Van Gisbergen 'definitely in his peak': Whincup

Shane van Gisbergen is "definitely in his peak", according to teammate Jamie Whincup.

Van Gisbergen clinched the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship title after the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight finale was washed out.

The New Zealander will carry an unassailable 349-point lead over Whincup to the season-ending Repco Bathurst 1000.

Van Gisbergen also secured the Beaurepaires Sydney Cup and the $25,000 cash prize on Sunday.

Whincup was put to the sword by van Gisbergen in 2021, with the champion-elect winning 14 races to Whincup's two.

On just two occasions did Whincup outscore van Gisbergen over a weekend, and even then, the margin between the two was tight.

On Saturday, van Gisbergen led Whincup home in a Race 29 one-two for Red Bull Ampol Racing, which also clinched the 2021 teams' title.

"Obviously massive congrats, to win the championship is huge," Whincup said.

"It’s been as challenging as ever; I like to think I work really hard, and I've thrown everything at it.

"I'm sure the DJR guys did as well, we have had challenges all year long, but just purely didn't have enough race pace on my side of the garage.

"SVG, every single race, just stayed consistent and just punched lap time after lap time in every single race, wet, dry, it didn't really matter, broken [collarbone], the whole lot.

"He massively deserved this championship, it was SVG’s championship from a while ago."

Whincup is now preparing for the Repco Bathurst 1000, which will be his final race as a full-time driver.

The seven-time champion will be replaced in 2022 by teenager and Dunlop Series points leader Broc Feeney.

Whincup, who will move into a team management role in 2022, believes van Gisbergen’s success is set to continue.

"He’s only a young fella, he’s got plenty of years," Whincup quipped.

"He is definitely in his peak, and you can hold on to your peak for years.

"There's been guys in the sport that have just tried to raise the level, and SVG is raising the level for everybody else at the moment.

"He’s creating a position where everyone else has got to work harder to get there.

"I'm thankful that there's somebody here raising the bar consistently to keep improving the sport.

"Because when you're old, and on your deathbed, it’s not really about the trophies you've got, it's not really about how much money you have in the bank.

"It just comes down to the effort that's gone in, and just trying to push yourself week in, week out to be better."

The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship and Dunlop Series seasons will conclude at the Repco Bathurst 1000.

Every session of the event will be broadcast live on Foxtel (Fox Sports 506) and streamed on Kayo.

The Seven Network will provide live free to air coverage of the event. Tickets for the event are on sale now.