Van Gisbergen on track for debut WRC points
Shane van Gisbergen is in line for a shock World Rally Championship debut points finish.
Van Gisbergen, the current Supercars points leader, vaulted into the top 10 on Saturday.
With one day of Repco Rally New Zealand remaining, van Gisbergen is ninth in the overall classification.
Scores go down to 10th place, meaning van Gisbergen would score points should he see home Sunday.
The 72-time Supercars race winner consolidated third in the WRC2 division through six stages on Saturday.
Countryman Hayden Paddon leads in class by 2m04.7s over Polish driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
Van Gisbergen began the day 12th overall, but capitalised on several WRC stars crashing out.
The 2020 Bathurst winner suffered a puncture of his own, but didn’t lose any positions.
Erstwhile rally leader, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, crashed out early and retired with roll cage damage.
Teammate Takamoto Katsuta crashed in the penultimate stage.
The most dramatic incident of the day was for M-Sport Ford driver Gus Greensmith.
Greensmith was running fifth but suffered spectacular roll on Special Stage 10.
The Ford driver will not return to the rally on Sunday.
Through the drama emerged WRC points leader Kalle Rovanperä, who will take a 29.0s lead into Sunday’s final leg.
Teammate and world champion Sebastien Ogier is second ahead of Rovanperä’s main title challenger Ott Tänak.
Tänak finished the day in third after being hit with 15 seconds worth of time penalties.
Should Rovanperä’s favour hang on, he will seal his first WRC title with two rallies remaining.
Hyundai duo Thierry Neuville and Oliver Solberg round out the top five ahead of Paddon, who is 27.3s ahead of privateer Lorenzo Bertelli.
Kajetanowicz, van Gisbergen and Australian rally star Harry Bates complete the top 10.
The rally will conclude on Sunday with a new stage at Whitford Forest Te Maraunga Waiho (8.82km) and Jack’s Ridge (6.77km).
The second run of Jack’s Ridge forms the bonus points-paying Power Stage.
Van Gisbergen will complete his WRC debut on Sunday before returning to Australia to prepare for Bathurst.
The 33-year-old will again race with Garth Tander, with the duo looking to add to their 2020 victory.
Van Gisbergen can also mathematically seal a third Supercars drivers’ title in Bathurst.
Cars will hit the track at Mount Panorama for Practice 1 on Thursday October 6.
Tickets for the Repco Bathurst 1000 are available on Supercars.com and Ticketek.
