Poll: van Gisbergen's best drive of 2022
With 21 wins, Shane van Gisbergen blew the field away in 2022 with a crushing title defence.
Van Gisbergen pushed the envelope in all 34 races, and was rarely second-best.
He opened the year with a dominant win in Sydney, and came home with a wet sail with 12 of the last 16 wins.
Some of his best drives weren’t for the win, such as his charge from 23rd to third at Albert Park.
What was the Kiwi’s best drive of 2022? Check out Supercars.com's shortlist and cast your vote below.
Sydney, Race 1: An early statement
Van Gisbergen opened the season with a crushing 20-second win despite pitting three times. Van Gisbergen passed Anton De Pasquale late on and motored away to begin his year in style.
Tasmania, Race 3: Big moves
Van Gisbergen started fifth for the Tasmania opener, and charged to victory after bold manoeuvres on Cam Waters and Will Davison. It set up an eventual clean sweep at Symmons Plains.
Albert Park, Race 6: 23rd to third
After being stung by a Jake Kostecki crash in qualifying, van Gisbergen was forced to start 23rd for the Albert Park opener. In 20 laps, he duly gained 20 spots — benefiting from rivals’ tyre woes — and was just 9.4s from the win.
Perth, Race 10: Late lunge pays off
Van Gisbergen had never won in Perth, and started third for the night race. An overcut saw van Gisbergen first pass Waters, before putting on a stunning overtake for the lead on De Pasquale with four laps to go.
Winton, Race 14: Bold move on Waters
A day after Waters denied van Gisbergen in a last-lap classic, the latter had a point to prove. When Waters came out of the pits, van Gisbergen put on one of the moves of the year to take the lead and drive away to victory.
Townsville, Race 19: Davison battle Pt. 1
Van Gisbergen kicked off a streak of five straight wins in Townsville, having missed out altogether in Darwin. He required a pass on Davison to win it, and he did so in the closing laps.
The Bend, Race 23: The big wet
Van Gisbergen was two from two when the rain arrived at The Bend, and it arrived in a big way. He was again forced to overhaul a racy Waters before running away to victory by 8.7s.
Sandown, Race 26: Davison battle Pt. 2
Davison and van Gisbergen were joined at the hip at Sandown, and the latter peeled off a thrilling move to steal victory in the finale. The move began at Turn 4, and went all the way to the last corner, the two cars bowling wides at the treacherous Turn 6.
Pukekohe, Race 29: A fitting farewell
With the weight of New Zealand on his shoulders, van Gisbergen powered from eighth to send Pukekohe off in style. He famously clashed with Waters at the final corner — an incident that was investigated — before he completed the move just laps later.
Bathurst, Race 30: Great Race No. 2
Van Gisbergen made a number of mistakes leading into the race, such as brushing the Sulman Park wall, running off at The Chase and colliding with Macauley Jones in qualifying. Come race day, and he and Garth Tander didn’t blink, van Gisbergen denying Chaz Mostert in a tense finish.
Gold Coast, Race 31: Championship-clincher
In an 85-lap race that ran green for its entirety, van Gisbergen clinched the title with a winning margin of 16.8s. David Reynolds led away from pole, but was passed by a rampant van Gisbergen, who claimed his 20th win. The Kiwi backed it up with win No. 21 a day later.
