Van Gisbergen explains crucial reeducation

Engineer Andrew Edwards was left surprised during his first debrief with a blunt Shane van Gisbergen.

In 13 rounds, the duo quickly formed the basis of a record-breaking relationship.

Veteran engineer Edwards shifted from Brad Jones Racing to Triple Eight this time last year.

Edwards had been with BJR for nearly two decades, and worked with the likes of Jason Richards and Jason Bright.

He oversaw Bright’s emotional Pukekohe win in 2013, with Bright winning the Richards Memorial Trophy.

Prior to joining Triple Eight, Edwards engineered Nick Percat’s car.

Van Gisbergen cruised to the 2021 title with David Cauchi, who moved on to Grove Racing.

Many thought a third engineer change in as many years would leave van Gisbergen exposed.

It was far from fact, Edwards overseeing a record 21 wins — including a famous Bathurst victory.

Van Gisbergen credited Edwards for much of his success in 2022, despite both veterans having to learn each other’s limits on the run.

“Learning with Andrew — he’s a pretty amazing character,” van Gisbergen said after Race 34.

“He comes from a very different team and culture.

“How he’s learnt with JJ [Jeromy Moore] and the other engineers and the team, and how it flows.

“That’s been cool to be a part of, learning that relationship.

“He was pretty surprised in our first debrief, I say a lot less words than Percat does to describe understeer.

“It took him a while to get used to that, but it’s been amazing working with him.”

Bathurst victory proved career-defining for Edwards, but van Gisbergen said the Pukekohe win meant the most to both.

“The highlight was also with him, winning at Pukekohe,” van Gisbergen said.

“How emotional he was — he was obviously close with JR, and he won the first one with Brighty as well.

“Sharing moments with someone like that is epic.

“You let that stuff sink in — it’s pretty cool.”

The year wasn’t without its hiccups — a day after van Gisbergen won the Sydney opener, the #97 crew battled from 21st to sixth.

The run included van Gisbergen dropping a lap after an erroneous call to switch to wet tyres.

Van Gisbergen also put himself on blast, criticising his post-Le Mans jet lag battles which affected his Darwin performance.

However, with driver and engineer staring down the barrel of Gen3, van Gisbergen is itching to get back into it in 2023.

“There’s still stuff to improve on — we still make mistakes,” van Gisbergen said.

“Sydney in the wet, Race 2, made a bad call on the wets when I spun out.

“I probably could’ve managed my jet lag better in Darwin, and worked with the team better on promo.

“The new challenges keep it interesting… I’m fired up to get into next year."

Teams are scheduled to begin testing their new Gen3 cars in late January and February.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will commence in Newcastle next March.

Tickets are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.