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SVG's honest assessment of pace after lacklustre Saturday

08 May 2021
Championship leader had a below-par opening race at The Bend
2 mins by James Pavey
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Frustrated SVG at a loss after disappointing result

Red Bull Ampol Racing’s drivers and crew have been left scratching their heads after a frustrating opening day of the OTR SuperSprint.

Championship leader Shane van Gisbergen, who dominated the rain-affected race at Sandown in February, battled to eighth in qualifying and seventh in Race 9.

The problem was echoed on the other side of the garage, with Jamie Whincup fighting from ninth on the grid to sixth by race’s end.

Admitting the team had work to do overnight, van Gisbergen said: "We don’t know what the problem is.

WATCH: TIGHT RACING IN SLIPPERY, CHANGABLE CONDITIONS: RACE 9 HIGHLIGHTS

Tight racing in slippery, changeable conditions: Race 9 highlights OTR SuperSprint

"There was a lot of talk at Sandown about tyres, but we haven’t had any grip all day.

“We had high pressures, low pressures, 40 and 20, but it does nothing.

“It’s weird because at Sandown in the wet it was awesome, but not today."

The race fell away for van Gisbergen after he launched from eighth to third by the first lap; a problem in his stop cost him precious time.

WATCH: BUNGLED PITSTOP RUINS SVG'S DAY

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This bungled pit stop ruins SVG's day

He climbed back up to seventh and scored an extra five championship points for setting the fastest lap, but he also suffered an off-track excursion in the process.

Speaking about the lane mishap and issues with his radio, the 46-time race winner acknowledged the day just didn’t go his way.

“It’s just a shame it happened, they’ve tried to make it bit better for a four tyre stop and it hasn’t worked,” the 31-year-old said.

“It’s a real shame because the car was speedy on slicks and we were coming through.

“Maybe we could have been top five or better; it’s a shame but something that happens.

“We managed to get the fastest lap though, so there’s one positive out of the race, even though I didn’t feel fast.

“We’ll forget about today and have a great Mother’s Day tomorrow.”

Van Gisbergen heads into the final two races of the weekend with a 140-point lead over Whincup.

The Repco Supercars Championship field will return on Sunday for Race 10 qualifying at 9:40am AEST. Check out the full weekend schedule here.

The OTR SuperSprint will be broadcast live on Foxtel and will be streamed on Kayo with highlights on 7 and 7 Plus.

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