How NZ win brought SVG's engineer full circle
Shane van Gisbergen’s Pukekohe triumph brought engineer Andrew Edwards full circle in emotional fashion.
Van Gisbergen won his 17th and 18th races of 2022 on Sunday.
The latter victory was arguably the best of his career, given his starting position and hometown pressure.
Van Gisbergen started eighth, and powered through the field to be in with a shot at winning late on.
The Aucklander completed a daring pass on Cam Waters in the closing laps to seal victory.
Watching on from the Red Bull Ampol Racing garage was Edwards, race engineer of the #97.
Edwards joined Triple Eight this year, having been a mainstay of Brad Jones Racing for nearly 20 years.
It was with BJR that Edwards secured his most memorable triumph prior to Sunday.
In the wake of Jason Richards’ passing, BJR was determined to win big at Pukekohe.
The scriptwriters delivered, with Jason Bright - led by Edwards - taking a famous victory.
Bright scored the very first Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, delivering BJR its greatest win to date.
Fast forward nine years, and van Gisbergen secured a third Richards Trophy in dramatic fashion.
At the other end of it all was Edwards, who has lifted van Gisbergen to near record-breaking heights.
One more win in the final three rounds, and van Gisbergen will have put together the winningest season ever.
Edwards is among the most respected technical minds in pit lane, and remains part of the BJR family.
Jones is often seen in conversation with Edwards in the paddock.
On Sunday night, BJR staff chanted ‘Andrew’ as they walked past the Red Bull Ampol Racing garage.
The ever-humble Edwards was “in awe” of his driver’s performance, which delivered a fitting farewell to Pukekohe.
“That’s the best win in my life, right up there with Brighty’s,” Edwards told Supercars.com.
“The JR Trophy means a lot to me personally, I know it means a lot to Shane.
“It’s a special one, and doing it like this, it’s instantly unforgettable.
“It’s hard to put into words Shane’s performance in the last race.
“There have been a few times this year when he’s pulled something from nothing.
“When he’s on, he’s an animal. Sometimes you can only stand back and watch in awe.
“To see it unfold in the garage and work with him first-hand is an honour.”
Speaking after the race, van Gisbergen paid tribute to Edwards, who turned around the #97’s performance overnight.
"We’ve been really struggling with the car in a couple of areas and I couldn’t fix the car,” van Gisbergen explained.
"Andrew did a really cool tweak for that last race which made a huge difference.
Edwards (bottom right) with BJR in 2013
"Our qualifying was okay this morning in one session but not the other, and I was only good in the first race because I had clear air.
"I knew we had to change something to the car, and Andrew did his thing. I don’t know what he did but it worked a treat.
"The way we won that race, and seeing how much it meant to everyone and how much it meant to Andrew, it was so special to him.
"He worked with JR and was very close to that team, and to have Jase’s parents there made it very cool.”
Edwards’ next big hurdle is Bathurst, something he has yet to win as a race engineer.
Should the #97 win next month, van Gisbergen will both break McLaughlin’s record and edge closer to the 2022 crown.
However, Edwards reiterated that van Gisbergen’s dominance goes beyond driver and engineer.
Jamie Whincup poached Edwards for the #97
Van Gisbergen has also credited Edwards for bringing BJR's pit stop savvy skills to Triple Eight.
“The amount of wins this year, it’s been incredible to be a part of,” Edwards said.
“I don’t want to take credit for these wins; it’s a team sport.
“Everybody has a small role, and together, we can achieve something amazing.
“It sounds cliched, but I’m seeing it working in its full form.
“When you put that behind somebody like Shane, you’ll see amazing results.
“He then goes out there and shows what an amazing job we’re all doing.
“It’s very humbling to be part of it.”
Tickets for the Repco Bathurst 1000 are available on Supercars.com and Ticketek.
