The Debrief: Several journeys begin in Sydney

The Bunnings Trade Sydney SuperNight provided several key storylines as racing returned.

Anton De Pasquale was supreme, Erebus Motorsport took a major step forward and key contenders struggled.

Through it all, one thing remained the same - Shane van Gisbergen accumulating points en route to the title.

In the wake of the eighth round of the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship, Supercars.com highlights the key talking points from the weekend that was.

SVG edges towards match point

For the first time in 2021, van Gisbergen left a race weekend with a margin of over 300 points.

To this weekend's ARMOR ALL Sydney SuperNight, van Gisbergen enjoys a 338-point lead over teammate Whincup.

What made van Gisbergen's weekend-topping performance even better was that he was open about how far behind De Pasquale he was.

But that's the mark of a champion; if you don't win, finish second 'at worst'. He did it at The Bend; accrue points even if you're not quickest.

Will Davison's Race 21 heartbreak certainly helped, and Whincup got him in Race 22. But van Gisbergen, as he has all season, looks rock solid.

Can anyone catch Anton in Sydney?

Anton De Pasquale was a step ahead of everyone else over one lap and in the race.

His only blip was Race 21; he made a poor start, didn't make life difficult for van Gisbergen, and was eventually exclude - but that wasn't his fault.

Three poles, two wins and a swag of confidence. If his team keeps his #11 Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustang in the window, he'll string together some serious performances.

The last guy to do that for the Shell team went on to do great things, and De Pasquale is beginning to earn his keep.

Brown's big step

Many touted Brown for big things in 2021, but to be ninth after eight rounds in your rookie season is something .

McLaughlin was 10th overall in his first season in 2013; Jamie Whincup was 10th overall in his first Triple Eight season in 2006.

Erebus deserves significant credit for keeping Brown and Brodie Kostecki in the hunt.

But to see how unflappable Brown and Kostecki were in Sydney was a warning sign that the two youngsters are here for the right reasons, and here to win.

Big names struggle

Cameron Waters and Chaz Mostert dropped big points relative to their title rivals after going missing last weekend.

Waters scored finished of 13th, 13th and sixth, with Mostert scraping in three top 10 finishes.

Series leader van Gisbergen outscored Waters by 116 points, and Mostert by 76 points.

Both Waters and Mostert dropped behind Davison, who moved back into third.

The two will be hoping for a major turnaround - otherwise, should De Pasquale's upwards trend continue, they'll fall further down the list.

The quiet achiever

Nick Percat has made no secret of his affinity with SMSP; he claimed his maiden full-time podium there in 2014, and won twice last year.

Percat managed to keep himself in the fight for the night race podium, and he made up for it in Race 21.

Should Brad Jones Racing keep its leading man in the window, expect the Percat surname to sit atop a podium in Sydney.

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.