter Brock7: Jim Richards, Craig Lowndes6: Larry Perkins, Mark Skaife5: Steven Richards, Garth Tander

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