Van Gisbergen breaks McLaughlin record
Craig Lowndes set a record in 1996 that took 23 years to break.
Scott McLaughlin, however, only got to own that record for three years.
Shane van Gisbergen's Bathurst victory on Sunday was significant in several ways.
Van Gisbergen's second Bathurst win, Garth Tander's fifth and Triple Eight's ninth took the headlines.
It was also Holden's 36th and final Great Race victory, with the iconic brand departing Supercars at season's end.
Lost among the fanfare was van Gisbergen's historic achievement of most wins in a single season.
The Bathurst win was van Gisbergen's 19th in 30 starts.
McLaughlin won 18 races in 2019, undercutting Lowndes's previous marker of 16 set in 1996.
Fittingly, McLaughlin's 18th win was also the Bathurst 1000.
Van Gisbergen has won at 10 of 11 rounds this season, only missing out in Darwin back in June.
The Red Bull Ampol Racing driver has four more races to jump into the distance.
The forthcoming Gold Coast and Adelaide events will feature dual 250km races.
The Bathurst win came in a week van Gisbergen was first linked to a NASCAR cameo, before bringing home a World Rally Championship podium.
McLaughlin won 18 races, including Bathurst, in 2019
Bathurst victory was the icing on the cake, even if van Gisbergen made countless errors to the race.
He needs 33 points over Cam Waters in the first race on the Gold Coast to seal a third championship.
“It still hasn’t sunk in," he said of his Bathurst victory.
"To compare our win in 2020, it’s another farewell to Holden, but to have the fans here this time and share it with them is extra special.
"This week especially, I learnt a lot about how much the Holden brand means to so many people and to represent it like we do.
"It would have been nice to have wrapped up the championship today but we can look forward to Gold Coast and hopefully celebrate there."
The 2022 season will continue at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 28-30.
Most wins in a season
*Season ongoing
