Van Gisbergen eyes title glory on Gold Coast
The Gold Coast would be a prime position to clinch a third Supercars title, says Shane van Gisbergen.
Van Gisbergen will carry a 567-point lead over Cam Waters to the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.
With 600 points left on offer, van Gisbergen is on the brink of clinching a second consecutive championship.
The Kiwi looked set to clinch the crown in the closing laps of last weekend’s Repco Bathurst 1000.
With as little as 34 laps remaining, van Gisbergen was in position to clinch the title.
However, Waters made two late overtakes to take the title fight to Surfers Paradise.
While he wanted to put the title away in Bathurst, van Gisbergen is also keen to settle it among the party atmosphere of the Gold Coast.
The 2022 season will continue at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 28-30.
Tickets for the event are on sale now.
When asked after the race about clinching the title in Bathurst, he said: “I would’ve liked to.
“Maybe if we go good at Gold Coast and wrap it up, it’s a pretty cool place to have a party too.”
Van Gisbergen’s Bathurst win was his 19th of the season, helping him break Scott McLaughlin’s record.
McLaughlin won 18 races in 2019, undercutting Craig Lowndes’ 1996 benchmark of 16 wins.
Van Gisbergen is the form driver heading to the Sunshine State; he won the last race on the Gold Coast in 2019.
No active driver has more Gold Coast wins than van Gisbergen.
Triple Eight team boss Jamie Whincup told Motorsport.com that van Gisbergen will again want to put the title away with a win.
"Of course he's going to win it, and it will most likely happen on the Gold Coast,” Whincup said.
"It's something else to celebrate.
"And he knows as well that you want to win the race to win the championship.
"That's important.”
Drivers will tackle dual 250km, 85-lap races at Surfers Paradise later this month.
The season will end on the streets of Adelaide on December 1-4.
